Elden Ring Nightreign’s Massive Steam Launch Tarnished by ‘Mixed’ User Reviews Over Lack of Duos Co-Op, Voice Chat

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The game Elden Ring: Nightreign had a huge debut on Steam, yet the enthusiasm was somewhat marred by a ‘blended’ rating from users.

In a single night on Steam, FromSoftware’s cooperative offshoot drew in over 313,593 simultaneous players, making it one of the top-played games on Valve’s platform alongside Elden Ring Nightreign.

However, it should be noted that while many reviews have been favorable (67% positive to date), a significant portion criticize the absence of Elden Ring Nightreign’s multiplayer features, particularly the lack of duos or two-player cooperative play and voice chat.

In the world of Elden Ring, Nightreign immerses gamers within the ever-changing landscapes of Limveld, inviting them to journey and battle for their lives alone or as a trio. Unfortunately, the game does not offer a two-player cooperative mode.

As explained in iggn.ru‘s Elden Ring Nightreign review: “Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games.”

As a dedicated gamer, I’ve got some top-notch strategies for defeating all eight Nightlord Bosses in Nightreign. If you’re curious about how to access the two locked Nightfarer Classes, give these guides a read: “Mastering the Revenant” and “Dominating as the Duchess”. And, if you ever need to switch characters mid-game, here’s a helpful tip on “Character Swapping”.

In iggn.ru‘s interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the Nightreign lead developer discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there’s no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked.

Apologies for any inconvenience, but during development, I overlooked the fact that Nightreign was initially designed as a two-player option rather than a multiplayer co-op game for three. However, our original intention was always to create an immersive multiplayer experience tailored for three players, which is at the heart of Nightreign.

Ishizaki added, “I, too, appreciate times when I can just play on my own, and that’s why we took this into account right from the beginning.

We focused intensely on designing an experience suitable for single players, taking advantage of the rule and system possibilities. Consequently, during this process, we may have unintentionally underestimated or neglected the duos aspect. However, rest assured, we are contemplating enhancing this feature as part of our post-launch support.

In this setup, if you’re only teaming up with your preferred duo partner, you must agree to let a random player join your game, as the multiplayer experience in Elden Ring: Nightreign primarily revolves around trios.

It appears that some players are dissatisfied with the cooperative play in Elden Ring. One Steam review states, “Elden Ring co-op, but not truly,” suggesting that while it offers cooperative play, there are restrictions that leave some players feeling frustrated. The reviewer expresses their disappointment and even considers requesting a refund, questioning how such limitations could be implemented.

Another review mentions frustration due to the lack of partner-specific options, as strangers would frequently disregard the shared goal and act independently. I simply want to team up with my friend…

One user mentioned that if you’re not able to gather two other players for voice chat while playing Elden Ring, it might not be worth your time. The multiplayer aspect of the game, specifically the solo queue, is poorly managed, leading to difficulties coordinating actions such as deciding where to go, locating chests or consumables, and exchanging items with teammates. Despite my fondness for Elden Ring, roguelites, and Nightreign’s gaming style, I can’t imagine revisiting this game without friends using voice chat, or unless the single-player experience isn’t as challenging as a ‘level 1 speedrun’ of Elden Ring.

Even if you’re exceptionally skilled at the game, it makes little difference if you struggle with teamwork, particularly in situations where communication is virtually non-existent. For instance, in a challenging, swift-paced cooperative game like pins.

The voice chat issue keeps cropping up. Here’s another negative review:

Progress cannot be made without voice communication. If you’re fortunate enough to have three consistent gaming buddies to chat with, you’re in for a fantastic experience. The connection remains seamless, the map is brimming with activities, and the gameplay mechanics keep things engaging.

Yet, I’m a 41-year-old individual, and unfortunately, I don’t possess regular companions who enjoy playing this game. In fact, even finding just two friends for simultaneous play would be challenging, given that the game requires three participants to form a team. Playing with only two isn’t an option either.

If voice chat is added to the game (which I’m not certain it isn’t already), you might not find it as enjoyable as playing with friends, because your experience can be significantly influenced by interacting with strangers. Your satisfaction with the game could depend greatly on how well you communicate and coordinate with them.

Solo queuing with random players can be quite challenging. It’s tough to coordinate, difficult to pass items, tricky to strategize or choose where to farm, overall, it’s a tough experience.

“TL;DR, if you don’t have two more friends you can group up with regularly, it’s not fun.”

According to Ishizaki’s suggestion during our chat, it seems that FromSoftware might incorporate a duo option into Elden Ring: Nightreign at some point in the future. For now, though, you can either play alone or with a group of three players.

Before the release of Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware advised PC gamers that they might encounter lower frame rates if they’re running the game on “newest graphics cards.

In a casual message to fans enclosed with Elden Ring’s day-one patch notes, FromSoftware recommended looking into the source of potential issues and suggested that those experiencing problems should consider reducing their graphics settings from “High” to either “Medium” or “Low”, as well as updating their graphics card drivers to the most recent version.

Check out these crucial Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks we put together from the network test — and keep an eye on the iggn.ru Nightreign wiki for plenty more guides when the game launches.

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2025-05-30 13:29