It took 18 months and over 50 updates, but Lords of the Fallen finally added the one feature I wanted from this Soulslike RPG at launch: “full shared progression co-op”

Concluding an extensive post-launch enhancement experience that could compete with genuine early access titles, Lords of the Fallen version 2.0 has recently introduced a multitude of new functionalities along with quality-of-life improvements to a Soulslike action RPG that I previously assessed as satisfactory, yet not exceptional.

Promoted as the ultimate edition of the October 2023 launch, 2.0 is highlighted by something I eagerly desired from day one: “full shared progression co-op.”

Cooperative gameplay has generally posed challenges for Soulslikes, and although contending to have the finest co-op in the genre, the Lords of the Fallen remake left a friend and me feeling unsatisfied. We could play together, marginally more in sync than in something like Elden Ring, but genuine progression together was out of reach. Boss encounters and rewards were isolated, forcing us to navigate endless obstacles and disconnections.

Ultimately, my friend and I concluded it was not worth the effort and completed the game individually, sharing stories as grimdark medieval pen pals instead. But that’s changed. “Set forth on a seamless co-op adventure with Shared Progression Co-op!” urges developer CI Games in update 2.0. Here’s a summary, directly from the patch notes:

• Both players now save all primary progress.
• Join another lampbearer through automatic matchmaking or team up with a friend (must be on the same New Game run and have overcome a similar number of bosses, within a margin of one).
• Option to engage in standard co-op without shared progression.
• Both players can revive each other, gather 100% vigor, and loot during all online sessions.
• Comprehensive crossplay support via password matchmaking.

Alright, CI Games, I concede. This genuinely appears to be the finest co-op experience in the entire genre. I am excited to give it a shot, particularly since many of the game’s numerous prior updates left me craving a replay.

I once characterized Lords of the Fallen as the most 3.5/5 game to ever receive a 3.5/5, and its 64% positive reviews on Steam (a staggering 24,390 of them) are indeed justified, yet I have nostalgic moments of it. It’s exactly the type of game I enjoy, flaws and all. With considerably …