Elden Ring Multiplayer Co-op and PvP: How to play with friends
I die with a little help from my friends.
The Lands Between are a dangerous place, but figuring out how Elden Ring’s multiplayer works is sometimes a tougher battle than the Margits and Godricks. Elden Ring multiplayer, co-op or PvP, has a number of components - signs and pools, fingers of every description, and more - and the game doesn't necessarily explain them all very well.
You unlock the ability to play coop early on in your adventure, but there are some items you need to craft, some others you need to find, as well as a few hoops to jump through before you can join up with friends.
Before anything else, check that you’re playing online in the System menu with “Send Summon Sign” set to “enable”, and “Launch Setting” to “Play Online”.
- Elden Ring multiplayer explained
- How do I invite friends to play multiplayer in Elden Ring?
- How do I join my friend’s multiplayer game in Elden Ring?
- Elden Ring PvP multiplayer explained
- Elden Ring Colosseums multiplayer explained
- Does Elden Ring have cross-platform co-op multiplayer?
- Does Elden Ring have cross progression?
Elden Ring multiplayer explained
Elden Ring’s multiplayer works by interacting with golden signs on the floor found throughout The Lands Between.
To see and interact with these golden signs, you need to craft the Furlcalling Finger Remedy from 2 Erdleaf Flowers and use it. They're also found sporadically throughout your adventure, primarily when you defeat invading NPCs, so if you have been playing a while, you might have picked one up.
When you use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy you will be able to see the signs other players have left around the world and invite them into your game. These can be anyone around your same level, though not everyone is guaranteed to be as skillful as the meta's favorite naked warrior.
To be able to craft the Furlcalling Finger Remedy though, you need to buy the Crafting Kit from the Church of Elleh for 300 runes.
Erdleaf Flowers are a common item found throughout the world and you should have a healthy stock of them. If not, look for waist-height green plants with golden-yellow flowers.
Initiating multiplayer in this way allows you to find random players to play with, but if you want to play with just your friends specifically, there’s one more thing you need to do.
How do I invite friends to play multiplayer in Elden Ring?
If you want to invite just your friends to play with you, then you need to set up a password in the multiplayer section of the menu.
Communicate with the friend or friends that you want to play with and all enter exactly the same password on this screen.
You should then be able to discover your friend’s sign and pull them through into your game.
Remember, you need to be in the same place in the open world as the player you’re trying to play with. Their sign will only be discoverable in the same place as they laid it in their world.
Unfortunately, reports suggest that this system can be very temperamental. Things seem to have calmed down since Elden Ring's launch, but if you run into issues, keep trying and it eventually should work as it should.
How do I join my friend’s multiplayer game in Elden Ring?
To join another person’s game rather than inviting them to your own, you need to use a permanent item that you’re given towards the beginning of the game: Tarnished’s Furled Finger.
This allows you to place a golden sign for another player to interact with. When they do, you will be pulled through into their game-world to play.
If you’ve set up the passwords correctly, then only your friend should be able to see your sign and admit you to their world.
Elden Ring PvP multiplayer explained
There are technically two types of PvP in Elden Ring: Duels and Invasions. However, there are Colosseums for PvP sparring too, which we'll talk about shortly.
Both of these have specific items that initiate them, and they work similarly to coop.
First, to offer other players an honorable duel, you need to place a sign with the Duelist’s Furled Finger.
Or if you’re feeling mean-spirited, you need to use the Festering Bloody Finger to invade the game of an unsuspecting newb. Make sure you go in well prepared. The Host of Fingers - the player you're trying to kill - can have up to two companions help repel your invasion.
Festering Bloody Fingers can be bought from various Nomadic Merchants and Patches in Murkwater Cave. Or you're given some during the quest to reach Mohgwyn Palace.
Elden Ring Colosseums multiplayer explained
A long while after release, FromSoftware introduced the free Colosseums update to the game. This update opened up three colosseums across The Lands Between where players could battle against one another.
Each colosseum offers different forms of combat. Limgrave's colosseum has United Combat, which pits two teams against one another, as well as Combat Ordeal, which is more of a free-for-all.
Leyndell colosseum provides a space for players to Duel, while Caelid colosseum offers all three forms of multiplayer PvP.
To track down these colosseums and open up their doors, we detail where to find each arena in our dedicated Colosseums of Elden Ring guide!
Does Elden Ring have cross-platform co-op multiplayer?
Sadly no, Elden Ring is not cross-platform. If you’re playing Elden Ring on PC, you can’t play cross-platform with friends on PlayStation or Xbox.
However, it is cross-generation - meaning PS4 players can jump into a game with PS5 players and Xbox One players can team up people playing on Series S/X.
Does Elden Ring have cross progression?
Nope, if you join another player’s game and beat bosses or progress the world state in any way it will not carry over back to your game.
Multiplayer in Elden Ring is for the thrill of the hunt and the experience points rather than sharing the story alongside a friend.
For more help with some of this game’s more opaque mechanics, check out our full Elden Ring guide If you're after some strong PvP builds, check out our recommendations for Dexterity builds and Intelligence builds.