With the closed network test for Elden Ring wrapped up, players now have a pretty good idea of how the game's multiplayer will work. Those familiar with FromSoftware's previous titles that included multiplayer will have no trouble figuring out Elden Ring's. It features these same system involving the summoning of phantoms for co-op and PvP, but has a few differences.

Since Demon's Souls' unbalanced multiplayer in 2009, FromSoftware has utilized a relatively unchanged multiplayer system for the Dark Souls games and Bloodborne. Broadly speaking, it lets players ease the burden of the games' notorious difficulties by bringing in other players for help, while at the same time bringing some risk to counteract the benefit of another player. Across the board, summoning friendly players for co-op makes enemies more difficult, typically by just increasing their health, especially that of bosses. In Demon's Souls and Dark Souls, restoring humanity in order to summon a co-op partner also opened up the possibility of invasion.

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These systems all return in some form or another in Elden Ring, but don't work exactly the same way they did previously. There so far appears to be no humanity mechanic in Elden Ring, with invasions becoming a threat either through initiation of co-op, or by welcoming invaders. Elden Ring multiplayer supports four players in total, which can be any combination of friendly and enemy phantoms. There are a variety of items that, when used, let players engage in multiplayer. These were all provided to players for the closed network test, so it's unclear how they will be obtained in the full game once it's released.

How Co-op Works In Elden Ring

An Elden Ring player standing in front of someone they just summoned

Cooperative play works very similarly to how it operates in previous FromSoftware titles. Instead of needing a certain character status (such as Demon's Souls human form instead of soul form), players will use an item called the Furlcalling Finger Remedy to make summon signs visible. Summon signs will then appear on the ground in a golden hue, and interacting with them will let players summon a co-op partner in the form of a similarly golden phantom. Furlcalling Figer Remedies can only be used once, with the only currently known method of acquiring more is to help another player kill a boss.

In Elden Ring players have two options for placing their cooperative summon sign. One is the Tarnished's Furled Finger, which places the golden summon sign at the foot of the user, just like Dark Souls' summon signs. The other is a Small Golden Effigy that sends the summon sign to the nearest summoning pool, a new mechanic in Elden Ring. The summoning pools seem to be a products of Elden Ring's open world, giving players dedicated places where multiplayer opportunities can be found. Summon signs from the Small Golden Effigy have a similar appearance as those from the Tarnished's Furled Finger, but get placed around Stakes of Marika, which double as respawn points.

In the closed network test, the Tarnished's Furled Finger and the Small Golden Effigy had unlimited uses, and there's no indication that this won't be the case come the full release in February. The expressed goal is still the same as previous FromSoftware games: help the summoner defeat the area's boss. This may mean a major boss inside Elden Ring's Legacy Dungeons, or a minor boss in a smaller area throughout the Lands Between. Summoning is possible out in the open world too, but players won't be able to summon their spectral steed, Torrent. The Finger Severer item will also send friendly phantoms back to their own world, or can be used while in phantom form to exit a co-op session.

How PvP Works In Elden Ring

A knight with a torch in Elden Ring

The counterpart to the Tarnished's Furled Finger is the Duelist's Furled Finger. The Duelist's Furled Finger will place a red summon sign in other players' worlds, which will summon a red phantom when activated, leading to one of the ways to engage in PvP multiplayer in Elden Ring. The same can be done with the Small Red Effigy, which sends the red summon sign to the summoning pool. Players hoping for co-op will want to keep a sharp lookout, since both gold and red summon signs will appear right next to each other near the Stakes of Marika.

Related: Elden Ring: New Skills Revealed In The Trailers and Network Test

Those hoping to spoil the fun of others will be interested in the Bloody Finger, and item used for invasions. The most common invasion destination will likely be the worlds where the host has already summoned a co-op phantom or two. This can make invading exceedingly difficult, especially when combined with the lack of stealth courtesy of invading phantoms' glowing red character models. This is generally the biggest criticism of Elden Ring from closed network test impressions, and will hopefully be reworked in the coming months. The only way to invade a world without an active co-op session, is if someone has used the Taunter's Tongue, which lures invaders to the user's world.

Elden Ring's Blue & White Cipher Rings

Elden Ring's Blue and White Cipher Rings operate like the Blue Sentinels and Way of the Blue Covenants from Dark Souls 2 and 3

Elden Ring Multiplayer Details

Elden Ring has two more multiplayer items which operate in the same manner of the Blue Sentinels and Way of the Blue covenants from Dark Souls 2 and 3. The Blue Cipher Ring essentially lets players fulfill the same role as the Blue Sentinels; wearing it will let them be summoned into a world that has been invaded. This is not a possibility in all games that have been invaded, though, just those where the host has used the White Cipher Ring. This will also likely contribute to invaders being frequently at a disadvantage, especially if the Blue and White Cipher Rings are given to players early on in the game.

All of these multiplayer items are easily accessible in a Multiplayer submenu that can be found after pressing the Options button on PS4/PS5, or the Menu button on Xbox One/Series X/S. The only major caveat to Elden Ring's multiplayer is that horse riding is disallowed. Even NPC red phantoms, who invade at certain destinations like in past FromSoftware games, will force players to dismount if they're riding Torrent. This was likely implemented for balancing purposes, and to keep players from too easily getting disconnected for wandering far from the host. All in all, multiplayer in Elden Ring will feel very familiar, and has been adjusted to accommodate the game's open-world format.

Next: Elden Ring Shows Breath Of The Wild 2 Needs More Enemy Variety