Elden Ring: Everything to know about multiplayer co-op and PvP

Elden Ring is a massive open-world adventure that players can spend dozens of hours exploring. But on top of that, Elden Ring offers a unique spin on multiplayer.

FromSoftware’s latest title has both co-op and PvP multiplayer. You can explore the world and take on incredible bosses alongside a friend.

Or you can build your character to take on human foes in player-versus-player combat that will keep you on your toes.

But the multiplayer in Elden Ring isn’t very conventional. There are no dedicated PvP modes. And it’s not super easy to jump in and out of co-op play.

For new players, multiplayer can seem very daunting and confusing. So we’re going to try and clear things up a bit.

Elden Ring multiplayer roles

The first step to getting started with multiplayer in Elden Ring is understanding how it works. Again, multiplayer in FromSoftware titles is different from most other games you might have played.

First, we’ll take a look at the different roles in multiplayer. All multiplayer instances in Elden Ring occur in a certain person’s game world. That person is the Host, and the multiplayer session takes place in their game world.

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Next, two different kinds of players will be joining a game world. Allies can join a multiplayer session to help the Host take down tough enemies and even bosses worldwide.

Adversaries join a session with the sole intention of killing the session’s Host.

So, those are the three different roles you have in Elden Ring multiplayer. The Host can summon Allies to help fight or adversaries to duel one another.

Players can invade a Host’s world to try to take them out, but we’ll get to that later.

How does summoning work in Elden Ring multiplayer?

Now that you know the various roles in Elden Ring multiplayer, you need to know how to summon. As you travel around the game world, you will come across little stone symbols.

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These are Martyr Effigies, and they indicate that you are in a multiplayer area of the game. Interact with them, and they will become available to use for multiplayer.

As a Host, you can leave Summon Signs in the ground near these effigies to indicate that you want to start a multiplayer session in your world.

Depending on whether you want an Ally or an Adversary to join, you will have to use a different item found on your journey to leave a Summon Sign.

Gold summon signs will signal for Allies, and red signs will signal for Adversaries.

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Other players can then use an item called a Furlcalling Finger Remedy to reveal your Summon Sign.

Once they interact with it, they will jump to your world and, depending on the type of Summon Sign, either help you or try to hurt you.

Lastly, you can set a multiplayer password in the game menu to ensure that you only see the Summon Signs you want.

Choose the same password as your friends, and you’ll only see their Summon Signs, making sure that you only invite the right Ally or Adversary to your world.

Different multiplayer summoning items in Elden Ring

So by now, you should have some basic understanding of how summoning works in Elden Ring. Now, you will need to know the various multiplayer items in the game and how they work.

Six main items are used for multiplayer in PvP. You will need a combination of these items, depending on if you want co-op or PvP:

Tarnished’s Furled Finger

This item lets you put a yellow Summon Sign down in designated areas to allow Allies to join you in co-op multiplayer.

Small Golden Effigy

This allows you to send a co-op Summon Sign to all active Martyr Effigies in a certain area around you.

Duelist Furled Finger

This item allows you to create a red Summon Sign near a Martyr Effigy to summon Adversaries to your world for a PvP match.

Small Red Effigy

Similar to the Small Golden Effigy, the Small Red Effigy allows you to send Summon Signs to all nearby Martyr Effigies. But this time, they will all be red Summon Signs, opening your world up to potential Adversaries.

Furlcalling Finger Remedy

As we said earlier, this is the item that Allies or Adversaries will need to use to see Summon Signs on the ground.

All previous items can be used infinitely, but you will have to craft a Furlcalling Finger Remedy every time you want to join a multiplayer session.

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to find the crafting materials needed for this craft.

Festering Bloody Finger

The last important item related to multiplayer in Elden Ring is the Festering Bloody Finger. Like the Furlcalling Finger Remedy, this item is consumed when it’s used. The Festering Bloody Finger is used to invade a player’s world.

We’ll go into invading a little more below, but just know that you’ll need to find a few of these items before you can invade.

You eventually get the somewhat cleaner-sounding Bloody Finger, which has infinite uses. But you will need to complete a few invasions before unlocking this.

There are a few more multiplayer-related items that you will find along your journey in Elden Ring.

But these are the essential items that will get you started on your multiplayer journey in the game. The last thing we are going to talk about is invading.

How to invade in Elden Ring

So that covers almost everything you need to know about multiplayer in Elden Ring. The last thing we want to go over is invading.

Invading is a type of PvP multiplayer in Elden Ring that doesn’t require the Host to leave a Summon Sign.

Instead, invaders can use the Festering Bloody Finger (or the regular Bloody Finger once it has been unlocked) to invade a Host world of an unsuspecting player.

As a Host, you leave yourself open to invasions. That is, of course, unless you are playing in offline mode.

If you want to invade, you must go into the multiplayer menu and use a Festering Bloody Finger. That’s it. If the invasion is successful, you’ll be transported to the Host’s world to battle.

We emphasized the invasion being successful because that is not always the case. If the game can’t find anyone to invade, you’ll be stuck in your world and the Festering Bloody Finger won’t be consumed.

If you’re looking to invade someone, it’s important to be in a high-traffic area. Hanging out near big boss fights is a good idea if you want to invade.

Additionally, you will always be matched with someone close to your level. That way, you won’t be matched up in uneven fights.

But you will need to ensure you are in an area with players near your level. You won’t have much luck trying to invade a world in the starting area when you are already over level 100.

That’s Elden Ring multiplayer in a nutshell

And that covers everything you need to know about multiplayer in Elden Ring. If you’re looking for a co-op Ally to join in a fight, use the Tarnished’s Furled Finger or Small Golden Effigy to place a Summon Sign down.

If you’re looking for an Adversary to duel against, use the Duelist Furled Finger or the Small Red Effigy to place a PvP Summon Sign.

Remember, you can also add a password to make sure your Ally or Adversary only sees your Summon Signs.

And if you’re looking to join up on someone else’s world, just use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy to reveal a Summon Sign from someone and join up.

Lastly, use a Festering Bloody Finger to invade the world of an unsuspecting Host. Just be ready for a potentially uneven fight. The Host could have an Ally on their side, making it a two-versus-one fight.

Elden Ring is available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.

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