How Multiplayer Matchmaking Works in Elden Ring (2024)

Ever wondered why you can’t connect to your friend in Elden Ring, even though you’re near the same level? Or have you made a PvP build but can’t matchmake while invading? The problem might be a part of how multiplayer matchmaking works in Elden Ring, which is confusing, complicated, and, frankly, a bit silly.

Elden Ring multiplayer matchmaking can be a confusing thing, especially if you’re used to other games where playing with other players boils down to “click the button, connect to a friend.” That’s not how it works in this case. Instead, if you want to connect to another player — any other player — Elden Ring checks two things:

Character Levels

The first thing Elden Ring checks when you want to co-op, invade, or duel an opponent is how close your and the other player’s levels are. Based on your level, the game sets lower and upper limits for the player coming into your world. In order to match with another player and play together, both of you need to be in the specific level range set by those boundaries.

  • For cooperative play, the lower limit is (Your Level) x (0.9) – (10). The upper limit is (Your Level) x (1.1) + (10).
  • For PvP, the lower limit is (Your Level) x (0.9). The upper limit is (Your Level) x (1.1) + (20)

Weapon Upgrade Levels

Your weapon upgrade levels and the other player’s weapon upgrade levels need to be similar. First introduced in Dark Souls 3, this mechanic keeps invaders with max-level weapons invading newly created characters who can’t or haven’t yet unlocked the top-tier upgrade materials.

There’s no complicated formula for weapon-level matchmaking. Instead, it uses a complicated tier system that starts out wide and gradually shrinks the higher your and your matchmade partner’s weapon level goes. There is an upper and lower limit to who you can connect with based on your weapon’s level, and the higher that level goes, the tighter the restriction.

  • For instance, for a +12 weapon that upgrades with standard Smithing Stones, the lowest weapon upgrade they can connect to on the standard track is +8, and the highest is +17.
  • Somber upgrades are complicated because they go from 0 to 10 and not 0 to 25, so the math is a bit weirder. However, if you want to connect to a +12 standard upgraded weapon, a +5 Somber weapon is your best bet.

The easiest way to tell whether you and your multiplayer partners will successfully match is to use a summon range calculator like the one on the Elden Ring wiki. Simply input your character and weapon upgrade levels and let the computer do the thinking.

Alternatively, if you have a friend at a much lower or higher level than you but you still want to play cooperatively with them, you can set a multiplayer password. So long as both of you are using the same one, the player at a higher level will be somewhat scaled down to around the lower-level player. Invaders can’t be scaled in the same way. Passwords mean nothing to PvP, in other words.

One final note: Elden Ring logs your highest weapon upgrade level the instant you reach it, and nothing you can do can reduce that log’s value. For instance, if you talk to Sorcerer Rogier in the Roundtable Hold and he gives you Rogier’s Rapier +8, the game will automatically place your current baseline weapon upgrade at that +8 value. Not even deleting the weapon from your inventory will change the game’s calculations. The same goes for the Banished Knight’s Halberd +8 you can get from the Revenger’s Shack phantom.

This weapon upgrade level lock also occurs if you accidentally improve a weapon at a blacksmith past where you want to stop leveling (if you do want to stop). In other words, if you want to make an invader at level 70 who uses +12 standard or +5 Somber weapons, but you accidentally upgrade your Jar Cannon to +6, you are permanently locked out of lower-level matchmaking.

I do hope that all made some semblance of sense. The system is clunky, janky, and in dire need of streamlining, but that’s how multiplayer matchmaking works in Elden Ring. For more content on the game, check out our guides hub. It’s not all this crazy, I swear.

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How Multiplayer Matchmaking Works in Elden Ring (2024)

FAQs

How does Elden Ring Coop matchmaking work? ›

Matchmaking also takes into consideration the players' weapons, calculating Level + Upgrade Level to determine multiplayer ranges. When doing this, the maximum upgrade level that you've achieved will be taken into consideration and you'll be paired with someone with a similar value.

How does the multiplayer work in Elden Ring? ›

In Elden Ring, you can assemble teams of up to three players. A fourth player can join, but they won't be friendly. You can summon players into your game using an item known as the Furlcalling Finger Remedy.

Is Elden Ring matchmaking level based? ›

You can sell off a leveled-up weapon, and the game will still match you based on the highest level you've had. For a look at who can summon you or be summoned by you...

How does invading matchmaking work in Elden Ring? ›

does it match by level? It's by Rune Level, as well as your highest OWNED weapon upgrade. If you are super early on into the game, and the weapon you're using is only +4, but you have obtained say Rogier's Rapier +8, it matches you based off of the rapier.

Is 150 max level in Elden Ring? ›

Elden Ring offers players plenty of opportunities to farm XP and get to the maximum level cap. However, this isn't necessarily the smartest choice. The highest level players can get in Elden Ring is 713, meaning players must farm well over 1 billion Runes, which is an absurd amount.

Do enemies scale with player level in Elden Ring? ›

Enemies in lower-level areas will partially scale up to match your power level as you progress through the game. This is capped so that you still get that feeling of overpowering early areas.

How does summoning pool work in Elden Ring? ›

Activate the effigy to use your Small Golden Effigy and send your summon sign to the pool. It will appear near whichever summoning pool you have just activated, as well as other ones in the area. This makes the new feature a quick, reliable way to get into a multiplayer game with anyone.

Is there a level gap for summoning in Elden Ring? ›

There is a one way limit even with passwords actually. If you're something like 50 levels above your friend you can't summon them, but they can still summon you. Because the game will scale your level down as much as it needs to fit you into their world but it doesn't do the opposite and scale them up to play in yours.

What is meta level in Elden Ring? ›

There are differing opinions on what the meta is, but in discussions it seems 150 is the most agreed upon stopping point when it comes to leveling a character for PvP.

What is Elden Ring's max level? ›

The highest level possible is a grand total of 713, achievable when all eight attributes are capped at 99 points. This would require 1,692,566,842 Runes in total. The max number of runes that can be held is 999,999,999.

Does level affect multiplayer in Elden Ring? ›

Level affects match making, but everyone past level 300 is put into the same match making bracket, so there is no difference between level 400 and 350 for multiplayer.

How does coop summoning work Elden Ring? ›

Summon signs work like in previous games. When you use a Furlcalling Finger Remedy, you can see the summon signs laid down by players in your area. Conversely, by using the Tarnished's Furled Finger, you can place your sign down in a location you think will be useful.

Do both players progress in Elden Ring coop? ›

While joining someone's world for co-op does net you rewards, the process doesn't carry over, meaning you'll still have to defeat the same boss or area yourself. But thanks to an Elden Ring mod called Seamless Co-op, it's possible to play through the entire game in co-op without these limitations.

How to matchmake with a friend in Elden Ring? ›

Elden Ring: How to use password matchmaking

This can be accessed in the Multiplayer tab while in your menu in-game, and allows you and your friends to enter a special code word that will force Elden Ring to only show summon signs owned by other players using that password.

Is Coop based on level Elden Ring? ›

To prevent late-game players from stomping on newcomers, Elden Ring has a summoning range system that ensures that players will match with players around their current power level. Elden Ring uses two criteria to determine who you can play with (or against) you: Your character's current level.

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