At its heart, SilklessCoop is a simple, yet elegant, co-op overlay mod. It doesn’t turn Silksong into a full multiplayer game in the traditional sense, but it introduces ways for one player to see echoes or representations of other players in their own world. Think of it as adding a social layer: you might spot your friend’s ghost wandering in your game, or see their compass markers on your map, giving a sense that you’re playing in parallel universes that lightly intersect.
Rather than trying to fully sync characters, quests, or enemies (which is extremely complex to do in Silksong), SilklessCoop keeps things manageable. You get a gentle hint of presence, enough to feel connected, but not so much that it breaks the game’s balance or narrative flow.
Key Features & Modes
SilklessCoop packs several thoughtful touches to support this co-op feel:
- Ghosts of other players: You’ll see visual representations (ghosts) of your friends wandering in your world.
- Compass synchronization: Players’ compass markers can appear on your map, helping you spot where your friends are exploring.
- Player count display: A modest UI element shows how many players are currently “in” your world.
- Two operation modes:
• Steam P2P mode – This works if everyone is on the Steam version of Silksong.
• Standalone / dedicated server mode – You can host or connect to a separate server to enable the mod to function for non-Steam or cross-network play.
These features help create the illusion that even when you press forward alone, you’re never truly isolated.
Setup & Requirements (Friendly Version)
Getting SilklessCoop running isn’t too difficult if you follow the steps carefully. Here’s a more approachable walkthrough:
- Prerequisite: You need a mod loader, SilklessCoop is built to work with BepInEx 5 (with confirmed compatibility up to version 5.4.23.3).
- Install the mod: Download the mod and extract it into your Silksong root folder (where the game’s main executable lives).
- Enable multiplayer: Launch the game, there should be a setting or toggle for “Enable Multiplayer.”
- Connect:
• If on Steam with P2P – use your friend list to join a session (right-click their name, “Join Game,” etc.).
• If using non-Steam or the standalone route – configure your connection type (point it to your server or host locally) and use the mod’s guide to set up server details.
If you go the server route (dedicated server), you’ll want a stable host (or a local machine) and ensure your network settings (firewalls, port forwarding, etc.) permit connections.
What’s Next? Roadmap & Limitations
The mod is actively under development, and the author has already teased upcoming enhancements. Some of the things on the horizon:
- Improved synchronization (for example, sound effects syncing between players)
- Enemy syncing (this is acknowledged as extremely tricky, and might not come soon)
- Visual cues (like arrows pointing to off-screen players)
Because of how Silksong is built, getting full multiplayer—where everything is synced perfectly—would require major restructuring. So SilklessCoop is wisely scoped: it only brings what is feasible and low-risk for stability.
At present, don’t expect deeply shared battles, item trades, or real-time quest parallelism. The mod’s magic is in small touches—ghosts, compasses, shared presence—that enrich the single-player adventure.