Tears of Metal — Co-op Multiplayer

How Co-op Works in Tears of Metal

Tears of Metal supports online co-op for up to four players, each controlling a Hero from the launch roster — Wallace, Ruadh Stonecrusher, and the third Early Access hero — while sharing battalion command responsibilities and encounter rewards. Paper Cult designed encounters to scale with party size: enemy counts, elite modifiers, and boss add phases adjust so four-player chaos feels dangerous but fair, not trivial. Co-op is optional for full progression; solo play with AI soldiers remains viable for all three Acts.

Matchmaking, friends-only lobbies, and platform cross-play rules are finalized around the July 22, 2026 Early Access launch — confirm details on the Co-op overview page and Release notes. The video above showcases synchronized ultimates, shared revives, and battalion coordination typical of successful squads. Read How to Play first if you are new to individual mechanics before layering team protocols.

Recommended Party Roles

Four-player lobbies benefit from defined roles even without hard trinity classes. A frontline player anchors aggro — often Ruadh Stonecrusher — while a mobile DPS exploits flanks as Wallace or the third hero. Assign one player elite control with crowd-clear Emblems and one player battalion babysitter who issues focus commands and pulls soldiers from hazards. Flex the babysitter into burst damage on boss fights when adds are controlled.

Two-player groups should merge roles: each player handles personal survival plus half the command burden. Three-player groups leave flex open for encounter-specific swaps — bring anti-projectile Emblems on Act 2 skirmish routes, swap to burst packages for bosses. Pre-plan Emblem families using Emblem Synergies so thresholds complement rather than duplicate. Avoid four identical Heroes unless doing a Daily Challenge gimmick documented in Daily Challenges.

• Frontline — aggro, boss positioning, mechanic soaking with mitigation Emblems
• Elite control — delete casters and bombers before they touch battalion HP
• Battalion captain — focus fire, hazard pulls, recruitment event decisions
• Flex — adapts Charms and Emblems to Act route and party gaps

Revives, Downed State, and Healing Etiquette

Healing scarcity applies in co-op: potions are not infinite team pools unless Charms explicitly share them. Communicate before bosses who holds emergency heals for phase damage. Downed Heroes enter a revive window where teammates must interact under pressure — assign closest player by position, not by class habit. Wiping the party returns everyone to Village progression with shared failure consequences; protect downed allies before chasing damage on low-percentage bosses.

Ruadh Stonecrusher's ally healing shines in co-op but should not replace dodge discipline — see Survival Without Healing. Battalion soldiers remain shared assets; killing recruits through neglect frustrates teams more than individual Hero deaths because permadeath is permanent for those units. Review Battalion Management as a group before long sessions.

Loot, Progression, and Host Settings

Emblem choices are typically personal per player, while some shrine rewards may offer party votes depending on route rules. Village upgrades usually follow host account progression in co-op lobbies; guests may receive reduced meta currency — verify at launch. Hosts with strong Village Upgrades accelerate group power; guests should still invest solo progression to avoid dependency.

Use voice or ping systems aggressively on controller and PC alike. Call elite spawns, boss phase shifts, and retreat commands clearly — Scottish battlefields get visually noisy fast. For Act 1 learning, run duo co-op before quad stacks to learn spacing; then tackle Gilles the Hog with full ult rotation timing across four players.

Platform availability spans Steam, Microsoft Store, and Xbox Game Pass at Early Access launch — confirm your friends own compatible versions on the Release page. Latency matters less than communication in Tears of Metal, but stable connections prevent phantom dodges during boss i-frames. If a player disconnects mid-run, AI may backfill battalion roles temporarily; treat disconnects as wipe risks on permadeath routes and pause before elite gauntlets when connection icons flicker.