Elden Ring’s multiplayer component, Nightreign, was met with surprise when its multiplayer aspect was first revealed. According to director Junya Ishizaki, the game was built around teams of three players to farm maps and bosses for XP and loot before facing a super-boss called a Nightlord. However, this setup is not suitable for duos, with players forced into automatic matchmaking with a third unknown teammate.
Ishizaki explained in an interview that the lack of duo support stems from the game’s primary focus on three-player co-op. He stated that while solo play was considered and attempted to balance for single players, the duo aspect was overlooked during development. However, he acknowledged this omission and plans to address it through post-launch support.
Interestingly, Nightreign’s design balances favorably for solo players, with less aggressive enemies and a self-revive feature on maps. In contrast, duos face a different set of challenges that may not be adequately addressed by the current three-player setup.
Ishizaki expressed regret over the oversight but emphasized that adding duo support is likely, potentially even through online updates after launch.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2025/05/24/elden-ring-nightreign-just-overlooked-making-a-two-player-mode