Dark Souls 2 Seamless Co-op Mod Nears Alpha Testing

If you have been waiting to jump back into Drangleic with a group of friends, you might not have much longer to wait. Prolific modder Yui has announced that their highly anticipated seamless co-op project for Dark Souls 2 is nearing a state where it will be ready for alpha testing.

Following successful releases for Elden Ring, Nightreign, and the original Dark Souls, this latest undertaking has proven to be a significant technical hurdle. In a recent video update and accompanying blog post, Yui described the mod as one of their “most complicated and ambitious projects to date.”

Why Dark Souls 2 Is Different

The difficulty in bringing seamless co-op to this specific title comes down to the game's unique architecture. According to Yui, Dark Souls 2 acts as an “outcast” in the series. While other titles in the franchise—including the original Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, Sekiro, and Elden Ring—share a similar game engine, Dark Souls 2 is built on a separate branch with extensive modifications.

“If you understand how one game works then you can more or less figure out how things work in the other games too,” Yui explained. “Dark Souls 2, from what I understand, is a separate branch of the game engine used in Dark Souls 1, with significant modifications. For reverse engineering purposes it's basically a completely different game.”

Technical Requirements for Players

When the mod eventually launches, it will strictly require the Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin edition. The modder confirmed that the original 2014 release of Dark Souls 2 will not be supported, as it is a 32-bit application, whereas Scholar of the First Sin utilizes a 64-bit architecture. Once operational, the mod is expected to support cooperative play for up to six players.

Yui admitted that the initial announcement of the project back in April 2025 was premature, noting that they “probably should have held off until I made more progress.” While there is no firm date for when the public can expect to start their playthroughs, Yui stated that the recent updates are a way to signal that the work is on the right track.

The alpha testing phase will be available for free once it goes live, though Yui noted that direct bug reporting and support will be restricted to Patreon backers during the initial rollout.