Ever since Bethesda announced Arkane’s Redfall, the company touted the game as a four-player vampire-slaying adventure. Now that the game is almost here, it’s time to learn once and for all how it tackles multiplayer. Is Redfall’s co-op worthwhile, or are you better off staking bloodsuckers on your own?
First off, Redfall players will get to partner with up to three friends (ideally with everyone controlling each playable character). According to a Q&A, every slayer is viable solo, but their abilities also provide certain synergies you can’t enjoy alone. The game’s difficulty will even scale dynamically depending on the number of players in a party and will determine the enemies that spawn and their individual strengths.
However, just because players can join a group, doesn’t mean they have to actually team up. During an interview with IGN, the production director of Redfall, Ben Horne, stated players will be untethered when they join a friend’s game, which means they can divide to conquer the different corners of the map at the same time. However, players who do so will miss out on a buff that makes them stronger during combat. Moreover, Bethesda stated that Redfall will support crossplay between Xbox and PC. You can play the game on Steam and team up with friends who are playing Redfall through Xbox Game Pass.
Sadly, PlayStation fans will not be able to get in on the fun. Not only is Redfall a PC/Xbox exclusive, but reports suggest that the PlayStation version of the game was essentially canceled when Microsoft acquired Bethesda. Stranger things have happened, but it’s doubtful we’ll see a PlayStation port of Redfall anytime soon.
Furthermore, Redfall’s co-op isn’t all sunshine and rainbows; the game comes with a few caveats. In an earlier interview with IGN, Creative Director Harvey Smith admitted that while every player will get to keep their loot and levels after a co-op session is over, only the host’s story progress will save. Moreover, Smith stated that once a player starts a campaign with one character, they can’t swap during the middle of their journey. Anyone who wants a team built out of four clones of the same character (balance be darned) will have to communicate with their friends to arrange that team setup beforehand. Also, according to Smith, respeccing won’t be an option at launch, if ever. Did you pick an ability you find useful in solo play but not so much in co-op (or vice versa)? Sorry, but you’re stuck with your choices unless you roll a new character.
Finally, we don’t currently know how to initiate a co-op session in Redfall. It seems like that ability will be available to you early on, but we’ll have to update you regarding any additional restrictions and options the final game offers.
That sums up the extent of our knowledge on Redfall and its co-op mechanics. Best of luck out there.