Prolific modder Yui has announced that their ambitious seamless co-op mod for Dark Souls 2 is nearing a playtest-ready state. This project, intended for the Scholar of the First Sin edition of the game, represents one of Yui's most complicated and challenging creations to date, according to a recent blog post and video update.
While a firm date for the alpha testing has not yet been set, Yui indicated that the mod is "close" to being ready. The modder noted that the development process over the past year has been particularly arduous, admitting in retrospect that the initial announcement in April 2025 may have been premature. The mod has since evolved into what Yui describes as their "most complicated and ambitious projects to date."
The technical hurdles for Dark Souls 2's modding scene differ significantly from other FromSoftware titles. Yui explained that while games like Dark Souls 1, 3, Sekiro, Elden Ring, and Nightreign share a similar engine architecture that allows knowledge from one to be applied to others, Dark Souls 2 utilizes a separate, heavily modified branch of the engine. This divergence requires a distinct approach to reverse engineering, making it feel like a "completely different game" from a modding perspective.
Once ready for testing, the mod will support co-op play for up to six players. Similar to Yui's previous Dark Souls 1 mod, which only supports the remastered version, this Dark Souls 2 mod will be exclusive to the 64-bit Scholar of the First Sin edition, as the original Dark Souls 2 is 32-bit.
Participation in the alpha testing will be free once initiated. However, Yui plans to initially limit direct bug reporting and support to their Patreon backers.