Both players control one body. Left stick = Aris. Right stick = Lena’s ghost. One mind, two blades.
Monolith’s lead designer once said in a 2018 interview: "We prototyped co-op for six months. It always ended with one player having all the fun and the other feeling like a sidekick. The Wraith is bound to Talion’s soul, not two souls. That was our narrative answer." middle-earth shadow of war multiplayer co-op mod
Despite the challenges, let’s imagine a hypothetical Shadow of War: Brotherhood mod that solves these issues. It would require a complete rewrite of several core systems: Both players control one body
"Break his shield!" my friend called out. He was taking heavy damage, dodging green necromantic bolts. One mind, two blades
If two players kill an Orc named Ûgak the Black-Blade, to whom does Ûgak swear revenge? Does he cheat death against Player A or Player B? The system cannot split a grudge.