Hello team,
I understand and respect the philosophy behind Together’s co-op: a shared, persistent Realm that is primarily meant for trusted friends/family.
With this model, adding full “random matchmaking” can create disproportionate risks (griefing, persistent resource/quest conflicts, permission disputes, moderation overhead, etc.).
That said, the current “invite-only” approach creates a real accessibility problem:
- If you don’t already have co-op friends (or have mismatched time zones), co-op becomes effectively unavailable.
- Players are pushed outside the game to Discord LFG, which is high friction—especially for casual and console players.
- New/returning players may churn before they ever experience co-op.
So instead of asking for full random matchmaking, I’d like to propose a solution that preserves Together’s core design while dramatically reducing friction:
Proposal A — In-game LFG Board (recruitment, not auto-matchmaking)
Please consider adding an in-game LFG board that mirrors the function of Discord’s #lookingforplayers, but inside the game UI. This avoids forcibly pairing strangers while still letting people find groups in a structured, low-friction way.
Minimum viable features
Create / browse / filter LFG posts by:
- Region/ping preference, language
Goal (story, boss, farming, Crucible/instance content, etc.)
Level range, difficulty, progress stage
Play style tags (melee/ranged/support; “learning run” vs “speed run”) - Explicitly separate:
“Session join (one-time)” vs “Realm member invite (persistent access)”
This is critical for your persistent Realm model and trust/safety. - Low-cost trust tools:
Blocklist, report, and “recently played with” indicator - Fast join UX:
Apply → host approves → instant join (or quick invite)
Why this fits Together It keeps the “relationship-based Realm” philosophy intact, while addressing the single biggest pain point: finding people to play with.
Proposal B — Optional Auto-Matchmaking (only for non-persistent instance content)
If you ever consider matchmaking, I’d recommend limiting it strictly to non-persistent, instance-based content (e.g., Crucible-like modes) where:
- World/quest/resource state is not permanently impacted
- The blast radius of griefing or bad actors is contained to the instance
- Players can opt-in and leave without persistent consequences
Summary
I’m not asking for “full random matchmaking everywhere.” I’m asking for:
- An in-game LFG board first (lowest risk, highest accessibility gain), and
- Only then, if needed, optional matchmaking confined to non-persistent instance content.
This approach preserves Together’s identity while making co-op realistically available to far more players.
Thank you.