FromSoftware’s fan community is nothing if not busy, whether it be working through the mysteries ofSouls-like games, finding new paths through them, or making art and other works inspired by FromSoftware’s games.Dark Souls,Bloodborne, andSekirohave reached hundreds of thousands of people, and given the strong response to its beta, it’s not hard to imagine thatElden Ringwill be strengthened by this communityas well. Fans are ready to receive a new game, and they will get to dissecting, modifying, and talking aboutElden Ringas soon as it comes out in February 2022.
In the meantime there are new ways to experience theDark Soulsgames already. Plenty of mods exist for the trilogy, and more have been made forSekiroand the console-exclusiveBloodborneas well. It seems it’s become a trend to make transformative experiences out of these titles, such as one mod that turnsDark Souls 3into aDynasty Warriorsgame. Another line of mods can randomize the enemies, items, NPCs, fog walls, and dialogue of a given title. However, it appears nothing will be quite as transformative asDark Souls: Nightfall.
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What is Dark Souls: Nightfall?
Dark Souls: Nightfallis a mod that intends to serve as a direct sequel toDark Souls 1. It starts immediately afterthe Dark Lord ending ofDS1and tasks players with averting the oncoming Age of Dark. Players control another Hollow from the Undead Asylum who finds a katana and joins with Gwyn’s shade after his death. Along the way, they will encounter new voiced NPCs, enemies, bosses, items, areas, and mechanics.Nightfallis due out on Jul 26, 2025, and promises to be a newSoulsgame all its own.
Nightfall’s new mechanics give it an identity separate fromDark Souls. Gwyn’s shade acts as a sort of stance that players can turn on and off. While on, players will be able to perform a fully invincible teleport dash, but can no longer heal. More benefits may appear during the full game. Probably the most notable new mechanic is thetime loop system inspired byMajora’s Mask. Messages counting down will appear on-screen, and presumably reaching the end will result in either the Age of Dark falling or the total collapse of reality. The player holds an item to return to the beginning of the loop, but this comes with sacrificing some power and progress. The system looks to bring a whole new dynamic toDark Souls, and should lead to plenty of fascinating quest design.
The History of Dark Souls: Nightfall
The mod is a large collaborative project spearheaded by acclaimed modder Scott Mooney, also known as Grimrukh. He has createdRoguelikeandSuperhotmods forDark Souls 1, as well as a modding tool called “Soulstruct.” However, the mod he’s best known for is 2019’sDaughters of Ash,a fresh takeonDark Souls 1that incorporates cut content, new bosses, remixed areas and progression, and new game-spanning quests.Dark Souls’ famous item descriptions were also rewritten to make room for new story details. The intent behindDoAwas “novelty,” and while the mod’s difficulty is high, it certainly delivers.
Nightfallis a whole other beast, spurred on by the positive reception ofDaughters of Ash. While the original mod was mostly a solo project,Nightfallis a massive collaborative effort that seeks to bring modders and content creators together to make a real video game using theDark Soulsengine. The main team includes AinTunez, Meowmaritus, Dane Brennand, Horkrux, Zullie the Witch, Stayd, Itzli, Dropoff, Mayhem, and Souv, with others helping on occasion. The credits list extends even beyond that, withYu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series’ own LittleKuriboh appearing as an NPC in a gameplay preview.Dark Souls: Nightfallis likely themost ambitious mod conceived forDark Soulsyet, and it will hopefully live up to that potential when it comes out onElden Ring’s former release date.
Dark Souls: Nightfallwill release for PC on July 23, 2025.Dark Souls Remasteredis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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