Legacy Edition’s Steam listing includes shared/split-screen co-op, full controller support, gamepad recommendation, and Remote Play Together. The official description says the fellowship can include up to two friends online or in split screen. For a local session, connect and identify controllers before loading the campaign, then confirm which player controls which hero and how the remaining companion is handled.
Before launch
Connect controllers, let Steam identify them, disable conflicting remaps, and test navigation in the game menu.
Join check
Add the second local player through the current prompt and verify two distinct heroes respond independently.
Shared view
Use readable UI scaling, keep both players oriented, and stop before one participant triggers the next encounter.
Remote option
Remote Play Together streams the host's local session; connection quality and controller ownership still need testing.
Prepare two clean controller identities
Connect both controllers before opening Legacy Edition. In Steam’s controller settings, confirm each device appears once. Duplicate remapping software can make one pad send two identities or cause both pads to control player one. Close unnecessary mapping layers and start with Steam Input’s normal current configuration.
Launch AppID 2523770 and test menu movement one controller at a time. Check confirm, cancel, pause, camera, and stick behavior. If both pads move the same selector, resolve device order before loading a long campaign.
The store lists DualSense support with wired and wireless modes, but that does not guarantee every third-party pad displays its own glyphs. Judge the current prompt set in the live menu.
Join the split-screen session deliberately
Load or start the intended campaign and use the current on-screen join prompt for the second local player. Confirm that each player controls a different fellowship hero and that the third hero remains under the game’s normal companion behavior when only two people are present.
Do not assume an online invite adds a third participant to a local configuration in every combination. The official maximum is a three-hero fellowship, but exact mixed local/online topology is not documented on the store page. Test a short hub session before promising a long mixed-mode campaign.
Let both players open the relevant character or inventory view and understand which equipment they control. Avoid selling a named armor family from the companion inventory.
Play around a shared screen and camera
Split-screen reduces each player’s visual space. Increase subtitles or UI scale where the current settings allow, sit close enough to read prompts, and use clear calls for tracks, pickups, and revives. A secret notification that is legible on one half may be missed on the other.
Keep chapter transitions synchronized. One player should announce an objective doorway and wait until the other has finished looting or interacting. During boss fights, use position calls such as “left poison” or “rear adds” because each half has a narrower view of the arena.
If performance degrades, lower the expensive graphics settings one step and retest the same scene. Do not attribute a frame-rate problem to the controller without comparing a single-player view.
Use Remote Play Together as a streamed local seat
Remote Play Together lets the host stream the local co-op session to a remote friend through Steam. The host launches the game and invites the friend through the Steam overlay. Assign the remote controller to the correct seat and test input latency, audio, and readability in Bree before traveling.
The campaign and local save remain host-centered in a streamed session. The remote participant should not assume they receive an independent online character save simply because they control a hero. Agree who owns the campaign before investing in completion progress.
Use a wired host connection when possible, avoid simultaneous high-bandwidth traffic, and shorten input-heavy difficulty attempts if latency becomes inconsistent.
End the local session safely
Return to a hub or stable checkpoint, wait for the save indicator to finish, then have both players leave through normal menus. Let Steam Cloud synchronize the host’s campaign. Do not disconnect power or force-close during an equipment or quest update.
If a controller stops responding on resume, pause, reconnect it, verify Steam device order, and rejoin through the current prompt. Avoid changing several controller layers at once.
See Controller Setup for device troubleshooting and Online Co-op when each player needs a separate Steam client.