The strict multiplayer rules of the Soulslike genre are finally breaking. For years, the cooperative mechanics established by FromSoftware forced guest players into highly restricted helper roles. A guest could assist with a boss, but they could never truly share the campaign. That industry standard is now dead.
Developer Hexworks just tore down those restrictions. The 2023 action-RPG Lords of the Fallen received a massive “CO-OP Update” in early April. The timing is deliberate. The game officially joins the PlayStation Plus Essential lineup on Tuesday, April 7.
The patch, officially labeled Version 2.5 or Update 1.101, introduces a new system entirely centered on shared progression. Guest players are no longer second-class citizens in a host’s world. They can now actively upgrade their weapons and equipment. They can upgrade the Sanguinarix and the Umbral Lamp. They can use the Chrysalis Rebirth tool to respec their character and talk directly with NPC vendors, according to a detailed report published recently.
Incoming PS Plus Free Game Gets Major Update Just in Time (from #PlayStation Lifestyle by Zarmena Khan) [https://t.co/e5BvEPkqwD]
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This autonomy extends to world traversal. Co-op partners now have the freedom to rest at Vestiges and warp across the map. They can plant Vestige seeds. They can even trigger boss battles and skip cutscenes without waiting for the host to initiate the action.
Players who prefer the older system are not left out. For sessions using “Non-Shared Progression,” hosts can access a new permissions setting. This toggle allows the host to grant guests either “Full” or “Limited” privileges to control exactly what their partner can do.
A massive influx of new players will test these servers immediately. Lords of the Fallen becomes free for PS Plus Essential subscribers tomorrow. It drops alongside Tomb Raider I-III Remastered and Sword Art Online: Fractured Daydream.
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This update fundamentally changes how dark fantasy action games handle multiplayer mechanics. The old “summon-and-assist” model was designed to maintain a sense of harsh isolation. You called for help, defeated the enemy, and sent the phantom home. Hexworks is walking away from that philosophy entirely.
By giving guests total gear autonomy, Lords of the Fallen turns a solitary struggle into a genuine, equal-footing co-op campaign. Two players can now conquer the entire narrative together. They manage their own inventories. They upgrade their own gear at the exact same blacksmith.
This is a calculated retention strategy. CI Games and Hexworks are aggressively repairing the game’s initial mixed launch reception. They are using this PlayStation Plus window to build a dedicated, happy player base. The ultimate goal is franchise momentum. The studio is currently developing the sequel, Lords of the Fallen 2, which is expected to launch later in 2026. If this new shared progression model proves popular with the incoming wave of PlayStation subscribers, the rigid constraints of traditional Soulslike multiplayer may never recover.