Co-op and Ascent Guide
PEAK is playable solo, but it was built for co-op. The climbing system, item sharing, and revival mechanics all reward teamwork. Beyond the base game, the Ascent system adds eight difficulty tiers (plus a Tenderfoot easy mode) that strip away safety nets, increase hazards, and test whether your team can climb under real pressure.
Co-op Fundamentals
Up to four players can join a session. Everyone starts on the Shore together and climbs the same mountain on the same daily map.
Proximity Chat
Voice chat in PEAK is spatial. The closer a player is, the louder and clearer their voice. As players spread out, voices fade to nothing.
How to use it:
- Stay within earshot. On complex sections, climb close enough to hear each other. Calling out hazards, rest spots, and route options is the difference between coordinated climbing and chaos.
- Shout for help. If you fall behind, yell. Teammates above you might not notice you are struggling unless you call out. The audio fades at distance but carries far enough for emergencies.
- Coordinate tool use. "I'm placing rope on the right wall." "Bugle in three seconds." Quick callouts prevent wasted items and let the team capitalize on buffs.
Teammate Interaction
You can physically interact with other players:
- Grab a teammate. If a player is dangling below you with no stamina, grab them and pull them up to your position. This saves lives on every run.
- Boost a teammate. One player hangs on the wall while another climbs over them. The bottom player acts as a human handhold. Costs stamina for both players, so communicate timing.
- Share items. Drop items on the ground near a teammate. They can pick them up. Split food, tools, and healing items based on who needs them most for the next section.
- Block paths. Players have collision. On narrow ledges, one person can accidentally block another. Be aware of your position on tight routes.
Assign roles before the climb starts. One player carries healing items. One carries rope and pitons. One carries the Bugle. One carries food for the group. A team that divides resources outperforms four players who each carry one of everything.
Death and Revival
When a player dies, they become a ghost. Ghosts can float freely through the environment and observe the terrain, but they cannot interact with anything.
Revival rules:
- Ghosts are not revived automatically at campfires. A living player must interact with the Ancient Statue (Altar) located near the campfire to trigger a team-wide resurrection.
- If all players die, the entire team respawns at the last reached campfire.
- Ghosts can scout ahead and call out routes over proximity chat (their voice still works). Use this. A dead player with binoculars-level visibility is a free navigator.
- Additional revival items exist: the Scout Effigy (safe single revive), the Book of Bones (revives a teammate but transforms the user into a skeleton), and the Cursed Skull (revives all teammates but kills the user).
The Ancient Statue and the campfire are not always in the same spot. A post-launch patch separated the Kiln campfire from its Altar and loot chests. Always locate the Altar before you need it.
Team Roles
Four-player teams work best with assigned roles:
| Role | Responsibility | Key Items |
|---|---|---|
| Pathfinder | Climbs first. Scouts the route. Calls out hazards. | Binoculars, Compass, Rope |
| Support | Carries healing items. Patches up teammates after falls or hazard damage. | Bandages, First Aid Kit, Cure-All |
| Anchor | Places pitons and ropes. Creates safe recovery points for the group. | Pitons (many), Rope Spool, Chain Cannon |
| Quartermaster | Manages food supply. Cooks at campfires. Distributes food before difficult sections. | Food items, access to campfire |
These roles are flexible. On two-player teams, one person is Pathfinder/Anchor and the other is Support/Quartermaster. Solo players do everything.
Ascent Difficulty Tiers
After reaching the summit on the default difficulty, the Ascent system unlocks. Each Ascent tier increases the challenge and rewards you with a new scout sash color and title. A Tenderfoot easy mode is also available for players who want a more relaxed experience.
How Ascents Work
- Ascent tiers stack modifiers on the base game. Higher Ascents add more modifiers, making the climb progressively harder.
- You must complete an Ascent tier to unlock the next one. There is no skipping.
- Each completed Ascent awards a sash and title that are visible to other players. Your sash is a badge of skill.
- Ascent progress is permanent. Once unlocked, a tier stays unlocked. You can replay any unlocked tier at any time.
Ascent Tier Breakdown
| Ascent | Title | Sash Color | Key Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenderfoot | Tenderfoot Scout | (Easy Mode) | -30% stamina consumption. -30% hunger growth. Encroaching fog timer disabled. |
| Default | Tadpole Scout | Green/Blue-Green | No modifiers. Standard baseline mechanics. |
| Ascent 1 | Rabbit Scout | Light Yellow | Heightened fall damage multiplier. |
| Ascent 2 | Raccoon Scout | Black | +60% increase to baseline hunger growth rate. |
| Ascent 3 | Mule Scout | Brown | +2.5 flat weight penalty to all items (excluding backpack). Limits how much gear a team can carry. |
| Ascent 4 | Kangaroo Scout | Red | Removes Flare spawns at the final Peak. Forces hoarding of illumination tools from early biomes. |
| Ascent 5 | Owl Scout | Purple | Lethal nighttime temperatures. Frostbite mechanics apply globally in all biomes, not just the Alpine. |
| Ascent 6 | Wolf Scout | Gray | +40% penalty to baseline stamina consumption during climbing animations. |
| Ascent 7 | Goat Scout | Yellow/Brown | Maximum difficulty. All previous modifiers combined. Unlocks the Gold Horns cosmetic. |
Ascent 4 and above are designed for experienced, coordinated teams. Solo Ascent 4+ is possible but requires near-perfect stamina management and thorough knowledge of every biome's hazard patterns. If you are struggling, bring teammates.
Ascent Tips by Tier
Ascent 1-2 (Rabbit and Raccoon): Rabbit adds harsher fall damage, so conservative climbing pays off. Raccoon's +60% hunger growth is the real wake-up call. You burn through food dramatically faster. Carry extra food and cook everything.
Ascent 3 (Mule): The +2.5 weight penalty on all items forces hard decisions about what to carry. Your team needs to split resources efficiently and drop anything non-essential. Pitons are heavier now, so bring fewer but place them strategically.
Ascent 4 (Kangaroo): No Flares spawn at the Peak, which means your team must hoard Lanterns and Flares from earlier biomes. If you reach the Caldera without illumination, the final climb is a blind sprint.
Ascent 5-6 (Owl and Wolf): Owl applies Frostbite mechanics to all biomes, not just the Alpine. Every biome now slowly shrinks your max stamina if you are not carrying thermal items. Wolf stacks a +40% climbing stamina penalty on top of everything else. Only teams with practiced routes and coordinated roles should attempt these tiers.
Ascent 7 (Goat): Every modifier from Ascent 1 through 6 applied simultaneously. This is the ultimate test. Completing it unlocks the Goat Scout sash and the Gold Horns cosmetic.
Practice specific biomes on lower Ascent tiers before attempting them on higher ones. If the Alpine is your weak spot, run Ascent 1 or 2 repeatedly until you have the cold management and ice navigation down cold (figuratively). Then push to Ascent 3 and 4.
Sash Progression and Cosmetics
Completing Ascent tiers rewards sashes and cosmetic items. Your sash is visible to other players and signals your experience level.
| Sash | Earned By | Cosmetic Unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Green/Blue-Green (Tadpole) | Default. All players start here. | Base scout outfit. |
| Light Yellow (Rabbit) | Complete Ascent 1. | Rabbit-themed hat, color variants. |
| Black (Raccoon) | Complete Ascent 2. | Raccoon tail accessory, dark outfit recolor. |
| Brown (Mule) | Complete Ascent 3. | Mule pack cosmetic, rugged outfit variant. |
| Red (Kangaroo) | Complete Ascent 4. | Red bandana, athletic outfit variant. |
| Purple (Owl) | Complete Ascent 5. | Owl feather headband, mystic outfit variant. |
| Gray (Wolf) | Complete Ascent 6. | Wolf pelt cloak, veteran title. |
| Yellow/Brown (Goat) | Complete Ascent 7. | Gold Horns, ultimate prestige cosmetic. |
Cosmetics are visual only. No sash or outfit provides gameplay advantages. A Tadpole Scout and a Wolf Scout have identical stats. The sash is purely a display of accomplishment.
Co-op Etiquette
A few unwritten rules that make public lobbies better:
- Wait at campfires. Do not rush past a campfire while teammates are still below it. Someone needs to interact with the Altar to revive ghosts. If you rush ahead, you might reach the next campfire before teammates are revived at the current one.
- Share food. If you are full and a teammate is starving, drop food for them. Their survival is your survival.
- Communicate falls. If you fall, say so. Teammates who are counting on you for a rope placement or boost need to know you are gone.
- Do not grief. Blocking narrow paths, stealing items, or intentionally triggering hazards near teammates ruins the run for everyone. The community self-polices this aggressively.