Redfall’s co-op campaign will only progress for the host player

Redfall is Dishonored and Deathloop developer Arkane’s take on co-op shooters like Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, pitting players against hordes of vampires. The game can be played in single-player, at which point it will feel like a typical Arkane adventure, but ganging up with friends is the focus. Unfortunately, it also adds a wrinkle to the way you progress through the game.

Redfall has a specific mission structure, with levels taking place in a particular order that tells the overall story. Unfortunately, unless you’re hosting the co-op session, you won’t actually clear any levels off your own checklist. Arkane’s Harvey Smith was asked about this during an interview with IGN. “Our current answer is whoever hosts the session, their progress is persistent for them,” Smith answered, “but [for] other people, it’s not.” If you complete a later level with your buddies, you’ll still need to beat it again in your own campaign, either solo or as the host.

Arkane made this decision because jumping around the missions outside of their intended order could be a problem otherwise. You’ll join the host in the chosen level regardless of your own progress, but it won’t cause you to skip over important story beats when you play the stage yourself. “The story would be very confusing if you got to mission eight and it said ‘skip this one because you’ve already done it,'” Smith explained.

While campaign progress won’t transfer, everything you do with your specific character will. “Your character progress is [persistent],” Smith continued. “Any weapons you find, any levels you gain — all of that is persistent. But in terms of what missions you’ve unlocked, [the host’s] progression matters.” It can still be worth it to skip ahead then since you might get some better gear in later missions.

As for when you can start playing Redfall, the game’s release date is currently up in the air. Both it and Starfield have been delayed to 2023, but Bethesda says they’ll arrive within the first half of the new year. Redfall will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One, and it’ll launch day and date on Game Pass.