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Elijah is a freelance news writer at Polygon. He was an associate editor at The A.V. Club and Paste, and has been featured in outlets like Game Informer, Fanbyte, Unwinnable, and more. He loves media in all forms, from fighting games and horror flicks to slow cinema and visual novels. He's from the Greater Boston area.
Up to eight players can sow chaos in NightCoop
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Night City is having a busy week. Cyberpunk 2077 is getting a major 2.5 update on Oct. 22, coinciding with the recent release of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 anime. CD Projekt Red just confirmed what’s in 2.5, including new quests, a perk that enables dual wielding, console mod support, and more. However, the game is arguably getting an even bigger update through unofficial channels: Cyberpunk 2077 is receiving multiplayer co-op support via the NightCoop mod.
How does the NightCoop co-op mod work?
NightCoop is a fan-made mod that lets up to eight players take on Night City together. A recently released trailer dives into the details, immediately tackling edge cases that almost certainly gave the mod’s programmers a headache. NightCoop will synchronize the world of Cyberpunk 2077 so combat and stealth work seamlessly for all players. This even applies when a partner activates their Sandevistan to slow time, causing others to see them moving with an afterimage like in the anime.
As for choices and dialogue, these are put to a vote, with the majority choice playing out for all players. The trailer culminates in a duo carrying out a heist, with one operating cameras and drones and the other leading a frontal assault. After closed tests, the mod enters open beta on Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. EDT.
According to NightCoop’s website, the mod will also support PvP, which can be toggled by the host. Player-versus-player shootouts will take into account both combatants’ stats and gear, but will even out damage between those of different levels. To set up the mod, players install NightCoop and the library RED4ext. Then the host loads an existing save or creates a new co-op game, and guests join the host’s game as their own V.
CD Projekt Red has long supported fan-modding efforts, taking the unusual step of adding mod support to the console releases of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and now Cyberpunk 2077. The game’s RED4ext modding library has a whopping 12.6 million downloads on Nexus Mods, showing just how popular player-made additions have been.