Elden Ring made like the Phantom Thieves and stole our hearts from the very first day of its release. The astounding attention to detail and the phenomenal storytelling blew us away. It was hard to nitpick flaws when we were too busy being mesmerized by everything the vast open world had to offer.
Some of our fondest memories whilst playing Elden Ring were the ones we made with our fellow Tarnished. Unwinding with friends after a long day at work got us through some stressful days.
While Elden Ring is a phenomenal single-player experience, the multiplayer mode is equally superb as you clear areas and take down menacing enemies with your pals. But what if you cannot summon your friends anymore?
There are a couple of reasons why you may be unable to summon your friends in Elden Ring. These can vary from player to player but some of the most common reasons are:
- You have defeated the area boss
- You have not updated to the latest version of the game
- You have switched to a different server
- Your PlayStation Plus subscription ran out
- You are in Offline Mode
- You have not used a Furlcalling Finger Remedy
- Your internet is down
- The servers are down
- You have not enabled Cross-region matchmaking
These are some of the most common causes that can lead to a world of frustration.
Curious to know more? Well, keep on reading to find out all you need to know about what might be causing this error. Tired of the waits and just want to dive into a (somewhat, but not really) hassle-free game of Elden Ring? You’re in the right place! Without further ado, let us take a look at why you are suddenly unable to summon your friends to your world.
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Can’t Summon Friends Anymore in Elden Ring?
Elden Ring offers a separate multiplayer mode for gamers who wish to share this wonderful experience with their friends and fellow FromSoftware fans. Multiplayer has become a well-received trend in FromSoftware games and Elden Ring is no exception.
The densely-packed open world and the combat may be the highlights of the game, but there is just something about PvP mayhem and cooperative play in the Lands Between that we just can’t get enough of! If you are unable to summon your friends in Elden Ring, here are some of the key reasons why that may be so.
Defeating the Zone Boss
This is the most obvious but slightly unknown reason on today’s list. Following in the footsteps of its ancestral FromSoftware games, Elden Ring allows you to summon your friends to your world in multiplayer mode to defeat bosses to make the experience a bit easier for yourself.
However, as soon as you’ve defeated the Zone Boss of a particular area, the summons will be disabled. You cannot summon your friend to an area after you have cleared the main boss. We, therefore, suggest you finish your exploration before you decide to take on the boss with your pals. It should be noted that the same does not count for optional bosses in the area.
Updating the Game Version
Another obvious fix, you will be seeing a lot of those on this list. It’s always the minor things that turn out to be the major headaches. One reason why you may not be able to summon your friend anymore is that you are both running different or outdated versions of the game.
One or both of you could have missed the update prompt for Elden Ring. This is especially common among those who have disabled auto-updates. Therefore, the solution to your problem may very well be as simple as simply updating the game to the latest version and you should be good to go! If that does not fix your problem, don’t worry. There’s more ahead.
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Different Servers
We told you this list was going to have some obvious fixes. If you’re someone who has yet to try this, try checking which server you and your friend are running. It could very well be a simple issue of having switched to a different region’s server.
This may seem unlikely, but maybe you and your friends have different groups they enjoy Elden Ring with. Maybe one or more of you switched up your server to help other Tarnished out along on their journey. Try setting it to a common server and see if that allows you to summon your friends!
PlayStation Plus Subscription Ended
This is exclusive to those among you who are running the game on their Playstation 4 or 5. Sony does not allow its users to play online for free. Instead, you have to pay for a PlayStation Plus subscription to play games online with your friends.
If you’re a PlayStation player, you already know this. What you need to check is whether your subscription has ended and you slept through the notification and forgot to renew it. If you are not seeing online options in general aside from summoning, this might be why.
The Game Started in Offline Mode
Following the no-internet trend, there is the distant possibility that you have started the game in offline mode or your internet glitched and did so on its own. To err is human, fellow Tarnished.
Head to the game settings either from the main menu or the in-game menu. Go ahead and check under Network settings that you are appearing offline. If you cannot put down summon signs for your friends to see, this could very well be the reason why. Once you start the game in multiplayer mode, the issue ought to resolve itself. Have fun!
Furlcalling Finger Remedy
In order to play a cooperative game in Elden Ring, you need to have access to a Furlcalling Finger Remedy. It is a common multiplayer item that is necessary to make the summon signs visible in the first place. You and your friend should both do this multiple times to see if the issue fixes itself. The official description reads:
Item for online play.
(Can also be used from the Multiplayer menu.)
Craftable item.
Reveals cooperative and competitive multiplayer signs.
Co-op summoning signs will be shown in gold, while hostile summoning signs will be shown in red.
Multiplayer begins when you summon a player from another world through their sign.
Incoming facepalm moment: maybe there’s a chance one of you forgot to use the Furlcalling Finger Remedy in the first place. Another possibility is that an internet glitch has been hindering your night of slaying gargantuan beasts in style. Using a Furlcalling Finger Remedy a second time will reset the summon signs and make them visible again. Check to see if this fixed it for you!
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Your Internet Has Ghosted You
Happens to the best of us. The issue could be on the end of your Internet Service Provider. A slow or unstable internet will lead to lag and in extreme cases, complete blockage of online content in Elden Ring. Both you are your friend should check the internet connectivity situation to play online.
If it’s a new friend that you cannot summon, ask them to check their NAT type and have it changed from type 3 to type 2. NAT type 3 is a highly restrictive internet connection that is famous for barring multiplayer among gamers across all platforms.
NAT type 1 is extremely insecure and vulnerable to data leeches. A NAT type 2 is a moderate internet connection that allows online gaming. You can change your NAT type by calling your Internet Service Provider. If the issue is recent, a simple router refresh or reset might do the trick.
The Elden Ring Servers Have Ghosted You
Boy, do we love Elden Ring! So do you. And so do millions of people around the globe. It is possible that the Elden Ring servers had too much load from players enjoying the game simultaneously. In that case, the server can crash and an official notification is usually released concerning this.
Moreover, Elden Ring does routine server maintenance to provide us fans with the best online multiplayer experience possible, which is much appreciated! Consequently, however, we sometimes have to face days without cooperative play.
If the summoning issue is very recent and unforeseen, we suggest checking the official Elden Ring Twitter account for any server maintenance notice. Or maybe just consider putting down the game for some hours and checking back again. A fresh mind leads to an easier time parrying!
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Cross-Region Matchmaking is Off
Following up with the server difference issue that we mentioned above, you should go ahead and check your settings to see if Cross-Region Matchmaking is enabled. Doing so will allow you to play across servers with ease.
It should be noted that Cross-Region Matchmaking will not enable cross-platform play across consoles and PCs belonging to different families. Elden Ring does not have cross-play as of yet and you can still only play cooperatively with your friends who own the same gaming platform as you.
Conclusion
That concludes today’s guide on why you may be unable to summon your friend in Elden Ring. It is easy to get lost and overwhelmed which can lead to slip-ups. That’s what the gaming community is for! To help in times like these. Now run along and beat the living hell out of those pesky bosses.
We sincerely hope that this guide helped you understand more about why you cannot summon your friend in Elden Ring’s multiplayer mode. If it did, be sure to leave a comment down below and let us know. Your feedback is much appreciated. Good luck, Tarnished!
