Can this game be played co-op?

[☠Sun-Eater☠]

AS the title says. I was thinking of picking this up for me and my friend to play together. Is this possible or is the multi player PVP only?

[y tho]

Local co-op? Not that I've ever heard of.

Online co-op? yes, but with some caveats.

It's not drop in at any time co-op. You can use dscfix to easily find your friend (whereas the game would randomize you two otherwise, the mod'll make it so you can have priority to show up in each other's game, and make summoning friend in easier) and summon said friend, he'll disappear when the area boss is defeated, but it's entirely possible to do primarily co-op on a playthrough. You'll need to obtain white soapstone and be in human form. The game's well worth your time together or alone though.

[☠Sun-Eater☠]

So there is no way to just add my friend in a friends list and summon them into my game to play? It always randomizes us without this mod? That blows :/ I might pass on it for now then.

[voiddp]

Coop with friends is okay in DS.
DSFix and DSCFix mods are highly recommended...
But DS coop has limitations:
Each one of you must host in turn, and coop in turn. Because when host's area boss cleared coopers disappear and area become restricted to summon coopers.
So it will be like this: You summon friend, coop area in your world, and after boss your friend summon you and you coop this area again, but in his world. Them move to next area and repeat.
And you have to stay with him in level range (+-10 levels +-10% of level)

[☠Sun-Eater☠]

I just thought it would be fun for us to be able to log in, i summon her to me, and we co op together through the game (We've played a few games together co op..) this game really interested me and i'd heard it had multi...but if the multi is totally random and we cant co-op through the game without modding it it's definitely not what I am looking for. The single player portion may be fun, but that isn't what i'm looking for at this moment.

[voiddp]

This is bad port but great game with stupid GWGL.
Nothing random in coop, just waiting time for the 1st try with p2p connections without dedicated server.
But modders fixed everything bad fixed locked small resolutions etc. and with that mods you can summon friends from GWGL in a flash without any waiting or random parts... Why not copy\paste mods, use them and have fun?

[y tho]

it's randomized to a degree without modding in dscfix, yes. It's a great game though, so even if you pick something else up instead, hopefully you'll give it a try someday. One of the best games of this generation, easy.

[voiddp]

Coop is not randomized, just waiting time for pool of connections to accumulate. Even without mods, if you wait in the same area for 10-15 mins you will see each other, and even faster if your "internets are near". And that is totally not "random"

[y tho]

The way I've always understood it is that your sign(s) goes out to a pool of people - so those within the accumulated pool of players can pick you if they desire - any one can then choose your sign and try to summon if they find it and decide they want you. Admittedly, I only really invade and haven't done any co-op in a long time, but that was my understanding of it. When you send out your sign it's visible within the pool of connections, and anyone in the pool can choose your sign, no?

[ariba]

You can summon someone and play with them until you've killed the area boss, and then you'll have to move on without anyone else.

Hopefully, Dark Souls 2 will have some "proper" co-operation.

[voiddp]

No, visible not only within the pool.
From sticky "dark souls multiplayer guide":

4. Dark Souls uses your IP Pool to create a P2P web which sends messages and souls signs throughout the player base:

It takes roughly 10-15 minutes to reach a healthy IP Pool (~10 ip connections) and this begins when you hit the title screen. Quiting the game entirely will purge your ip pool. Changing areas, will not. Anyone you summon or anyone who invades you is added to your IP pool, this is why it's much easier to summon someone once you have done it once, however, the delay on repeat invasions prevents you from invading the same person immediately. (Unless they use the dried finger) Messages, bloodstains, summon signs and invasions are sent through the P2P network through direct IP connections, but are not necessarily from someone directly connected to you.

So you can easily invade or summon people within your pool. But you see signs from anywhere in p2p network, throughout tree of your pool connection, and then their pool connections, and then theirs next... etc. But for sign to spread far in this tree requires time. And the more near your connections in terms of internet, the less time to see your friend sign.
But next step - summoning someone not from your pool may be faulty multiple times until 1st success, when he gets in your pool directly.

And that is what DSCfix do, it adds your online friends to your direct pool without this p2p tree stuff, so you get your summons almost without waiting to see signs and faults to connect

[WARBOSS KRUMP]

DSFix and DSCFix and you're all sorted :3

[76561198030043640]

Sounds like a very unwieldy / ramshackle "coöp" system. If the game drops in price, I might try it.

[voiddp]

Because it is balanced for single, coop for walkthrough makes things too easy.
IMHO Coop here is more for dueling purposes in opposition to invasions.

[Error404]

I always thought invasions were there to counter Co-op summons mainly.

Thing is, the Darkwraith in question HAS to be a scumbag. While the host may not that strongly equipped, the white phantom alongside him gets the same equip/estus rules the Darkwraith does(The Host gets Estus, it heals Phantoms as well at like 50% effectiveness). What can the Darkwraith do? All he gets now, is the ability to double team you via the monsters that are still alive.

[cua_bien02]

DkS is primarily a single game but the co-op and pvp makes it much better and enhances the game replayability. I'd be very unhappy if they make co-op a permanent thing like Portal 2. Let's see, "Lordran is a brutal place, but me and my buddy cuts thru' it like cheese". Trust me, co-op makes things very very easy, if u're not being invaded by Darkwraiths, that is :)).