I don't understand the people that want co-op all the time in Souls games but zero PvP.
That's essentially like saying you want the game to be exponentially easier and have even less risk of dying.
At what point do you just admit the series isn't for you?
As somebody who's put well over 300 hours into the game solo with multiple characters, why would I
NOT want the game to allow me to hook up with my buds both new and experienced unhindered? You know, take the time to explore and find new and interesting things together, and help ease new players into the game who want to give it a try, and all of the other wonderful and different ways to experience the game without the threat of constant invasions from twinks and over-geared players?
A bunch of people I know who've bought DS1 in a sale and played through with me in co-op have went on to play the game multiple times solo, finding new stuff on every single playthrough and having a hell of a good time in the process. Co-op, when there's no interruptions in every new area you enter, is a great way to get people into the game long-term. A simple covenant that focused on co-op and eliminated the need for PvP being active would've been a great way to get peoples feet wet in the first Souls game, and get them used to it.
The designers' "original vision" isn't always the best. It may not be the "proper" way to play the game, but this approach with a dozen of my friends got them hardcore into the series, where as having no co-op wouldn't have gotten them into it. Even they admit having no way around PvP in co-op apart from Disconnecting and retrying co-op or playing single player hollow is bullshit. Heck, some of my 360 owning friends who I played through the game with even bought a PS3 to play Demon Souls. That's a good thing