Can I join a game in the middle of a 1st playthrough if I'm just starting a 2nd playthrough?

Some of my friends are playing Dead Island, but they are hopelessly behind me in terms of story progression. Will I be able to still join their game if I'm in an earlier chapter of a 2nd playthrough and they are in a later chapter of a 1st playthrough?

To put it simply, can I join a 1st playthrough chapter 5 game if my game is 2nd playthrough chapter 2?

2 Answers

I don't have enough reputation to down-vote kotekzot...yet. Yet, perhaps kotekzot is not wrong in a patch version preceding version 1.3.0.

At least in the case of patch 1.3.0, completion does not determine whom that may be joined. Related: Attempting to join anyone whose progress does not match yours will generate prompts informing you of the discrepancy in progress, but you are still allowed to join.

Comparison: This is unlike the Borderlands browser of public games, which only displays servers whose host's story progress match or precede the character that you currently have selected.

You can't find a game in a chapter you haven't reached in your current playthrough, so starting a 2nd playthrough will lock you out of public games in later chapters. However, you can be invited to a game with any level of progress, and will get a prompt saying quest progress will not be recorded if you are in an earlier chapter than the game you are trying to join.