FromSoftware's action RPGs have never been known for pushing the envelope in terms of raw graphical quality, but in most cases, their fidelity is good enough that their phenomenal art direction carries them the rest of the way, and makes them look very impressive. One title in which this wasn't the case, though, is 2014's Dark Souls 2.

Dark Souls 2 has an attractive if not inconsistent art style, though it's let down quite a bit by the game's infamously flat and washed out lighting, along with many repeated textures throughout its levels. As a result, I've always felt it to be the ugliest of the Dark Souls games by far, and find the original as well as the third entry to be far easier on the eyes.

Thanks to the public release of a new mod that's been in a work-in-progress and in private testing for several months, however, it's now possible to transform Dark Souls 2 into the best-looking game in the trilogy on PC, which is something I never thought I'd say.

The mod in question is DS2LightingEngine, which is now available to download on Nexus Mods here. Developed by Ganaboy, it's a massive overhaul to Dark Souls 2's lighting and its visual effects that adds advanced path tracing (ray tracing), dynamic shadows that can be properly cast by light sources, upgrades its shaders, introduces volumetric fog, and more.

Notably, it is still in a beta state, so I wouldn't go in expecting a flawless experience without any bugs or glitches. Still as evidenced by the mod's preview images alone, it clearly makes a massive difference, and even makes Dark Souls 2 look like a modern release in some places. Check out the images below:

One thing to keep in mind if you decide to try the mod out is that it's going to make the game considerably harder in several places, as some areas will now be pitch black but still have enemies that detect you perfectly. You'll need to keep a torch or some other sources of illumination handy, which is something I actually think is pretty cool.

Another consideration: the DS2LightingEngine only works with the Scholar of the First Sin edition of Dark Souls 2 that came out in 2015, which is thankfully only $14.99 at Loaded right now (it's $39.99 normally). Also, you'll need a ray tracing-capable GPU to use the full path tracing version of the mod. If you don't have one, you'll be limited to the less advanced rasterization one.

Make sure to read the mod's full description on its page, as it explains how to install everything properly. Note that while it states the mod is safe to use while playing online, I did see one post from a player saying they were banned from Dark Souls 2's servers several hours after playing with it.

Another mod they were using may have caused this, but regardless: be aware of the risk if you decide to go online with DS2LightingEngine. Thankfully, once modder Yui finishes their Dark Souls 2 Seamless Co-op project, this won't be a concern anymore since it will use separate peer-to-peer connections.

Are you planning to try out the DS2LightingEngine mod yourself? What are your overall thoughts on Dark Souls 2? Let me know in the comments, and vote which Dark Souls game is your favorite in the poll below.

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Dark Craft is an upcoming free-to-play MMORPG that blends a blocky aesthetic reminiscent of Minecraft with a much darker fantasy tone and combat similar to a soulslike that immediately stood out to me.

It's almost like a modern take on those old hyper-realistic texture packs, but I mean that in the best possible way.

The game is set across a wide landscape filled with ruined structures and harsh terrain. Combat focuses on timing, stamina management, and the kind of precision fans of the soulslike genre should expect.

Should we get excited or temper expectations?

The developers behind the game are Take Top Entertainment, a studio mostly known for mobile titles. Its games vary in reception, but most sit above 3.5 stars on the Google Play Store. With that in mind, Dark Craft marks its first PC debut, at least as far as I can tell, and it is a very ambitious step forward.

The game is aiming for an open living world that promises constant activity. Enemy patrols, roaming NPCs, and world events are all expected to unfold naturally as you explore.

There is a lot on offer here, and if everything comes together, it could make a real impression in the MMORPG space. I especially like the idea of the Game Masters. This system is controlled by members of the team who can intervene in gameplay, command enemies, become world bosses, or ambush players.

Now, this system could cause issues and become rather unfair, meaning balancing will be a challenge, but I cannot think of another game using a system quite like this.

However, the free-to-play model does create some concerns. There is always a risk of microtransactions or pay-to-win elements appearing, and with the studio’s background in mobile games, some players may hesitate to give it a try.

Currently, there are no details on when we can expect the game to be released or if it will ever be available on platforms outside of PC, but this could be a game worth keeping your eye on if you’re a fan of Minecraft, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and dark fantasy in general.

Would you play it, or is it too strange a mix for your tastes?

If you're a dedicated fan of FromSoftware ARPGs like Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and others, I'm willing to bet you're familiar with the name Zullie the Witch. The Soulsborne content creator has been making informative, easily digestible videos on the developer's titles for several years now, datamining and researching them and then using the findings to show off cut content, reveal hidden secrets, or put forward carefully thought-out lore theories.

Zullie has rapidly become one of the most popular and beloved YouTubers in the Soulsborne community, and has covered every FromSoftware game post-Demon's Souls extensively. In their first video about the upcoming co-op roguelike Elden Ring Nightreign, though, they shared that they've been going through some personal struggles.

"I am clawing my way out of a pit of depression, but the pit is deep and my claws are blunt. I'd been hoping to get back to making videos at the start of the month, only to find myself just slipping in at the end of it instead," Zullie wrote in a pinned comment on the video.

"Between that, the fact I haven't been able to secure a sponsor video in a while, and a looming $15,000 in medical expenses, I'm reluctant to do this, but I'm openly asking for donations."

Within hours, thousands of Soulsborne fans rallied to show Zullie their support, with each one donating at least $5 (possibly more) to their Ko-fi page. At the time of writing, 6,524 donations have been made, with more still coming in; so far, at least $32,620 have been raised in total.

"I'm removing the donation links because this has already smashed every expectation I had and I'm kind of overwhelmed by how quickly and emphatically you've all lent your support," Zullie said in an update to the original comment. "I've always been a deeply anxious person, and a large emphasis of that anxiety lately has been financial issues, so I truly didn't anticipate seeing the bulk of those issues get crushed into nothing in the span of a single afternoon."

"It feels conflicting, because I've always been ashamed of even slightly inconveniencing others, but choosing to suffer in noble silence was still suffering," they continued. "Thank you all so much, I'm hardly able to comprehend, let alone express, what I'm feeling right now."

As a huge fan of both FromSoftware games and Zullie's channel, coming across this story made my day, and reading through the remarks left with each Ko-fi donation has only made it even more heartwarming.

Scrolling through them, there's plenty of endearing Souls-style messages of "Amazing witch head" or "Don't give up, skeleton," along with the classic "Don't you dare go hollow" and heartfelt comments about how much people enjoy Zullie's content and want to support them.

Indeed, many nifty secrets and thought-provoking details have been unveiled by Zullie's videos, and they're always produced with a wholesome, calm tone that makes them easy to watch and encourages collaborative discussion in the community.

Whether you want to learn about the largest FromSoftware dragon, what an Armored Core 6 mech looks like in Elden Ring, or why dogs in Dark Souls 3 teleport when you run from them, their channel is a treasure trove of bite-sized high-quality content. I can't recommend checking it out enough.

Notably, Elden Ring Nightreign — another game Zullie will most likely investigate and make content on — is just a few months away from its scheduled May 30 launch on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. The co-op roguelike take on the award-winning 2022 ARPG is available to preorder now for $39.99, but you can get it on PC for just $35.19 at Fanatical thanks to a deal.

It's time to head back to Lothric, Ashen One, because the best mod ever made for Elden Ring has now come to Dark Souls 3 — FromSoftware's critically acclaimed 2016 ARPG that concluded the studio's legendary Dark Souls trilogy.

That mod, as you might expect, is Seamless Co-op — an add-on that completely overhauls multiplayer by removing barriers between levels, allowing co-op in zones that didn't have it in vanilla, and letting jolly cooperators freely level and rest together at bonfires in the same instance. The mod also allows you to dodge the PvP invasions you'd normally have to deal with while co-oping, though you do have the option of enabling them if you want. You can download the Dark Souls 3 version of Seamless Co-op on Nexus Mods.

Seamless Co-op works by severing your connection to FromSoftware's matchmaking servers and instead connects you with up to five co-op buddies through peer-to-peer networking and separate character saves, ensuring that you won't get struck by a banhammer. It's hugely beneficial in Elden Ring since it has tons of barriers between its overworld and side zones to deal with, and now you can use it in Dark Souls 3, too.

Installing Seamless Co-op is easy, as all you have to do is drag the files from the mod download into the "Game" folder within your Dark Souls 3 installation, then launch the game with the mod's executable instead of the regular one. Using the included configuration file, you and your friends can then set a password that ensures you'll all connect together; this is effectively identical to how FromSoftware's password matchmaking works. You can also toggle invasions or tweak enemy scaling values in that same file.

Something important to note is that you can make regular Dark Souls 3 character saves compatible with Seamless Co-op by changing their file extension from ".sl2" to ".co2", but make sure you make a copy of them first; you won't be able to convert them back safely, as saves you made progress with in Seamless Co-op will get you flagged and banned by FromSoftware's systems if you try to make them work with vanilla Dark Souls 3 again.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the goal of Seamless Co-op is to make FromSoftware's ARPGs more accessible and enjoyable in multiplayer, not to make them easier. Dark Souls 3 Seamless Co-op scales enemy and boss health up when you have five or six party members (in vanilla, you can only have four) as a result, and also resets ongoing boss fights if a defeated player sits at a bonfire to respawn and attempt running back in.

For a full overview of everything you need to know, make sure you check out the mod's description. It goes over installation, Seamless Co-op's full suite of features, frequently asked questions, and more, so it's required reading.

It's awesome to see Seamless Co-op come to Dark Souls 3, and for me, it couldn't have arrived at a better time. My friends and I have been talking about doing a replay of the game soon, so we'll definitely be using this to do it.

Notably, this is the third FromSoftware game to get Seamless Co-op after Elden Ring and Armored Core 6. It's unclear if mod author Yui plans to also bring it to Dark Souls 2 or Dark Souls: Remastered, but I hope they do; Dark Souls 2 co-op is notorious for being extremely difficult to enjoy with friends because of Soul Memory, a mechanic that prevents players from playing together if one has collected significantly more souls (EXP) than the other during their journey.

Dark Souls 3 itself is one of FromSoftware's best games, arguably the best Dark Souls, and one of the best PC games to play if you enjoy challenging ARPGs with grandiose boss fights and rich combat systems. The PC version you can use the new Seamless Co-op mod with is normally $59.99, but thanks to this sweet deal, you can pick it up for just $24.69 at CDKeys. There's also the Deluxe Edition for $36.69 at CDKeys that includes all of Dark Souls 3's DLC.

There's only a little over a month or so until the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC drops for FromSoftware's 2022 Game of the Year-winning ARPG Elden Ring, and hype for the expansion is starting to escalate. Beating the game and making sure you've got a strong build ready to go is a great way to kill that time, but if you've taken care of that already, a good way to spend it is checking out some of FromSoftware's older titles — and thanks to some major deals, there's never been a better time for PC players to do so.

Right now, every Dark Souls game is on sale for 57% off at Steam key seller Green Man Gaming — a slightly higher discount than the 50% markdown available on Steam itself. That means both Dark Souls: Remastered and Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin are $17.20 (down from $39.99), while the Deluxe Edition of Dark Souls 3 is $36.54 (was $84.98). Additionally, the standard edition of Dark Souls 3, its DLC Season Pass, and individual Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City expansions are all 57% off as well, which you may prefer to get if you either don't want the DLCs or already own some content and just need to get what you're missing.

Before Elden Ring, there was Dark Souls

Elden Ring may have been the game that rocketed FromSoftware into the mainstream — it sold 12 million copies just a few weeks after its launch — but long before it was in our hands, the studio was refining and perfecting its trademark stamina-based ARPG gameplay with the Dark Souls series. After spawning the "Soulslike" genre with 2009's Demon's Souls, the developer built on that foundation over time with the three Dark Souls titles that would grow to become quite popular.

2011's Dark Souls, remastered in 2018, is the first "Souls" game that truly got big, with fans falling in love with its methodical and tough-but-fair combat systems along with its huge Meroidvania-like dark fantasy world players could explore non-linearly. All the different weapons and spells you could use to build your character were also a big draw, as was Dark Souls' cryptic narrative, its wealth of fascinating lore, and its cast of few, but very memorable NPCs.

2014's Dark Souls 2 was similar, though was criticized for having jankier animations, a world that felt less cohesively put together, and a "quantity over quality" approach to bosses. Still, it's a great game in its own right, and notably, it introduced the "power stancing" mechanic (dual-wielding two of the same weapon type to access a unique moveset) that would go on to reappear in Elden Ring. Scholar of the First Sin, a 2015 rerelease of the game, updated it with tweaked enemy and item placements and included all three of its excellent DLC add-ons.

Finally, there's 2016's Dark Souls 3, which is Dark Souls at its most refined. The series' measured combat mechanics became more fluid and a bit faster in the trilogy's final game, and though its world was considerably more structured, its individual levels still had plenty of the interconnectedness that fans had come to love. It also featured weapon arts — essentially Elden Ring Ashes of War — as well as a huge number of different weapons, armors, and spells. Personally, I think it's got FromSoftware's best boss fights and storytelling as well, and The Ringed City expansion concludes the series perfectly.

All three games are some of the best PC games and best Xbox games for fans of ARPGs, and are absolute must-plays if you enjoyed Elden Ring. I strongly recommend getting them now while they're discounted this much, as historically, sales on FromSoftware games are very rare and their deals are never better than these ones. The 50% Steam markdowns last until May 16, and I expect that's when Green Man Gaming's will end as well, so take advantage of them while you can.

What you need to know

• Dark Souls: Archthrones, a massive game-sized, community-developed mod for Dark Souls 3 on PC, just got a demo release that you can play now. You'll find the download link below.
• Archthrones is set before the events of Dark Souls 3, and includes five "new and reimagined" worlds, 17 boss fights, and tons of new armor sets, voiced NPCs, side quests, game mechanics, and more.
• The demo for Archthrones allows you to play through the first level of each of its five worlds.
• Notably, Archthrones uses a private server, so you don't have to worry about getting banned for playing it. This also means co-op is supported, though things like PvP invasions won't be possible until support for them is added at some point after the mod's full release.

Pretty much every Soulslike fan in the world is counting down the days until the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC releases in June, but it's not the only project to be excited for. Dark Souls: Archthrones — a gargantuan conversion mod for the PC version of Dark Souls 3 that's been in development for nearly four years — has gotten a free demo release, out today.

Created by dozens of skilled community programmers, writers, artists, musicians, and voice actors, Archthrones is essentially an entirely new game built on top of the final entry in the Dark Souls trilogy. Inspired by the structure of Demon's Souls, the mod will feature five distinct "new and reimagined worlds" to play through in any order, along with 17 new boss fights, plenty of new armor sets (with cloth physics), new voiced NPCs and side quests, and even some new combat mechanics. Elden Ring and Dark Souls 2 fans will recognize guard counters and power stancing, but we're also getting what sounds like Lords of the Fallen-style perfect blocks as well as "deflection, backstep guard cancelling, and various rebalances and fixes to nearly every weapon class in [Dark Souls 3]." Awesome.

The demo for Dark Souls: Archthrones is available to play now (you can download it on Nexus Mods; installation instructions are included in the files), and you can dive in provided you've got the required Dark Souls 3 Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City expansions. Its release was accompanied by a sweet trailer you can watch via the embedded video below.

Dark Souls: Archthrones' (non-canonical) story is set before the events of Dark Souls 3, prior to the fading of the First Flame but after Prince Lothric's choice not to link it. In it, the Fire Keeper built the Nexus of Embers — AKA, Firelink Shrine — in response to Lothric's decision, and received special Archthrones from "the lords of each great land." As her Emissary, you will "travel to each of these distant lands and struggle through the dangers that await" in an effort to acquire "a great many souls" and commence the linking of the fire.

In the demo, you can play through the first level of each of the mod's different regions. Notably, there's no need to worry about being banned, as Archthrones hooks into its own private server instead of FromSoftware's official ones. This means that co-op with other players is fully supported, though "duels, invasions, and other multiplayer activities" won't be possible until an update scheduled to come sometime after the mod's full release.

Speaking of the release date for the full experience, it's important to note that it hasn't been revealed yet. However, we may see an announcement come soon now that Archthrones' demo is out, so keep an eye on the mod's official website, X (Twitter) page, and YouTube channel.

What the Dark Souls: Archthrones team is putting together here looks nothing short of incredible. The amount of community talent that's coalesced for this mod is amazing, and honestly, it might be the coolest fan-made project I've ever seen. I loathe the fact that I have other things to write today, because right now, all I want to do is jump into the demo and play the hell out of it.

Both the demo and the final version of the mod are/will be completely free-to-play, but if you want to support the team behind it, don't miss the Archthrones pages on Ko-fi and Patreon. There's also an official Discord server for the project, which I recommend joining if you want to talk about it with other players or report bugs you encounter in the demo.

You'll need the PC version of Dark Souls 3 and its two DLC expansions to play Dark Souls: Archthrones. The Dark Souls 3: Deluxe Edition is the most affordable way to get what's required if you don't own any of it already (and you should, because Dark Souls 3 is amazing and one of the best PC games); if you have the base game, you can buy each DLC for $15 or a Season Pass that includes both of them for $25.

What you need to know

• Developer FromSoftware has announced that on March 31, 2024, the Xbox 360 and PS3 servers for the original version of Dark Souls 2 will shut down at 5 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. ET.
• This will effectively remove all multiplayer from this edition of the game on consoles, forcing Xbox and PlayStation players to either buy the PC version of the game or get the Scholar of the First Sin version of Dark Souls 2 on a newer console if they want to continue playing online.
• Scholar of the First Sin was a rather controversial "Director's Cut" 2015 rerelease of Dark Souls 2 that made significant changes to enemy and item placements. These adjustments have always been divisive, with many either loving or hating them.
• Vanilla Dark Souls 2 is still available for digital purchase on Xbox 360 through the Xbox Marketplace, and you can find used copies of the game for both Xbox 360 and PS3 for cheap.

After a decade of jolly cooperation, tense invasions, PvP duels, and other multiplayer shenanigans in FromSoftware's 2014 follow-up to the original Dark Souls, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 servers for Dark Souls 2 are being shut down permanently on March 31, 2024. On that day, they'll come down at 5 a.m. PT / 8 a.m. ET.

The Elden Ring developer announced the closure in a post from the official Dark Souls account on X (formerly Twitter), noting that both the PC version and the Scholar of the First Sin edition of Dark Souls 2 that's available to play on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, and PS4 will be unaffected by the shutdown.

"The Dark Souls 2 PS3 and Xbox 360 servers will shut down on March 31, 2024. A message stating that online play is disabled will be displayed. Offline play will still be possible. PC, PS4 & Xbox One servers will not be affected," wrote the studio. "Thank you to those who have played since launch ... Thank you for your comprehension and support."

Once the servers come down, you won't be able to connect to other players for co-op play or PvP activities. It also won't be possible to read other people's messages or see how they previously died by viewing "bloodstain" phantoms, either. 10 years of multiplayer history are effectively being erased here, and to play Dark Souls 2 online moving forward, you'll either need to purchase a copy of it on PC or get the Scholar of the First Sin version on a newer Xbox or PlayStation system.

While everyone understands that it's been a decade since the game's launch and that all multiplayer servers are destined to inevitably go offline once they're no longer worth the cost of maintaining them, this shutdown is more controversial than most. Once it comes to pass next year, it will be impossible to experience vanilla Dark Souls 2 online on anything other than a PC. And while playing Scholar of the First Sin (SotFS) is a solution, there are several valid reasons why many players don't consider it a good one.

You see, while Dark Souls 2: SotFS is often thought of as just a 2015 rerelease with slightly improved graphics and all the game's DLC that was meant to bring it to newer systems, it also features many significant changes to Dark Souls 2's enemy and item placements. It's more of a "Director's Cut" than a Dark Souls Remastered-style modernization — and its adjustments have always been rather divisive.

SotFS adds more enemy and NPC invader spawns to the map and spreads them out a bit, while simultaneously removing a few encounters from the base game that most players found frustrating to an unfair degree. Overall, the changes seem to have been made to make Drangleic more consistently engaging and challenging to adventure through, but after playing through both versions of the game several times, I've come to regard SotFS as a mixed bag. Some of its alterations are fantastic (thank the heavens for the removal of that statue ambush in Drangleic Castle), but others are infuriating (Iron Keep makes me want to tear my hair out, as do the frequent NPC invasions), and ultimately, it doesn't feel like "the definitive edition of Dark Souls 2." It just feels different.

Though I prefer gaming on my PC and have always played Dark Souls 2 that way, I'm incredibly sad that console players will no longer be able to experience the vanilla game online after the upcoming server shutdown. It'll remain playable offline, at least, but for many, FromSoftware's multiplayer features are a big part of what makes Dark Souls special. There's something wonderfully communal about stumbling your way through these notoriously tough action RPGs with guidance and help from others, both in the form of messages and phantoms from those that came before, as well as the players you summon to fight at your side.

The good news is that there's still a good three months to do an online playthrough of the original Dark Souls 2 on Xbox 360 or PS3, and I expect the servers to be more active than they've been in a long time during that period. Many console players will likely return to say goodbye to a version of one of the best Xbox games they'll soon no longer be able to play with others, which should mean plenty of opportunities for co-op and PvP. Vanilla Dark Souls 2 and its DLC is still available for the Xbox 360 digitally through the Xbox Marketplace, and you can find used copies of it for both Xbox 360 and PS3 on marketplace sites like eBay. Alternatively, you could pick up the PC version on Steam, which isn't having its servers closed; any modern computer shouldn't have trouble running the game.

There's also the aforementioned Scholar of the First Sin, which is the version you'll need if you want to play on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, or PS4 (it's available on Steam, too). Though the changes it makes are contentious, it's the edition of the game that has the most active multiplayer community.

Notably, the original version of Dark Souls 2 isn't the only FromSoftware game that's losing online functionality in 2024. The servers for Armored Core: Verdict Day, the 2013 predecessor to this year's critically acclaimed Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, are also closing on March 31. Unlike Dark Souls 2, there is no version of Verdict Day on PC.

It's Black Friday week, and that means now is a fantastic time to pick up some classic fan-favorite games while they're on sale for huge markdowns. A series you should absolutely get and play through if you haven't already is FromSoftware's Dark Souls trilogy, which has won millions of gamers over with its immensely satisfying "tough, but fair" action RPG gameplay, rich lore, and intricately crafted dark fantasy setting. 

You'd normally have to fork over $164.99 to get all three games and their DLC, but thanks to the below 57% discounts, you can pick up the entire franchise on Steam for just $70.94. Similar deals are available on Xbox, too, so if you use Microsoft's console, you can still save big on this legendary series.

More great Black Friday deals

• Walmart: Black Friday deals on practically everything
• Dell: Top deals on laptops, gaming PCs, accessories, and more
• Alienware: Up to $800 off gaming laptops and desktops
• Best Buy: Big savings on video games, accessories, and more
• HP: Up to 84% of select HP Windows PCs and accessories
• Lenovo: Up to 50% of gaming towers, laptops, and accessories
• Newegg: Save on PC gaming accessories, components, and more
• Razer: Up to 43% off laptops and accessories with free gifts
• More individual deals:
  • Xbox Series X + Diablo IV + free $75 Target gift card for $634.99 $449.99 at Target
  • Samsung T9 4TB Portable SSD for $439.99 $249.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Stereo Headset — 20th Anniversary for $69.99 $46.29 at Walmart
  • Xbox Series X + Diablo IV + Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III for $639.99 $489 at Walmart
  • TP-Link Deco X55 Wi-Fi mesh 3-pack for $229.99 $179.99 at Amazon
  • Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma for $149.99 $89.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Series X + $50 Best Buy gift card for $549.99 $399.99 at Best Buy for Plus/Total members
  • HP OMEN 27qs for $429.99 $299.99 at Best Buy
  • HyperX Cloud III Wireless for $169.99 $129.99 at Best Buy
  • Xbox Series S + 3-months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $299.99 $249 at Walmart
  • Lenovo LOQ Tower (17IRB8) + 3-months Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from $1,029.99 $749.99 at Lenovo
  • HP OMEN 34c for $479.99 $329.99 at Best Buy

The games that put FromSoftware on the map

Though FromSoftware's first "Soulslike" game was technically 2009's Demon's Souls, it wasn't until Dark Souls released in 2011 that the developer's approach to action RPG game design started turning heads. Its combat systems, which encourage careful stamina management and spacing as you figure out when to dodge or block enemy attacks while landing your own, are almost puzzle-like in nature; each death, as frustrating as they can be, is an opportunity to learn and try again with a greater understanding of the encounter or the boss you're struggling with. There's a ton of supplementary items you can find to aid you — and there's always "jolly cooperation" with multiplayer co-op, too — but at its core, mastery of the game's scenarios is key to success in Dark Souls.

That's not to say that you're ever railroaded into overcoming your obstacles in any specific way, though. These are RPGs, after all, and all three Dark Souls games have hundreds of different weapons, armor pieces, stat bonus-providing rings, spells, and more that you can use to put together a unique character build. Your effectiveness with these is determined by the attributes you invest your experience, or "souls," in; just make sure you return to your place of death whenever you fall, though, as you'll need to do so to recover your souls. If you die before you do so, they'll be lost forever.

Then you have the environments of the trilogy, which shake things up by introducing hazards, varied types of terrain, and creative enemy placements. They also feature sprawling, interconnected levels that loop back on themselves with unlockable shortcuts and lead to one another, with bonfire checkpoints where you can rest and refill your Estus Flask healing scattered throughout the map. This connectivity is what makes many consider Dark Souls to be something of a soft metroidvania, and it would go on to influence the design of both the open world and the "Legacy Dungeons" in FromSoftware's newest Soulslike RPG, Elden Ring.

I won't be spoiling anything here, but Dark Souls' approach to storytelling is notable as well. Compared to more traditional writing with lots of dialogue and cinematic cutscenes, the dark fantasy series largely conveys its narrative to players through environmental hints, with item descriptions and the occasional voiced NPC providing bits and pieces of valuable context. Ultimately, much like the gameplay, you'll get out what you put in; those who pay close attention and engage with what's given will appreciate FromSoftware's writing style, but you'll probably find yourself lost if you don't. Even if you ignore the story completely, though, Dark Souls is fantastic.

At the end of the day, these are simply some of the best Xbox games and best PC games ever made, and I can't recommend checking them out enough if you haven't already (especially when Black Friday has them this affordable). They put FromSoftware on the map, and are the predecessors to the award-winning magnum opus that is 2022's Game of the Year, Elden Ring. Even Dark Souls 2 — generally considered to be one of the developer's weakest titles — is a great experience, even if it is rather janky in some ways.

What you need to know

• FromSoftware's legendary 2011 action RPG Dark Souls is often considered one of the best games ever, and a remastered version was released in 2018 on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, and PC.
• Modder @Greatgramcrackr has created a project called "Pixel Souls Demastered" for the PC version of Dark Souls: Remastered that gives its graphics a pixel art appearance, while also reducing model and audio quality for a distinct retro feel.
• The project is similar to Bloodborne PSX, a fan-made "demake" of FromSoftware's 2015 PlayStation exclusive that came out early in 2022.
• @Greatgramcrackr hopes to add 8-bit remixes of Dark Souls music tracks to the mod in the future, and may even "demaster" other FromSoftware titles as well.

When the Bloodborne PSX "demake" of the critically acclaimed PlayStation exclusive released in early 2022, it was an instant hit. Fans were enamored by its old-school PS1-era graphics and retro versions of the Bloodborne's music and sound effects — and now, something similar has released for Dark Souls, another of FromSoftware's beloved action RPGs.

That project is Pixel Souls Demastered, an extensive mod for the PC version of Dark Souls: Remastered that gives every in-game texture, visual effect, icon, and font a pixel art-style appearance, while also reducing the fidelity of every character and equipment model and lowering the quality of all audio. The result is an delightfully nostalgic reimagining of Lordran that offers a glimpse at what the original Dark Souls might have looked and sounded like if it released a few console generations earlier. You can watch the official trailer for the project below.

While the mod is out and fully playable now, creator @Greatgramcrackr has plans to expand on it in the future. Another version with a "more restricted color palette" is on the way, and @Greatgramcrackr is interested in adding 8-bit remixes of Dark Souls music tracks in updates, too (remixes for the Firelink Shrine and Gwyn, Lord of Cinder themes are already included, thanks to contributions from YouTuber illusory wall).

If there's enough interest in the mod, @Greatgramcrackr says they'll even consider making something similar for other FromSoftware games like Elden Ring or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Should this happen, a poll will be held so that fans can vote which game they'd like to see demastered next. Make sure you follow @Greatgramcrackr on X (formerly Twitter) for updates — they also have a Kofi page, should you wish to donate.

You can download the mod on the Pixel Souls Demastered Nexus Mods page. Make sure you read through the installation instructions carefully, and note that while the mod does work with multiplayer, @Greatgramcrackr warns that you'll likely get banned if you try to play online with it. Connect to FromSoftware's servers at your own risk.

Dark Souls: Remastered itself is available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One consoles, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PC. While you'll need the PC version in order to enjoy this mod specifically, it's a landmark action RPG that gamers on every platform should play.

Ever played a game and thought to yourself, "wow, I wish this was actually completely different?" At that point, some might say, "well, shouldn't you play something else?" To that, modders say nay. 

Hold my sweet roll plucky adventurers, because this collection of mods for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is suitably and invariably insane. 

YouTuber cris put together this stunning montage of incredible Skyrim mods, showcasing just how far the modding community has come with hacking and modifying the legendary RPG. Skyrim launched back in 2011, and we're still waiting for its follow-up, tentatively titled Elder Scrolls VI, slated to emerge sometime after Bethesda's next epic RPG Starfield. Incontented to wait for Elder Scrolls 6, cris downloaded a plethora of mods for Skyrim, including a mod that adds Dark Souls' iconic locations, Sekiro-meets-Devil May Cry-like action combat, while also adding in Nier Automata's 2B for good measure. The result is a game that looks almost nothing like Skyrim, while also looking rather awesome. 

Watch cris hack n' slash completely random enemies in Anor Londo's iconic cathedral from Dark Souls 1, complete with Devil May Cry aerial juggling with epic effects reminiscent of Dante's Inferno. 

Watching videos like this makes me realise the scale of the modding opportunity in Starfield. Todd Howard has made no attempt to hide the fact that the game is full of empty moons and planets, outside the game's hand-crafted main campaign missions. I can see entire games springing up on some of these more lonely locales, but we'll see. 

If you want to try your hand at modding Skyrim like the above video, check the description on cris' video above. Therein, he links to all the places you can grab the mods. You could also take a look at our own best Skyrim PC mods and best Skyrim Xbox mods articles too, if you fancy it. 

What you need to know

• Game artist Thomas Feichtmeir recently revealed that roughly six years ago, Bandai Namco was considering greenlighting a 2D Dark Souls 3 metroidvania.
• The game never got off the ground for an unknown reason, though Feichtmeir noted that the game's art style would have been "doable" based on average budget estimations for metroidvania games at the time.
• Based on the concept art for the game, it looks like it would have had many of the same mechanics traditional Soulsborne games have, including dodging, stamina management, mana/focus points, spells, and Estus Flask-style healing.

While most metroidvania games — titles that promote non-linear exploration and progression in a large, interconnected world — are 2D sidescrollers, there are plenty of fantastic 3D experiences that have ties to the genre, too. Among them is FromSoftware's "Soulsborne" series of games, which have been captivating players with their densely layered and detail-rich environments and incredibly satisfying combat mechanics for over a decade. Games like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are often referenced as some of the best 3D metroidvania-style games of all time, and 2022's Elden Ring is currently poised to walk away with a Game of the Year award after selling over 16.6 million copies.

But while players have come to associate Dark Souls and its sister titles with a 3D experience, game artist Thomas Feichtmeir has recently revealed that at one point, a project that would have brought the franchise to life in 2D was being considered by Bandai Namco. According to Feichtmeir, the game was pitched to the publisher around six years ago, and would have been an offshoot of 2016's Dark Souls 3.

"The art here was created in a style which would have been doable in the average budget estimations of metroidvanias back then," wrote Feichtmeir on Twitter as he discussed the artwork he created for the pitch (visible above). He then went on to state that he isn't aware of why the project never got off the ground, as he was just in charge of designing a visual concept for the game. It's unclear whether or not developer FromSoftware would have been involved with the project, though Feichtmeir speculated that they wouldn't have been since Bandai Namco has control of the Dark Souls intellectual property.

Interestingly, based on the artwork, it seems like the game might have had many of the same mechanics that FromSoftware's 3D Soulsborne games do, including dodges, stamina management, mana/focus points, spells, and Estus Flask-style healing. As a Dark Souls game, it surely would have had plenty of intense boss fights, too. As a 2D game, it may have also placed a strong emphasis on platforming, although this is mere speculation.

Overall, it's a shame that Bandai Namco didn't greenlight the project, as I would have loved to experience a 2D adaptation of Dark Souls. Hopefully the publisher will revisit the concept in the future in some way. Until then, I'll be playing the lovely fan-made Elden Ring demake whenever I get a hankering for some 2D Soulsborne action. Of course, there's always Elden Ring itself, too, which continues to be an absolute blast no matter how many times I replay it with new characters and builds.

What you need to know

• The Dark Souls 3 PC servers are finally back up, with developer FromSoftware confirming that it's working on restoring online services for the rest of the Dark Souls games next.
• The servers were originally taken down due to a dangerous hacking exploit that was discovered earlier this year.
• Dark Souls 3 is arguably the most popular Dark Souls game in terms of multiplayer, featuring a very active co-op and PvP scene.

The Dark Souls PC servers have been offline for a full seven months while developer FromSoftware has been resolving their vulnerability to a dangerous hacking exploit that was discovered earlier this year, but recently, the studio announced that they're finally coming back up. This process has begun with the PC servers for Dark Souls 3, which are officially back online now and can be used by all players. Moving forward, FromSoftware says that it's working to restore the online services for the rest of the Dark Souls games next.

"Online features for the PC version of Dark Souls 3 have been reactivated," wrote the developer on the official Dark Souls Twitter account. "We are working to restore these features for all other Dark Souls titles and will inform you when they are back in service. Thank you once more for your patience and support."

Though not as explosively successful as the 2022 Game of the Year contender Elden Ring, Dark Souls 3 is still widely considered to be one of FromSoftware's best action RPG titles. Before its servers went down, Dark Souls 3 had an incredibly active multiplayer community for both PvE cooperation and PvP battles due to its excellent gameplay and buildcrafting potential. We have no doubts that fans will once again flock to the game to celebrate the good news.

As both a massive FromSoftware fan and an avid PC gamer, I'm very excited that the developer is finally starting to bring the Dark Souls PC servers back up. I've actually been interested in doing a direct comparison between the online experience of Elden Ring and the Dark Souls games for a while now, so I'm glad that I can do that with Dark Souls 3 now. Hopefully fans won't have to wait too long before Dark Souls: Remastered and Dark Souls 2 are back online, too.

Dark Souls 3 is available now for $60 on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. It's one of FromSoftware's top action RPGs and is one of the best PC games out there. It features plenty of diverse enemies, captivating environments, excellent opportunities for buildcrafting, tons of awesome lore, and a popular co-op and PvP scene. The DLC is incredible, too, with The Ringed City expansion in particular standing out as one of FromSoftware's best releases.

Over the course of the last decade, FromSoftware has managed to craft, and arguably perfect, its unique action RPG formula with titles like Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Not since the introduction of the iconic Metroidvania sub-genre, popularized by phenomenal games like Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Metroid, have we seen such a widely recognized and replicated template for action RPGs.

The popularity of this blueprint created by FromSoftware has even managed to spawn a sub-genre of its own: the Souls-like. While many developers have tried desperately to capture the essence of Dark Souls, nobody does it quite like FromSoftware.

I've spent the last six months or so playing and re-playing every title in the official FromSoftware Souls-like catalog. From Demon's Souls to Elden Ring, I've committed to the monumental undertaking of placing every one of these exceptional RPGs in order from worst to best. Here is our definitive FromSoftware Souls-like power ranking.

7. Dark Souls II

While I believe Dark Souls II is hands-down the worst Souls-like FromSoftware has developed, I don't feel that Dark Souls II is a bad game. In fact, I think what the team achieved with a sequel to one of the most infamous games of all time was rather impressive. There's a very tired joke about pizza that, unfortunately, perfectly applies to FromSoftware-developed Souls-like games: "When it's good, it's great. And when it's bad, it's still pretty good." Even the worst Dark Souls game is better than most modern action-RPGs.

So why exactly has Dark Souls II firmly secured the bottom spot? Sadly, there are some glaring issues involving foundational game design, uninspired boss encounters, and half-baked lore that put a damper on the experience, especially when directly compared to other FromSoftware titles.

The Dark Souls engine isn't catered to heavy amounts of platforming, yet the Dark Souls II team insisted on ham-fisting absurd amounts of unnecessary and unpleasant platforming into the game. The 3D objects you're tasked with maneuvering on often fail to properly respond to player movements, causing you to spike down into an endless pit if you accidentally pivot in the wrong direction. Skinny branches and ledges plague many of the otherwise captivating environments in Dark Souls II, which makes navigating certain areas like Cardinal Tower a tedious nightmare.

Much of the notoriety following the launch of Dark Souls revolved around its relentless difficulty and the satisfaction that came from overcoming the intense challenge. Dark Souls II took all the wrong lessons from this and packed its stages with loads of "gotcha" cheap deaths, from classic rolling boulders to enemies shoving you off ledges. It was less about understanding your surroundings through environmental clues and more about just taking your arbitrary first death. I enjoy the difficulty of the Souls games, but I feel like many of the design choices in Dark Souls II solely exist for the sake of making it tougher.

However, it's not all doom and gloom in this world of doom and gloom. The clever use of lighting and torch mechanics in areas like No Man's Wharf showcase the team's creativity and desire to deliver an ambitious game. Dark Souls II also introduced key quality-of-life features like a streamlined fast travel system and the Name Engraved ring, which made playing with friends significantly easier. These innovations paved the way for the Password system and modern fast-travel that we now expect in FromSoftware games.

6. Demon's Souls

Demon's Souls was FromSoftware's first attempt at delivering a 'Souls' game, before any of us really knew how important the formula would become. When I first played this title on PS3 back in 2009, I was immediately captivated by its innovative combat and evocative world. I distinctly remember how unique Demon's Souls felt. Even though it was its first try, it was clear FromSoftware had something special on its hands.

I recently revisited Demon's Souls through the PS5 remake from Bluepoint Games and it gave me a much greater appreciation for just how influential this foundation was for future Souls-likes from the team. From the asshole dragons constantly performing fire breath drive-bys, to the gothic halls of the Tower of Latria, many elements of Demon's Souls eventually made their way to releases like Dark Souls and Bloodborne. This was also the birth of the legendary Souls-like loop, which revolves around respawning enemies and collecting the souls of fallen foes.

While the potential for this team and what they were trying to build was obvious, there's no denying that the first offering was far from perfect. For every brilliant, innovative idea established in Demon's Souls, there's an equally baffling and frustrating one. Poorly executed boss fights like the Dragon God and Old Monk distract from clever encounters like the Old Hero and Adjudicator. It's also impossible to ignore just how tight and claustrophobic some areas feel, especially when playing in co-op. You'll spend hours getting stuck on enemies or even your friends while playing Demon's Souls. Not all environments suffer from these compact constraints, but compared to the other games on our list the scale of stages is drastically more limited.

FromSoftware was comfortable experimenting with different gameplay mechanics with this title and some of them just didn't work. Thankfully, FromSoftware gained some valuable insights that would greatly benefit later games.

5. Bloodborne

We're now at the part of our ranking where decisions get exponentially tougher. Some readers may be confused or even upset by Bloodborne's placement on this list, but as I mentioned with Dark Souls II, these are all incredible games, but it comes down to their overall package. And when it comes to the total Bloodborne package, there's undeniably a lot to love despite its flaws.

Heavily inspired by the Tower of Latria and serving as the unofficial sequel to Demon's Souls, Bloodborne is filled with jaw-dropping gothic architecture and otherworldly Lovecraftian terrors. The grim aesthetic in the decrepit city of Yharnam delivers relentless and unforgiving 18th-century gothic horror. Every inch of this locale is dripping with grotesque creatures and haunting environments. When it comes to nightmarish enemy design, Bloodborne is FromSoftware at its absolute best. The image of monstrosities like Mergo's Wet Nurse will forever be burned into my mind.

Unfortunately, this ghastly experience critically lacks the usual stage and character variety that makes FromSoftware's RPG formula so special. The shift to faster, more aggressive combat was certainly a refreshing change of pace compared to Dark Souls, but despite a selection of different primary and off-hand weapon types to choose from, the customization I had grown accustomed to in previous titles just wasn't there. It's clear the team was working to lay the groundwork for a new Souls-like combat system, but much like the game that inspired it, the first attempt didn't wholly stick the landing.

Ultimately the reason I decided on this lower placement for Bloodborne stems from a fundamental flaw involving world design. There's no denying how captivating Yarnham and its surrounding areas look and feel, but this reliance on one primary location eventually starts to takes its toll. For me, the grays and greens and blues all started to blend together, making my time in Bloodborne far less memorable than games like Dark Souls or Sekiro. I didn't feel the same desire to explore every nook and cranny of the assorted zones, which has always been one of my favorite elements of FromSoftware RPGs.

If you love the exclusively gothic locations presented in Bloodborne chances are you'll probably rank this title a bit higher, but in terms of the overall package it doesn't hold a Hunter's Torch to the next three games on our list.

4. Dark Souls

Admittedly, when I first tried Demon's Souls it didn't fully click. I appreciated the combat and the action-RPG elements, but I felt the grueling difficulty and open level design were overwhelming. When Dark Souls launched on Xbox 360 back in 2011, that all changed. At first, I didn't understand why I connected with Dark Souls so strongly when I had fallen off of Demon's Souls within 6-7 hours. Then I had the big revelation that solidified my love of FromSoftware Souls-likes: Dark Souls is the closest thing we'll ever have to a 3D Castlevania: Symphony of the Night.

Much like Symphony of the Night, Dark Souls leads with incredible combat, wildly varied environments, and loads of character customization. This sprawling, interconnected world took the exploration of classic Metroidvanias to new levels. With Firelink Shrine serving as the central hub of your adventure, you're almost immediately given the freedom to set out on any path you choose. While there are certainly preferred routes and a general order for how you should tackle the various zones, the beauty of this game's design stems from its robust flexibility.

Unlike many RPGs that came before it, classes and your role in the world are powerfully demonstrated through the weapons and equipment you use. If you want to be a nimble thief who uses daggers and projectiles to conquer mighty foes, you can absolutely build a loadout that caters to such a playstyle, but in the Kingdom of Lordran not all classes are created equal. Choosing a Thief and committing to that fantasy was a challenging undertaking, as I painfully learned during my first playthrough of Dark Souls. Thankfully, Sorcerers and Pyromancers offer a more accessible introduction for players.

The diverse assortment of equipment, gorgeous environments, and memorable characters make every single playthrough feel fresh and exciting. Even three or four runs in, I'm still finding new items and occasionally bosses I haven't encountered before. If Demon's Souls was the test subject for the FromSoftware Souls-like, then Dark Souls is where the formula was refined. Similar to playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past or Halo: Combat Evolved for the first time, my introductory experience with Dark Souls is something I'll never forget and one that would go on to reset my expectations of action RPGs.

3. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

I went back and forth on my placement of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice countless times. On one hand, Sekiro is an incredible stealth action RPG packed with stunning locations and remarkable enemy designs. On the other hand, it's the Souls-like that strays the furthest from the core ideals of the games that came before it. The more I thought about it, however, the more I realized how masterfully crafted this shinobi-centric RPG is. The groundwork laid out by Bloodborne for faster, more fluid combat was basically perfected in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

As a long-time Souls veteran, I admittedly had a rough time adapting to Sekiro. Everything Dark Souls trained me to do over the course of the last decade had to be completely thrown out. First off, there was no rolling, which up until this point had been a staple. The stamina meter for sprinting or attacking was also removed, which completely changed the dynamic of enemy encounters. Therefore, offensive speed, defensive timing, and proper environmental awareness were your keys to victory.

Initially these changes made me feel awful at the game, but eventually my comprehension shifted and I found myself fully embracing the ultimate ninja power fantasy. Maneuvering through the stunning zones in Sekiro with your Shinobi Prosthetic Grappling Hook provides the greatest sense of mobility in any FromSoftware Souls-like. With fantastic locomotion comparable to titles like Insomniac's Spider-Man, I often found myself manually traversing between regions in lieu of using fast travel.

One of my biggest criticisms of Bloodborne has always been its lack of meaningful main and off-hand weapon variety, but it was a fascinating experiment for FromSoftware and one I'm very grateful the team revisited. The Shinobi Prosthetic Tools are fantastic, and I'd even argue that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice delivers the best combat of any FromSoftware title because of this phenomenal flexibility and fluidity. Every boss, including the nightmarish Great Ape, has a distinct Mega Man-esque weakness, which encourages weapon and ability experimentation. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a feat of excellence in game design and deserves every bit of praise it receives.

2. Dark Souls III

In many ways, Dark Souls III perfectly embodies all the vital elements of FromSoftware's Souls-like formula. The character customization and equipment options introduced with Dark Souls are expanded upon in every possible way, with more weapons, more armor, more spells, more miracles, and more possibilities for you as the player. I've replayed Dark Souls III more than five times and I still haven't seen all the equipment and abilities this masterful RPG has to offer.

There are critics who believe Dark Souls III relies too heavily on retreading familiar zones and tropes from the original, but due to the cyclical nature of the events and lore in this world, I'd argue that the way Dark Souls III presents these established locations is more far more ambitious and innovative than many give it credit for. Players looking to truly understand the underlying themes persistent in Dark Souls will find countless nods to the events of the past and how they've shaped this world. The cryptic storytelling the series is famous for is meticulously demonstrated in Dark Souls III through carefully placed context clues and no game has ever encouraged me to spend hours reading item descriptions in this way before.

When it comes to memorable environment and location design, Dark Souls III is in a league of its own. The breadth of variety and level of scope for the different areas on display in this RPG is staggering. I can name and describe every single location in Dark Souls III from memory and that's not something I can say about most games. From the torrid waters of Smouldering Lake to the scenic landscapes of the Boreal Valley, there is so much detail and care packed in to every single frame. Even returning areas like Anor Londo are reimagined in a way that makes their once grand introductions pale in comparison.

My list of complaints for Dark Souls III is essentially non-existent. Like a great book or favorite film, it's something I constantly find myself coming back to between games. As I get older and experience more, I often wonder if the precedents set by existing titles and my desire for increasingly ambitious experiences has made it difficult for me to connect with games the same way I did as a child. Then something like Dark Souls III comes along and rekindles that magical feeling all over again.

1. Elden Ring

Here we are at the pinnacle of our FromSoftware Souls-likes power ranking. I knew constructing this list and stating my case for each of these impressive games would be difficult, but it ended up being way more intense than I had anticipated. I love every game on this list for different reasons, but there's one particular title I love more than the others, and it's one I'm very confident placing in the top spot — and that's Elden Ring. This stunning RPG is FromSoftware's most outstanding achievement so far.

Elden Ring manages to take all the most potent elements of titles like Dark Souls III, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Bloodborne, and seamlessly blend them into one magnificent open-world RPG. To call this massive adventure FromSoftware's greatest hits album is a tad reductive, but in many ways, that's precisely what it is. Elden Ring has brilliantly refined every lesson this talented developer learned with previous titles.

The sheer scope of Elden Ring is nothing short of breathtaking. The Lands Between immediately became one of my favorite video game worlds because of how gorgeous and dense the environments are. Every single area feels like a meticulously crafted work of art, and the constant stream of awe-inspiring vistas players are treated to genuinely puts most other open-world RPGs to shame. It's so easy to find yourself getting utterly transported to another place while playing Elden Ring, and that's something I can't understate.

Player progression and customization have also never been better in a FromSoftware RPG. There are endless options for play styles, and each one manages to feed into your desired power fantasy. Your equipment decisions fundamentally impact the action, from majestic Glintstone Sorcery to good old-fashioned sword and board combat. The extreme flexibility with classes and gear offers incredibly rewarding replayability.

I had my reservations about Elden Ring's transition to an open-world template ahead of its launch. Thankfully, those fears were immediately shattered after spending just a few hours with the game. Miyazaki and company have delivered a historic release that earns a place among legends like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Elden Ring is unquestionably the best FromSoftware RPG and stands confidently as one of the greatest open-world RPGs of all time.

What you need to know

• FromSoftware has announced that the servers for Dark Souls games on PC won't come online until after Elden Ring launches later this month.
• The servers were originally shut down due to a dangerous exploit that would allow people to execute code on your computer.
• The developer is currently working on fixing the issue, and has made sure the vulnerability won't be present in Elden Ring at launch.
• Elden Ring is slated to release on Feb. 25, 2022.

Developer FromSoftware has announced that the servers for the Dark Souls series on PC — including Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls II, and Dark Souls III — will remain offline until after Elden Ring launches on Feb. 25, 2022. The servers were originally shut down due to a dangerous Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploit that allows someone to potentially steal information off of your computer, and while the Blue Sentinels mod for Dark Souls III temporarily fixes the vulnerability, FromSoftware is currently developing a permanent fix for the issue for all of the Dark Souls games.

The developer says that the exploit will be patched in time for Elden Ring's release, so players don't need to worry about this exploit when playing FromSoftware's new action RPG later this month. However, "due to the time required to set up proper testing environments," the servers for Dark Souls won't come back online until after Elden Ring is out. FromSoftware has confirmed that it will announce when it plans to resume Dark Souls online services as soon as it has information to share. Note that the exploit doesn't affect the console versions of these games at all, and because of that, online services have not been shut down on Xbox or PlayStation.

It's unfortunate that fans of FromSoftware's games on PC won't be able to pass the time playing Dark Souls online until Elden Ring comes out, but there's always Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The Dark Souls games can still be played offline as well, though you won't be able to experience player messages, co-op summoning, and PvP. Perhaps you should give the Bloodborne PSX "demake" a try?

Elden Ring is expected to release Feb. 25, 2022 on Xbox Series X, Xbox One systems, PS5, PS4, and PC. Elden Ring preorders are available now if you'd like to purchase your copy of the game before it arrives.

The closer we get to the launch of FromSoftware's highly anticipated RPG Elden Ring, the more ravenous fans become to find more details. Thankfully, if you're one such Souls enthusiast, a recently surfaced video gives us an early look at the game's character creation system. Compared to Dark Souls III and Bloodborne, these customization tools look like an enormous improvement.

The leaked video from YouTuber ER-SA demonstrates the impressive options the new and improved character creator will offer. While this is clearly a very early build with missing objects and assets (and doesn't represent the final product), it gives players an idea of what to expect when crafting their RPG heroes.

If you've played previous FromSoftware Souls-likes, you'll know character creation has often been a point of player criticism. Thankfully, it seems you'll be able to represent yourself and your in-game character in a much more natural-looking fashion. And for players who simply want to construct the most grotesque creature imaginable, the plethora of features sliders demonstrated in this video should allow you to do just that.

For me, the most prominent areas of improvement lie within the hair and proportions of facial features. In titles like Dark Souls III, your character's hair appeared stiff and stringy. However, Elden Ring seems to introduce a host of luscious, bouncing manes that spring with life and texture. Everything about the facial dynamics showcased in this character creation engine video feels vastly more human as well. No longer do characters look like strange fish-like humanoids but instead stand as figures inspired by actual human beings.

While online discussions and even a recent interview with Hidetaka Miyazaki stress the pressure the team felt when attempting to deliver graphical fidelity on par with Bluepoint's PS5 remake of Demon's Souls; there's no denying that Elden Ring is a significant upgrade in terms of visual quality for this beloved developer. Whether or not Elden Ring will deliver the graphical presentation fans and skeptics were hoping for or launch as one of the best RPGs on Xbox remains to be seen. However, as the top wishlisted game on Steam right now, it's clear that there is some incredible excitement for this upcoming release.

Elden Ring is scheduled to launch on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC, PS5, and PS4 on Feb. 25, 2022.

Dark Souls is something of a controversial topic, owing to its perceived difficulty. With some detractors claiming it's difficult for the sake of it, Dark Souls almost takes on this mythical shroud that only the most elite, hardC0RE gamers can contend with its punishing gameplay. Ten years after its initial launch, I am finding that isn't actually the case.

I am by no means a hardc0RE elite gamer, at least not as I approach 40. Back in the day I'd grind the hardest raid difficulty tiers in World of Warcraft and achieve server-first boss kills, and even further back, put literal thousands of hours into Unreal Tournament 99, with a near-sixth sense awareness of the respawn timer on the Shield Belt. Those days are pretty long gone, sadly. I have ear hair, y'know.

Yet still, as my ability to stick to a single game for any length of serious time becomes diminished for whatever reason, I've been falling in love with Dark Souls, a game I'd always assumed would be too difficult for me to mete out. If you're someone who, like me, always thought Dark Souls looked like a game you should enjoy, I'm here to tell you the game isn't as difficult as you might think, and in fact, it's actually incredibly fair, throwing you tons of ways you can make things easier for yourself.

I wanted to write down some of my experiences with Dark Souls so far, in tribute to what I already feel like could end up being one of my picks for best Xbox games of all time.

Demystifying Dark Souls

When I started tweeting about Dark Souls recently, I realized that I wasn't alone in my assumptions about the game. Many of the replies in some of my clip threads run along the same thought patterns of, "I bet this game is too hard for me," or "I tried it, and found it to be too difficult," and so on. It's true, Dark Souls' introductory few hours are almost sacrilegious in their design, aggressively shrugging off the hand-holding tutorial sequences that are popular in modern games.

Right from the off, even the most basic enemies can kill you in mere seconds, and the first boss is a gigantic beast wielding a massive club, that shreds the environment in massive arcs. It's all part of the show, though. It calls back to the way games used to be, in the '90s, loathe to hold player's hands, but eager to support the observant and patient.

What fans often say is ultimately true; Dark Souls I would discover is an aggressively fair game. And it's perhaps only since becoming addicted to Monster Hunter World that some of Dark Souls' design philosophy really click for me. Until Monster Hunter, I'd become relatively complacent with modern gaming in general, which seems all too often reluctant to punish the player too harshly. Monster Hunter as its name suggests is designed wholly around monster hunting. Since the game doesn't really revolve around a traditional level-based story structure, it hinges entirely on boss battles, essentially. Across 800 hours' worth of Monster Hunter World playtime, I ended up learning how to play a very different style of game than what I'd gotten used to from Western devs — with stamina meter management, dodging with invincibility animation frames (i-frames), and learning to time the speed of my attacks, weaving around monster attack signals.

I think it's probably fair to say that Monster Hunter World eases you into its gameplay style a little more gently than Dark Souls does. But, thanks to Monster Hunter, I'd unwittingly somewhat learned a bit more about how Dark Souls itself plays in the process.

Dark Souls' combat shares superficial similarities to Monster Hunter World, in that stamina management, is incredibly important, alongside learning the animation speed of your specific weapons. Being acutely aware of how quickly an attack will land in relation to how quickly you'll be on the receiving end of an attack is a skill you learn to live with across both games, across multiple types of weapons.

Each game has a large array of weapons with very unique combos and attack patterns, and each game will punish players who don't take the time to respect the relationship between an attack, stamina consumption, and defense. In some ways, I'd argue that Monster Hunter World is often even more punishing, due to the erratic and oft-random ways monsters occasionally behave in the game. While I've not seen everything Dark Souls has to offer just yet, arriving at the city of Anor Londo, I've found the boss battles to be incredibly fair to the player, with relatively predictable attack patterns, and large cues that telegraph incoming attacks.

Even beyond the design of the game, which is impeccable, Dark Souls rewards explorers like no other game I've played.

Dark Souls wants you to win

In many modern "open world" games, developers think that finding a text file or an audio log is a decent enough reward for exploration, but after playing Dark Souls, I'm not sure that's going to satisfy me anymore.

Dark Souls 1 is a game with some of the best environmental design work I've ever seen. A massive, sprawling labyrinth of intersecting, intertwining fortresses and structures, filled to the brim with uniquely horrific monsters and damned souls. It's almost Metroidvania-like in its construction, rewarding players with shortcuts to previous areas to make the journey easier, layering on satisfaction in a way loot alone simply doesn't do. Even the loot in Dark Souls feels meticulously placed, designed to shape your playthrough and guide your character builds without explicitly telling you what to do. And a lot of those character builds will come around as a direct result of exploration.

Dark Souls is also a game that, for the most part, doesn't gate the player. You can practically go anywhere, right from the beginning, but the game does give you a sense of direction as long as you're paying attention. There's no map, and no quest markers, though, essentially leaving you to your own devices over how you want to tackle the way forward.

At the beginning, you're told to ring two bells, one at the top of a church, and one down below underground. There are NPCs scattered throughout, driven mad apparently by the world's purgatorial state, who can provide additional context and worldly lore. The sense of vulnerability that comes through the game's high-stakes combat permeates into the story and exploration too; you're a visitor of a strange and haunted land, and every corner holds either danger or riches in equal measure. It's those riches that will drive you forward, also.

Upgrading your character in Dark Souls is a gradual process, incrementally raising stats here and there, adding +1 to your items when the materials present themselves. But every now and then, you'll happen upon an item that will completely change your outlook and prosperity. After defeating a very angry knight in a tower basement, I received a ring that massively improved how equipment impacted my character's mobility, allowing me to use heavier armor and weapons.

I ventured well off the beaten path into a forest, and found a shield that was more than twice as potent as the one I was carrying. In a graveyard, I discovered a powerful two-handed sword guarded by a militia of re-animated skeletons. More to the point, none of these items was gated either, you can potentially grab these right as soon as you leave the initial tutorial area, as long as you're willing to face the higher-level enemies guarding them.

By daring to explore, I found that I was occasionally discovering Dark Souls' gentler side. These items make the game far more accessible to play, particularly for newcomers. They reward those who were daring enough to go and hunt them down, or indeed, look up a guide on how to get them early. However, exploration can also bring plenty of risk. At one point, I leapt into a mysterious hole in the ground, only to be dumped into a cage with a giant and very hungry rat monster. Therein lies the excitement that Dark Souls' world brings: risk and reward, in equal measure.

Dark Souls has been out for 10 years at this point, and there's a huge wealth of content online that can help you ease into the universe and get to grips with the gameplay. If, like me, you made assumptions about how the game worked based on the first few hours of play, there are tons of tricks interwoven into the game's fabric to make it less punishing on yourself. The game's arsenal of magical items are designed directly to help you win, but instead of simply handing you the win, it wants to reward you for discovering the method yourself.

Dark Souls is a revelation

In an era of battle passes, free to play, pay to win, microtransactions, and "games as a service," I found that the thing I'm loving the most about Dark Souls is the fact it's just a video game. It's not a service, it doesn't want me to "engage" forever, and it isn't using artificial psychological trickery to soak up my "engagement" — the game's art, the monster designs, the music, its deceptive facade of minimalism hiding what seems to be limitless depth do that by itself, and it's easy to see now why the game is held in such high regard.

Dark Souls has been a magical experience thus far, literally, and to anyone who, like me, looked at the games and felt like they seemed cool but might be a bit out of scope, I'd urge you to look again. Try to use a beginner's build guide on YouTube — but I'd also argue not to look too deeply for a full-blown guide, because the sense of discovery is half of the fun. Choose a weapon style and really learn how it works between the different weapon swings, blocking, riposte attacks, elevation attacks, and back attacks. Learn what the stats do (INT doesn't increase pyromancy damage, as I found out the hard way), and if you get stuck, you can always grind some souls to raise your level and equipment stats a bit.

I'm just happy to have found a game to really deeply fall in love with again. Sometimes I wonder if I'm getting jaded, and that video games aren't as fun for me as they used to be. Dark Souls reminded me that I'm not getting jaded, it's just that modern AAA games are all too often just, well, bland. I feel like through Monster Hunter and now Dark Souls, a whole new world of games and other "Soulslikes" just opened up to me to explore — ahead of Elden Ring itself. And if you've ever looked at these games and thought, "I wish I could enjoy these," I implore you to give it another go. You may find they're a lot fairer than you might think.

For episode 49 of Xbox Chaturdays, we'll be joined by Senior Editor of Windows Central and original co-host of the show, Jez Corden. We'll be discussing Xbox Game Pass closing out 2021 with an enormous bang, Jez's newfound love of Dark Souls, Xbox's continued investments into cloud gaming, and so much more! If you're excited to catch up on all the biggest gaming news of the week, tune in to Xbox Chaturdays live every Saturday at 12 p.m. ET!

What is Xbox Chaturdays?

Xbox Chaturdays is our weekly Windows Central Gaming podcast. Every Saturday, we sit down with various Xbox developers, enthusiasts, and industry figures to chat about all things Xbox. We designed our show to provide exciting and engaging content for Xbox and PC players, highlighting what we love about gaming. From the best games on Xbox Game Pass to the titles we can't wait to play, there's always something fun to chat about.

With Xbox Chaturdays, we've built up a pretty incredible audience of live viewers who consistently keeps the show fresh and exciting with questions. Our show promotes community interaction, and we strive to immerse our viewers in the experience. If you haven't caught an episode before, head on over to the Windows Central Gaming YouTube channel to watch past episodes or on all your favorite podcast services including Spotify, iTunes, and Google Podcasts.

Bloodborne released for PS4 in 2015, which means we've gone over six years without an official option to play this beloved RPG at 60FPS. With Dark Souls 3 finally achieving this framerate bliss on Xbox through the magic of FPS Boost, it's become impossible to ignore the 30FPS framerate cap on what is widely considered one of FromSoftware's best Souls-like releases. While Bloodborne was undoubtedly an important release for the Playstation platform, we are beyond overdue for a proper PC port.

The latest Bloodborne PC news and rumors

Recently, Sony acquired both Housemarque, the developers of Returnal, and Nixxes Software, a "technical video game studio" with a history of successfully delivering noteworthy PC ports. It's no secret that PlayStation is incredibly interested in expanding its first-party offerings onto PC, so the Nixxes acquisition is a smart and compelling business decision. It also opens up a host of possibilities for highly requested and long-rumored PC versions of exclusives such as Bloodborne. With an in-house studio seemingly dedicated to crafting PC ports of Playstation titles, there may be some hope for Bloodborne on PC after all.

An endless stream of remaster leaks and rumors for Bloodborne have circulated amongst various internet forums for years now. The latest rumblings (which originated from 4chan so maybe don't put a ton of faith in them), claim something called Bloodborne Hunter's Edition will make its way to PS5 and PC as soon as January.

To me, it seems odd and, quite frankly, silly to release a FromSoftware remaster of this caliber the same month as Elden Ring. Whether any of this information is legitimate remains to be seen, but these conversations and conspiracy theories highlight just how strong the demand for an updated version of this gothic RPG truly is.

Why Bloodborne needs a PC port

It's no secret that I'm a massive fan of FromSoftware's unique Souls-like formula. The main reason I purchased a PS4 was to play Bloodborne, and the first two games I installed on my PS5 were Demon's Souls and Bloodborne. The stark contrast of experiencing the re-imagined and drastically improved version of Demon's Souls versus the completely unaltered version of Bloodborne on PS5 was jarring and incredibly disappointing.

While Dark Souls 3 now supports 60FPS on Series X|S with FPS Boost, I ultimately didn't hold out for the console upgrade. After waiting nearly four years, I ended up repurchasing Dark Souls 3 on PC to take advantage of the higher resolution and, more importantly, higher framerates. The true tragedy of the current state of Bloodborne is that I don't even have the option to buy a PC version, which means there is no way to experience the game at 60FPS without relying on fan-made mods.

When it comes to the absence of a Bloodborne remaster or PC port, we can speculate it's primarily been an issue of finding a dedicated team to handle development. With FromSoftware deep into development with future projects like Elden Ring, it's very unlikely that it has any interest or, more specifically, the staff needed for this undertaking. Now that PlayStation owns Nixxes Software, it's much easier to imagine exactly how an enhanced version of Bloodborne for PS5 and PC could exist.

As it stands, there's no official confirmation of Bloodborne Remastered and it might not be something that ever happens, but with more Playstation Studios titles making their way to PC, there's never been a better time to bring Bloodborne to Windows.

Share your thoughts!

What are your thoughts on Bloodborne for PC? Do you think this is something we could see in the near future? Let us know in the comment section below! And if you're looking for something to play while we wait, be sure to check out our list of the best RPGs on Xbox and PC. Or do what I'm doing and just play Dark Souls 3 for the 20th time.

The Dark Souls series is beloved by millions of players for several reasons, with the biggest of them being the franchise's boss fights. Over the years, developer FromSoftware has crafted countless memorable boss encounters across the trilogy. Most of them have been excellent — especially in Dark Souls III — but some bosses stand out for the wrong reasons, too. Here's a look at our top 10 best (and worst) Dark Souls bosses.

Top 10 best Dark Souls bosses

The best bosses in the Dark Souls series generally have readable animations, a moveset that can be learned, little to no random number generator (RNG) elements, a cool design, and excellent music. Significant ties to the story and the player's journey never hurt either.

10. Velstadt, the Royal Aegis (Dark Souls II)

While the base game of Dark Souls II has many underwhelming bosses, Velstadt is one I absolutely love to take on. As King Vendrick's "right arm," this towering knight eternally guards his king in the depths of Drangleic Castle — despite the fact that Vendrick became a shell of his former self and went hollow years ago.

The rectangular stone arena where you fight him isn't very notable, and the music that plays during the fight is forgettable, too. That being said, Velstadt's massive bell-hammer is iconic, and his golden set of armor is incredibly cool as well. The fight itself is also a blast, as Velstadt's attacks hit hard with smooth animations, and can be consistently dodged with good timing. He can buff himself with dark magic during the fight, too, which changes some of the timings on his attacks, raising the stakes.

9. Fume Knight (Dark Souls II)

Fume Knight is arguably the hardest boss in Dark Souls II, but unlike most of the game's tough battles, it's for good reasons. Fume Knight hits like a truck and uses a sword that's nearly the size of one, but like Velstadt, you can dodge everything he throws at you if you're patient and learn the timings of his attacks. He also has a diverse moveset as well, which helps keep the fight against him interesting and enjoyable each time you challenge him.

Fume Knight (also known as Raime) is also neat from a story and lore perspective, too. He was originally King Vendrick's "left arm," but after he was defeated by Velstadt following unrest between the two, he retreated to Brume Tower in search of a new purpose. By the time players engage him, he has sworn fealty to Nadalia, the Bride of Ash.

8. Burnt Ivory King (Dark Souls II)

The Burnt Ivory King is one of the most interesting boss fights in any Dark Souls game. It feels less like a duel and more like an all-out war between the Burnt Ivory King and his Charred Loyce Knights and you, other players or NPCs you summon, and the regular Loyce Knights that you can find throughout the Crown of the Ivory King DLC. The spacious arena where you fight him looks sweet and gives players plenty of room to work with, too, which is always great.

The Burnt Ivory King himself isn't that special, but his attacks are telegraphed well and varied in their timings. This makes dueling him after all of his minions are slain an engaging and fun experience.

7. Black Dragon Kalameet (Dark Souls: Remastered)

I generally don't love most of the beast boss fights in Dark Souls due to wonky camera angles and animations that often feel difficult to read, but Black Dragon Kalameet is an instance where the developers managed to avoid issues with either while also making the boss feel brutally challenging, yet completely learnable and fair. With lots of patience and practice, players can master Kalameet's deadly tail swipes, nosedives, and streams of deadly fire breath.

Players with enough skill can also cut off Kalameet's tail to obtain the Obsidian Greatsword, which is one of the best weapons in the first Dark Souls. It can also be buffed with magic, which increases the damage further. Cutting off Kalameet's tail also prevents him from doing tail-related attacks, which rewards the player for their bravery.

6. Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough (Dark Souls: Remastered)

Out of all the different bosses in the original Dark Souls, the most iconic of the bunch is arguably Dragonslayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough. Taking them on at the peak of Anor Londo is one of the best climactic moments in any action RPG ever, and the reason why is because of how well the fight is designed. To balance out the fact that you're outnumbered in this battle, Ornstein is fast and agile while Smough is slow and tanky. This speed difference creates space between the two that you can use to your advantage. There are also several pillars in the boss arena that you can move between to break the aggro of both foes, too, which gives you the precious seconds you need to heal or plan your next move.

Once you take one of the two bosses down, the other absorbs the power of their fallen comrade, becomes larger, and gets a new moveset. This makes the bout even more dynamic, as players will have to think carefully about which enemy in the duo they want to fight a superpowered version of. Even the atmosphere and context of this fight are awesome — the orchestral score that plays during the battle is thrilling, and the fact that the all-important Lordvessel is just past Ornstein and Smough helps encourage players to never give up no matter how many times they fall.

5. Artorias the Abysswalker (Dark Souls: Remastered)

Artorias the Abysswalker is often considered to be the best boss in the first Dark Souls, and when you consider how perfectly his fight is designed, it's easy to see why. Artorias is aggressive, but his attacks are also telegraphed well, so learning how to dodge his combos is not only achievable but also very fun. On top of this, many of the combos have different variations. This keeps the player on their toes and ensures that each time you fight Artorias, the experience will be a little different than your last playthrough. The arena is also nice, large, and empty. There are no environmental gimmicks here — it's just you against him in a deadly test of your skills, patience, and determination.

Artorias is also awesome from an atmosphere and lore perspective. The haunting, somber soundtrack drives home the tragedy of Artorias' defeat at the hands of Manus and his subsequent corruption by the Darkness, and the fact that you find him battling Darkness creatures before your fight with him indicates that somewhere, deep down, a shred of who Artorias once was remains.

4. Soul of Cinder (Dark Souls III)

One of the series' final bosses is also one of its best. There are many reasons why the Soul of Cinder boss fight is so memorable, but above all else, the fact that you're essentially fighting a combination of all previous Lords of Cinder is simply phenomenal. I'll never forget the chills I got when the plin plin plon of Gwyn's theme played at the start of the boss' second phase, and I'm willing to bet that other Dark Souls veterans won't, either. Having to deal with sword slashes, spear thrusts, pyromancies, and sorcery also gives this fight a ridiculous amount of variables, too, which guarantees that players will never get too comfortable during the battle. This seems like it would be overwhelming, but because the boss changes its weapon to reflect the type of attacks it's going to use next, sharp-eyed players can make accurate predictions about what's coming their way.

The boss' arena is also easily one of the coolest in all of Dark Souls, with hundreds of strewn weapons and mounds upon mounds of ash telling the tale of a battleground decimated by the endless cycle of the First Flame. The Soul of Cinder itself is also a sight to behold, with its bizarre amalgamation of plate, chainmail, and cloth representing the countless Lords of Cinder that made the pilgrimage to the Kiln of the First Flame in years past.

3. Nameless King (Dark Souls III)

Ever since the first Dark Souls, players have been trying to figure out the identity of Gwyn's Firstborn Son that was banished from Anor Londo. While it isn't explicitly confirmed, almost all signs point to the Nameless King holding that identity — and that makes sense, as the fight with the Nameless King is about as epic as you would expect an encounter with a god to be. By the time you encounter him in Dark Souls III, the Nameless King has chosen to side with the dragons his father originally sought to destroy.

The first phase of the fight involves killing the massive storm drake that the Nameless King rides on, which is a little frustrating due to camera annoyances, but nevertheless a good time thanks to how satisfying it is to dodge the Nameless King's thunderbolts as well as attacks from his mount. The second phase is where the fun really begins, though, as the Nameless King puts his drake to rest and then brings his iconic swordspear to bear on you with terrifying speed and accuracy. With a huge, diverse moveset, delayed melee attacks that force the player to switch up their usual dodge timings, and plenty of health to burn through, the second phase of the Nameless King fight tests your patience, endurance, and skill in all of the right ways.

2. Dancer of the Boreal Valley (Dark Souls III)

There are so many things that the Dancer fight gets right, but I think what stands out more than anything else is the atmosphere of the encounter. Between the ominous and haunting violin theme, the Dancer's slow, predator-like movements as she inches towards you, and the sound of her footsteps echoing throughout the cathedral you fight her in, everything about this fight is designed to make you feel like you're little more than prey. Add in the Dancer's fast (but well-telegraphed) attacks and high damage output, and you'll quickly realize you're right to feel intimidated.

The second phase is where things get even more intense, as when she gets knocked down to half health, the Dancer will pull out a magic blade to use alongside her fire one and will begin to periodically whirlwind towards you with an enchantingly beautiful — and incredibly deadly — spin attack. Dodging this move can be exceptionally difficult if you struggle with timings, but successfully pulling it off is, in my opinion, the most satisfying dodge to do in all of Dark Souls. Aside from this signature move, the Dancer also uses other new moves during this phase as well that can catch players off guard if they're not prepared for the delayed nature of the strikes. Overall, the Dancer fight is as beautiful and enjoyable as it is brutally challenging and unforgiving. Aside from my top choice, there's no boss fight I enjoy replaying more than this one.

1. Slave Knight Gael (Dark Souls III)

Slave Knight Gael is the epitome of what a Dark Souls-style boss fight can be. The narrative stakes for this fight couldn't be higher — Gael consumed the dried blood of the Dark Soul from the ancient furtive pygmies to liquefy it once again, but as a result, the power of the Dark Soul corrupted his mind. Therefore, it's up to you to defeat him so you can bring the blood to the Painting Lady, who possesses the skill to use it to create a new Painted World that's free of the ruin caused by the endless cycle of the First Flame.

It's the perfect story beat to close out the series with. In many ways, Gael is a more aggressive and more challenging version of Artorias. His attacks are numerous, varied, and relentless, but at the end of the day, every single one of them can be mastered by a skilled player. The massive dunes of ashes that make up the area give the player plenty of room to work with if they need to back off for a second to compose themselves or heal, though if you're not careful, Gael may punish this with a long-range lunge.

Things get even crazier in the fight's second phase, which adds a trail of flame to Gael's attacks that force you to dodge with precise timing, as well as projectiles like flurries of crossbow bolts and dark magic orbs to the mix. Paired with the battle's swelling and fast-paced orchestral score, the mechanics of the boss fight feel like the ultimate test of your ability to execute everything you've learned across the three Dark Souls games. I couldn't ask for a better series finale.

Top 10 worst Dark Souls bosses

For a boss fight to make it on this list, it needs to have unfair or unlearnable RNG-based mechanics, poor animation quality, a bland and uncreative design, and an underwhelming amount of significance to the story and the player's journey.

10. Elana, the Squalid Queen (Dark Souls II)

Most of Dark Souls II's DLC bosses are awesome, but one that I always hate to fight is Elana. The issue with this fight isn't necessarily Elana herself — in fact, her melee and magic attacks are very well-telegraphed and fair to the player. The problem is the fact that she can summon minions to gank you while you're trying to focus on dodging her moves, which makes the battle feel very unfair, especially if you haven't summoned a player or NPC to help you. She'll either summon in four skeletons or a phantom of Velstadt, both of which will often hit and stagger you as you're trying to dodge Elana's moves. It's simply not a good time.

9. Deacons of the Deep (Dark Souls III)

The Deacons of the Deep encounter is technically a boss fight, but it doesn't really feel like one since all you have to do to beat them is kill regular enemies that have a glowing red aura and then wail on the Archdeacon when he spawns in about halfway through the fight. Ultimately, it's a fight about killing hordes of enemies rather than a boss, which feels disappointing considering killing normal enemies is what you were already doing in the rest of the Cathedral of the Deep. It's not unfair or cheap, it's just a snoozefest.

8. Prowling Magus and Congregation (Dark Souls II)

The Prowling Magus and Congregation battle is essentially the Deacons of the Deep, but worse. There are only a handful of regular enemies to fight in this fight rather than what feels like an army of them, and there's not any type of mechanic present either. All you have to do is kill a room filled with basic enemies and you'll come out victorious. At least the Deacons of the Deep fight felt somewhat intense since you had to carve your way through a sea of foes; this fight is so easy and underwhelming that it often ends in seconds, which isn't what anybody wants out of a Dark Souls boss encounter.

7. Covetous Demon (Dark Souls II)

The Covetous Demon is easily the most pathetic of Dark Souls II's true boss enemies, as its attacks are extremely slow and easy to avoid (in many cases, you don't even have to dodge). Even if you do manage to get hit, which usually happens because of the boss' wonky hitboxes, the attacks aren't even that damaging. The boss also tends to simply sit still for several seconds between attacks, which allows you to eat through its health without having to put in much effort. Pair these design issues with the fact that the Covetous Demon has absolutely zero significant ties to the narrative, and you've got a boss that every Dark Souls II player wishes they didn't have to fight during their travels through the Harvest Valley.

6. Pinwheel (Dark Souls: Remastered)

The majority of the bosses in the second half of the original Dark Souls are disappointing, and the first of the bunch is none other than Pinwheel. This boss is even more of a joke than the Covetous Demon is, as, despite the fact that Pinwheel is located in the late game Catacombs area, its health pool is so low that even players at Soul Level 1 using an unupgraded weapon can kill him effortlessly. This is even recommended by veterans, as doing so allows you to get the Rite of Kindling that allows you to get 20 Estus Flasks right at the start of a playthrough. Pinwheel does have some interesting moves, such as the use of fire magic and the ability to clone itself, but most of these never even come out before players are able to deplete its health bar.

5. Ceaseless Discharge (Dark Souls: Remastered)

Camera shenanigans, awful hitbox consistency, attacks that go through walls, and an absurdly high health pool all make your fight with this giant lava monster a painful, rage-inducing chore. His gross name and lame narrative significance aren't doing Ceaseless Discharge any favors, either. The fact that you basically have to cheese him by making him fall off of his standing area speaks volumes about how poorly the fight is designed. It's possible to run into the rocky alleyway that's present in the boss arena and try to get him to slam his hand down so you can hit it, but it takes forever to kill him this way, and he may decide to roast you through the walls instead with his fire attacks instead.

4. Belfry Gargoyles (Dark Souls II)

The Belfry Gargoyles are essentially a copy-and-paste of the Bell Gargoyles from the first Dark Souls, except with none of the balancing that made it an enjoyable fight. In this battle, up to six gargoyles attack you all at once, with individuals from the group joining the fray one-by-one the longer the fight goes on. This wouldn't necessarily be that bad if the gargoyles weren't tough to kill, but each of them boasts strong damage resistances and a sizable health pool. In addition, these gargoyles are much faster and hurt a lot more than the original duo from Dark Souls, too, which makes things even more difficult. Even if you're good at dodging, it's hard not to get hit by three or more gargoyles once, and with how staggering works in the Dark Souls games, that might be all the gargoyles need to gank you to death. Thank God this boss is optional.

3. Royal Rat Authority (Dark Souls II)

Oh, how I despise this fight. The Royal Rat Authority himself isn't even the main issue here; it's the squad of five normal rats that inflict Toxic on you in as little as two or three hits, which drains your health in seconds. If you get Toxic, you're forced to try and heal your way out of it, but the problem here is that doing so gives any surviving rat minions and the Royal Rat Authority himself free hits on you that will either finish you off outright or hasten your death by eating a chunk out of your HP and staggering you out of your healing animation.

If you manage to kill the rat minions before they Toxic you, the rest of the fight is a pathetic cakewalk. The Royal Rat Authority makes use of a cloned moveset from the Great Grey Wolf Sif boss in the original Dark Souls (really, FromSoftware? You couldn't even give him his own attacks?) but he does them more slowly, which makes him laughably easy to dodge. The only redeeming quality of this fight is the fact that it, like the Belfry Gargoyles fight, is optional.

2. Ancient Dragon (Dark Souls II)

The Ancient Dragon battle is the third optional Dark Souls II boss fight on the list, and it also happens to be the worst one as well. The main reason why is because 90% of the time, the Ancient Dragon will fly into the air and cover almost the entire boss arena with fire that instakills you. Making matters worse is the fact that the camera doesn't allow you to look at the dragon when under it, meaning that it's hard to tell when the fire is actually coming. Therefore, the only "strategy" you can employ here is to run away from the center of the arena as fast as you can when the dragon flies up and pray that you won't get cooked alive.

Beyond this one infuriating attack, the Ancient Dragon also makes use of stomps that have inconsistent hitboxes and areas-of-effect. I've never yelled "What? I dodged that!" in a Dark Souls encounter more than I have at this boss.

1. Bed of Chaos (Dark Souls: Remastered)

A rage hotter than the lava lakes of Lost Izalith itself builds up in my heart whenever I think about the many hours I've spent trying to kill the tree-like Bed of Chaos across my Dark Souls playthroughs. The fight sounds relatively simple, dodging the arm sweeps and cut through the branches on the right, left, and middle of the boss to kill the bug within. The problem is that as you progress through each stage of the fight, the floor of the arena begins to crumble, threatening to send you to your death.

This is already difficult to deal with as it is since the player has no way of telling which part of the arena is going to collapse before it does, but making matters even worse is the fact that the Bed of Chaos' wide, sweeping attacks will often push you into the holes in the floor regardless of whether or not you're dodging at the right time. This makes the fight feel entirely luck-based, which is awful. The only way I've been able to semi-reliably beat this boss is to suit up with the heaviest armor I have and pray that it reduces the distance the arm sweeps push me enough to save my life.

Among the four bosses leading up to your final showdown with Gwyn at the end of the game, the Bed of Chaos is the most disappointing by a wide margin, and to me, it's easily the worst boss in the Dark Souls series. It's a real shame, too, because when you consider how significant the Flame of Chaos is in the lore of Dark Souls, this boss fight could have been grand.

Your thoughts

Do you agree with my list of the top 10 best (and worst) bosses in the Dark Souls series? Let me know. Also, for more Souls-related rankings, check out our ranking of FromSoftware Souls-likes from best to worst. If you're looking for other action RPGs to play, don't miss our best Xbox role-playing games roundup.

Recently, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan confirmed that Days Gone and other PlayStation exclusives will be coming to PC in the near future. As you might expect, this lit up the PC gaming community with excitement, with many expressing interest in the games that may be coming soon.

Many are hoping for the arrival of the award-winning God of War, while others are hoping for titles like Marvel's Spider-Man or Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. As the potential wave of PS4 exclusive releases on PC looms, though, I think that no PS4 title deserves to be on the platform more than FromSoftware's Bloodborne, the studio's 2015 Dark Souls-style offshoot that took the Souls fanbase by storm with its horror-style atmosphere and aggression-focused combat. Here's why.

If you build it, players will come

The biggest reason why I believe Bloodborne should come to PC is that it's practically guaranteed to sell extremely well on the platform. The Dark Souls community is very active on PC, with thousands of people playing Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls III, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice daily according to Steam Charts data. There's no doubt that these players would dive into Bloodborne, happy to finally be able to experience Bloodborne's unique aggression-focused take on the Souls formula.

Related: Why Playstation bringing more games to PC proves Xbox had the right approach all along

The player counts make it clear that the Souls player base is dedicated to FromSoftware's games, and that means that FromSoftware and Sony would make some serious money by bringing Bloodborne to PC. Give the game support for up to 4K resolution and at least 60 FPS, release it on Steam, and watch profits rack up.

It's not selling consoles anymore

Secondly, it's important to note that while Bloodborne was originally positioned as a system-seller exclusive for the PS4, it's no longer fulfilling that role. Selling the last-gen PS4 is no longer a priority for Sony with the release and success of the next-gen PS5, and the Souls game that's helping to sell that console is Demon's Souls. Therefore, there's really no incentive not to bring Bloodborne to PC in 2021 or beyond. There are no tangible benefits to keeping Bloodborne exclusive, and all Sony would be doing is leaving lots of money on the table.

It would tide players over until Elden Ring

Finally, having Bloodborne available on Steam would give PC players something new to play while they wait for FromSoftware's next action RPG, Elden Ring. At the time of writing, we've seen and heard next to nothing about the game since its E3 2019 trailer. The ravenous hype for Elden Ring would undoubtedly drive sales of Bloodborne in the interim.

As a result of the silence from FromSoftware regarding Elden Ring, many speculate that the game could be several years away from releasing, and may even be going through some development issues. Therefore, having Bloodborne on PC would help make the long wait for the game a little easier for hardcore Souls fans on the platform, much like the Demon's Souls remake does for players in the PlayStation ecosystem.

There are strong Soulslikes such as Mortal Shell and Nioh 2 to play on PC, and they're great games. However, nobody nails the Souls format quite like the studio that created it, and Bloodborne would provide that experience while players look forward to Elden Ring.

Your thoughts

What do you think? Do you agree with me that Bloodborne should release on PC? Let me know. Also, check out our list of the best PC games for recommendations on what to play if you're a PC player.

If you've played all of FromSoftware's games and are looking for something new to play while waiting for Elden Ring (or Bloodborne), I highly recommend Nioh 2: The Complete Edition, which includes both the base game and the DLC. While it may not be as good as FromSoftware's own Souls-style games, it comes very close. It's definitely worth the $50 it costs.

What you need to know

• Mortal Shell is an upcoming Dark Souls-like game from Code Symmetry.
• It's getting Xbox One X upgrades.
• The game runs at 30 frames per second, but features a much higher resolution on Xbox One X.
• The resolution appears to be around 1440p to 1800p at first glace.

Mortal Shell is an upcoming Dark Souls clone that's coming to Xbox One and PC soon. In Windows Central's preview, Jordan Palmer wrote, "Frankly, if you wanted a harder version of From Software's classic, Mortal Shell is for you. It captures what made Dark Souls' difficulty so endearing: once you overcome that obstacle that's had you stuck for a while, you get this intense feeling of euphoria and satisfaction. Mortal Shell did an excellent job at this in the bit I played, and I can't wait for the full release to really punish myself."

Many Xbox One X owners have been wondering if the title features Xbox One X enhancements. The answer to that question is a resounding yes. A source familiar with the game set us images and videos featuring a high-resolution menu on Xbox One X and a game that runs at 30 frames per second. The resolution doesn't appear to be 4K, but it may be around 1440p or 1800p.

If you were worried about getting the game on Xbox One X and being disappointed with a lack of information on its Xbox One X enhancements, you don't have to worry about it anymore.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• The Dark Souls series consists of three games that began with the release of Dark Souls on September 22, 2011.
• The latest entry, Dark Souls III, was released worldwide on April 12, 2016.
• FromSoftware, the developers of the game, have confirmed that the Dark Souls series has sold over 27 million copies.
• Additionally, 10 million of these copies are from Dark Souls III.

The Dark Souls games have, to some extent, become a part of everyday nomenclature for gaming. How many times have people endured near-limitless variations of "it's the Dark Souls of x" making its way into discussion? As such, with three mainline games and multiple re-releases, it should come as no suprise that the series has sold very well.

Today, FromSoftware, the developers of the games, shared that the Dark Souls series has crossed 27 million copies sold.

In addition to this impressive milestone, the studio also confirmed that Dark Souls III has sold over 10 million copies, making it responsible for over a third of the total sales.

In addition to the Dark Souls trilogy, FromSoftware released Bloodborne in 2015 and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in 2019. The studio's next game, Elden Ring, currently does not have a release window and is the result of a collaboration between FromSoftware and George R.R. Martin, the writer behind A Song of Ice and Fire.

Xbox

Main

• What is Xbox Game Pass?
• Best 4K TVs for Xbox Series X and S
• Must-buy Xbox One Headsets
• Our Favorite Xbox One Wireless Headsets
• Best Upcoming Xbox Games for 2021
• Xbox One X vs. Xbox Series S

What you need to know

• Cold Symmetry features man AAA game developers.
• The team has been working on a soulslike game called "Mortal Shell" for a while now.
• The title was finally revealed with an incredible trailer.
• It's coming to Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 later this year.

At Windows Central, we always try to bring you news about exciting games. Today, a soulslike game called "Mortal Shell" was announced from Cold Symmetry and Playstack. According to the press release we received, Mortal Shell is an uncompromising, authentic, and hauntingly beautiful action role-playing game built upon the ruthless traditions of the popular genre. The trailer features stunning worlds, fearsome combat, and menacing foes. The ability to conjure such devastating and unique area-of-effect attacks is the highlight. I've never seen a game do "ice spikes" that well before.

Cold Symmetry's co-founders — Andrew McLennan-Murray, Anton Gonzalez, and Vitaly Bulgarov — said the following in a joint statement.

Mortal Shell should launch later this year on Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4.

What you need to know

• Elden Ring is being developed by FromSoftware with help from George R.R. Martin.
• The game takes place in an open-world environment with combat similar to Dark Souls.
• It will be Xbox One X Enhanced.
• You can preorder Elden Ring for $60 on Amazon.

Elden Ring is an upcoming Dark Souls-like game from Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin and Japanese developer FromSoftware. Unlike the open-dungeon structure of FromSoftware's previous games, Elden Ring features vast environments stretched across great distances. You'll have to travel on horseback to reach them.

An interview between FromSoftware's Hidetaka Miyazaki and IGN, new details were revealed about the project. Many gamers were curious if the combat would be similar to Dark Souls or Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and it looks like it's an evolution of the Dark Souls formula. Miyazaki said the following to the outlet.

Instead of narrow corridors, the villages in the game will serve as dungeon-like environments. They may be similar to the "Undead Settlement" from Dark Souls III. The area looks like a village, but its layout was more like a dungeon. Miyazaki added the following when discussing the open-world game.

Unlike Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Elden Ring lets you create your own character. The game sounds more and more like an open-world Dark Souls.

Are you excited to play Elden Ring in 2020? Let us know. It'll be interesting to see how Martin and Miyazaki present their vision to gamers.

Excellent and affordable Xbox accessories

Up your Xbox experience with one (or all) of these budget accessories, all of which are approved by the gamers of Windows Central.

PowerA Play & Charge Kit for Xbox One ($15 at Amazon)

This charging kit keeps your Xbox One wireless controllers juiced up, and it offers batteries for two controllers. At just $15, this is hands-down our favorite budget charging companion.

ElecGear 4 Port USB Xbox One S Hub ($19 at Amazon)

This brilliant little USB splitter hub attaches perfectly to the side of your Xbox One S console. It's ideal for use with chargers, controllers, headsets, and more.

Controller Gear stand ($13 at Amazon)

Proudly display your Xbox gamepads with this stylish and functional stand. The licensed design is minimalist and black, and it has a hidden storage compartment, making the price of $13 a real steal.

Bandai Namco took to Gamescom 2018 with a special surprise for Dark Souls fans. The Dark Souls Trilogy is headed to Xbox One and PlayStation 4 this October, bring the definitive versions of each game to players in one convenient package.

In all, the trilogy set will come with Dark Souls Remastered, which launched earlier this year; Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin; and Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition. Players will not only get each of the games in one package, but they'll pick up all of the DLC that has been released for each title as well.

Dark Souls has a loyal following who embraced the brutal difficulty presented by each title. But for those who are new to the franchise, this will be a great way to dive in and see what all the hubbub is about. Just be prepared to die. A lot.

The Dark Souls Trilogy will be available across Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on October 19 and is up for preorder now for $79.

Praise the sun.

See at Amazon

If you own an Xbox One, you may have only played Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin or Dark Souls III on the system. The original Dark Souls was only a backward compatible title which suffered from poor performance and visuals on the console. Luckily, with the launch of Dark Souls: Remastered, the trilogy is available in a native presentation. The new game might not look as stellar as the sequels – even though it is a remaster – it still fixes some of the major issues with the original and retains its mystique years later.

Dark Souls is much more challenging than its sequels. There are less save points and the enemies are much tougher. Unfortunately, the movement mechanics are also a little clunky and much less refined than what FromSoftware was able to achieve with Dark Souls III. Curiously, even though Dark Souls III runs at 30 FPS on Xbox One, it feels better than even this remaster.

Most of the combat revolves around dodging, striking and blocking. Dark Souls is unforgiving so any mistake will cost you greatly. Luckily, there's always the option to grind lower-level monsters for souls and become stronger by increasing your health and strength. Sometimes this is necessary if you can't defeat a boss.

As you probably know, Dark Souls doesn't follow a traditional plot because the story is told through dialogues and boss encounters. While the world is filled with secrets and tales of civilizations past, your task simply revolves around defeating a few titanic bosses and then deciding the fate of humanity by rekindling a fire. Along your journey you have to explore everything from dark forests, treacherous sewers, and underground cities.

The most remarkable aspect of the level design has to be how each area is essentially connected to the central "Firelink Shire". There is no map so finding shortcuts and bonfires is necessary for further progression. You have to return to them to level up. Keeping tabs on certain merchants and blacksmiths is also necessary to upgrade your weapons or armor.

Dark Souls: Remastered runs flawlessly on Xbox One X and looks great on a 4K display. The game seems slightly blurry so it doesn't appear to have a native 4K presentation, but the frame rate is locked at a steady 60 FPS no matter what the game throws your way. From our understanding, both the Xbox One X and PlayStation 4 Pro versions render at 1800p. This is a curious decision because the developer could've easily increased the resolution to native 4K on Microsoft's new console. This seems like a choice borne out of convenience because the textures are blurry on numerous occasions and the lighting is subpar.

If you were hoping for a game on the level of Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, you'll be disappointed. The locked 60 FPS gives you a smoother experience because it reduces input lag and makes combat feel even better. That's the main reason Xbox One owners should consider this version because, aside from the resolution boost, the game isn't gorgeous by any stretch of the imagination.

Overall, Dark Souls: Remastered lives up to expectations because the combat feels great with the bump in the frame rate. However, it's evident that Dark Souls II and Dark Souls III are still vastly superior games due to their refined mechanics. If you haven't played the original or love the first game, then Dark Souls: Remastered is the version to get. However, if you're new to the Dark Souls franchise, then I would recommend starting with Dark Souls III because it represents the pinnacle of the series.

Dark Souls: Remastered is currently available for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 for $39.99. A Nintendo Switch version is scheduled for later this year.

• See at Amazon
• See at Microsoft Store

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

A few weeks ago, we reported that Dark Souls: Remastered was available for preorder on Amazon, but curiously a physical Xbox One version was unavailable. Luckily, that doesn't matter anymore because it went up on the Microsoft Store.

Updated March 24, 2018: Dark Soul: Remastered costs $39.99 on Xbox One.

Dark Souls: Remastered is now available for digital preorder and comes with some new information. Dark Souls: Remastered is enhanced for Xbox One X and supposedly runs at 4K 60 FPS. However, it's unclear if this is an upscaled solution on Xbox One X or a native presentation.

Dark Souls originally launched in 2011 and became somewhat of a sensation upon release. Not only did it garner critical acclaim, but its gameplay focused on upgrading and skillful combat attracted a significant following. The franchise kept on growing from there and sold more and more with subsequent entries.

Dark Souls: Remastered is a third-person role-playing game which takes place in an open world connected by a central area known as the Firelink Shire. As much as is about skillful combat, there's a lot of exploration involved. The aim is to learn from your mistakes as you memorize each area and make you way to various boss encounters. Collecting souls and increasing your health, stamina or other attributes is key to success as you get ready for the final fight.

Dark Souls: Remastered will be available May 25, 2018 for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4. The Nintendo Switch version will be available later this summer.

See at Microsoft Store

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Luckily, Bandai Namco heard gamers loud and clear and today invited them back to the treacherous land of Lordran with Dark Souls: Remastered. Dark Souls: Remastered will launch on May 25, 2018 for Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 (PS4). The game also supports better visuals and a faster frame rate on Microsoft and Sony's new consoles. You can experience the rich world of Dark Souls in upscaled 4K resolution at 60 FPS when playing on an Xbox One X, PC, or PlayStation 4 Pro. The title runs at 1080p resolution at 30 FPS on the Nintendo Switch when docked to a television. It's unclear what the resolution and frame rate are on a standard Xbox One or PS4 at this point.

Dark Souls runs at 30 FPS on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 so the jump to 60 FPS should tighten up controls and make combat feel even better. Increasing the frame rate reduces input lag in many cases so taking on terrifying behemoths should be easier. The biggest difference console players will notice is probably their ability to dodge attacks with more precision at 60 FPS. It's similar to how fluid the combat feels in Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin on Xbox One and PS4 when compared to its last-generation versions.

Hidden in the world of Dark Souls: Remastered are nine online covenants to uncover that will motivate your online interactions. Whether you choose collaboration or confrontation is up to you. According to the publisher, up to six players can join together online to help or hurt each other throughout their quest. This is definitely a unique way to experience the game as it will probably introduce more chaos to the mix.

Dark Souls originally launched in 2011 and became somewhat of a sensation upon release. Not only did it garner critical acclaim, but its gameplay focused on upgrading and skillful combat attracted a significant following. The franchise kept on growing from there and sold more and more with subsequent entries.

Dark Souls is a third-person role-playing game which takes place in an open world connected by a central area known as the Firelink Shire. As much as is about skillful combat, there's a lot of exploration involved. The aim is to learn from your mistakes as you memorize each area and make you way to various boss encounters. Collecting souls and increasing your health, stamina or other attributes is key to success as you get ready for the final fight.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

The Xbox One has added two more Xbox 360 titles to its backwards compatibility lineup, with the Tekken Tag Tournament 2 and the original Dark Souls now available to play on Microsoft's newer console. If you own the digital copies of these games, they'll show up under Ready to Install in your Xbox One's Games & Apps section.

AR12 Gaming also notes that there's a little treat for Dark Souls fans with the original game's arrival. As previously reported, those who pre-order Dark Souls 3 digitally through the Xbox Store will receive the backwards-compatible original game for free.

These are just the latest additions to the Xbox One's list of backwards compatible 360 games. Earlier this week, Microsoft added Assassin's Creed, Grid 2, and Dark Void.

Xbox One owners in Australia can go ahead and pre-order the digital version of the upcoming RPG Dark Souls III from the Xbox Store. The listing for the fantasy RPG game, developed by FromSoftware, shows that it also comes with a free copy of the original Dark Souls game made for the Xbox 360.

The listing shows that the Xbox 360 Dark Souls game can also be played on the Xbox One via its recent backwards compatibility feature. We will point out that only the Australian Xbox Store listing for Dark Souls III has this pre-order offer; it is not yet live for the U.S. or UK store sites. However, it's likely that the Dark Souls 1 freebie offer will be replicated in other parts of the world. Dark Souls III will launch in Japan on March 24 and in the rest of the world on April 12.

See at Xbox Store Australia

Welcome to our weekly ICYMI for Xbox One news!

From this week, every Sunday we'll be giving one lucky commenter a free Xbox One game, starting with Rise of the Tomb Raider!

We're still posting major Xbox announcements in the main feed. However, I'll be collecting some of the more nuanced news, rumors and talking points into one handy post every weekend. You can also rely on this weekly column to keep up to date with all the latest game releases too.

So without further ado, here's the latest edition of This Week in Xbox One News.

Mike Ybarra discusses getting original Xbox games onto the Xbox One

The head of Xbox platform development, Mike Ybarra, recently caught up with The Inner Circle podcast to discuss a range of Xbox topics, including backwards compatibility for the original Xbox console. On the original Xbox, Mike said that they're prioritising the Xbox 360's backwards compatibility offering for now, emphasising that the emulator's development was a multi-year engineering effort. He did, however, offer hope, saying that "nothing is impossible":

Microsoft is skipping December and January updates to ensure the Xbox One has a stable holiday period, but we should see some new features in February 2016. Regarding those future updates, Mike Ybarra encouraged users to head to the UserVoice feedback site and vote for their favourite potential backwards compatible titles and most desired features, stating that the team check the site on a daily basis.

Be sure to listen to the full Inner Circle Podcast over here.

Dark Souls 3 could be the final "Souls" game

The maddeningly rewarding Dark Souls series could be getting its final curtain call, in the form of Dark Souls 3. Speaking to GameSpot, Dark Souls director Hidetaki Miyazaki said that From Software want to 'aggressively' pursue new challenges:

When you factor in From Software's similar Playstation exclusives Demon's Souls and Bloodborne, it's fair to observe the studio may be feeling fatigued with this particular style of game. From Software have a storied history that include titles such as Tenchu: Stealth Assassins and Armored Core. It's likely that whatever they move on to could easily become a hit.

Dark Souls 3 launches on April 12, 2016, for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Mass Effect Andromeda's lead character's name possibly outed

Keen reddit fans (via GamingBolt) might've discovered the name of the Mass Effect Andromeda's main protagonist. At 0.44 in the recent N7 day teaser, a dog tag can be seen sporting the name of "Rider" or "Ryder" on the dashboard of what appears to be Andromeda's flagship space vessel. There are other facts that appear to support the theory that it could indeed be the name of the game's main character.

Mass Effect Andromeda's E3 trailer used Johnny Cash's Ghost Riders in the Sky as its music, and Bioware's studio director sent out a tweet stating "there are very good reasons for that choice of song for the trailer that should become clear later on." Rider could also be a reference to Sally Ride, the first US female to visit space. Commander Shephard from the first three games was named in honor of Alan Shepard, the first US man to visit space.

Mass Effect Andromeda is slated for a 2016 holiday launch and promises a return to the space-faring original, complete with planetary exploration and a Mako-like drivable space buggy. Only time will tell whether the Rider theory pans out.

Bethesda details Fallout 4's bug fix plans

The bugs are evolving.

Fallout 4 is a rather excellent game, but in typical Bethesda fashion, it retains some of the studio's notoriety for engine quirks and bugs. Fear not, though, as Bethesda are already working on patches for the game's worst issues according to this official blog post. In the post, Bethesda thanked fans for their enthusiasm, noting that Fallout 4 is their most solid launch to date:

Patching games used to cost money on the Xbox 360, but that's no longer the case on the Xbox One. It means that it's just as cost-effective for Bethesda to push out lots of small patches rather than bundle them all together for a single, larger patch. PC players will be offered the chance to download a beta patch as early as this week, with PS4 and Xbox One users seeing the same benefits once testing is complete. I wonder if they'll do something about Dogmeat's penchant for blocking doorways...

Bethesda's Pete Hines says Fallout 4 DLC won't be exclusive, dissuades use of console commands

Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas enjoyed timed DLC exclusivity on the Xbox 360, leading some to wonder if the same deal would be in place for Fallout 4 and the Xbox One. Bethesda's Pete Hines recently took to Twitter to say that it won't be the case this time around:

Pete Hines also discussed Fallout 4's developer console. For those who might be unaware - on PC, users can access the developer's console to input 'cheats' like god mode, flying, and so on. You can also use console commands to spawn objects, enemies and alter game rules, such as removing the build limit on settlements. Some Fallout 4 fans were asking if Bethesda might enable PC console commands on Xbox One and PS4, given that mods are on their way. Pete Hines said not only said that console commands 'definitely' aren't coming to console but warned against their use on PC:

Certain console commands, like removing build settlement size limits and allowing NPC spawning could hinder performance on Xbox One and PS4 (and lower-end PC hardware), so it's not entirely surprising that Bethesda discourages their use. It'll be interesting to see how mods impact console versions of the game when they become available in the coming months.

Fallout 4 battle - 100 Super Mutants vs. 10000 Ghouls

Last week I discussed my desire to see 100 Brotherhood of Steel knights against 10,000 ghouls, following Cosmic Contrarians excellent 1000 Deathclaw vs. 100 knight YouTube battle. Mr. Contrarian almost fulfilled my wishes, returning with a rather epic (and laggy) 10,000 Ghoul vs. 100 Super Mutants Fallout 4 battle.

As you might expect, rendering 10,000 ghouls on screen has quite an impact on the game's performance, but there's no blue screens in this frag (lag?) fest. The Glowing Ones face off against a one hundred-strong Super Mutant Militia, featuring various weapons and a couple of Behemoths to keep things interesting.

Cosmic Contrarian has a playlist of other Fallout 4 battles, including an all-out skirmish between all of the game's legendary enemies, 1000 Behemoths vs. 100 Brotherhood of Steel knights, and various others. Some of the battles contain spoilers, though, so be wary of that.

Giveaway! - Rise of the Tomb Raider

From this week, we'll be giving one lucky member of our community a free Xbox One game as part of our weekly Xbox news round-ups. To enter, simply join in the discussion below in the comments. Any commenter is eligible to win, but you must have a valid email for us to contact the winner to arrange shipment of the prize.

The winner is Graxiplon! Check your email attached to your account for us to arrange shipping, congrats!

ICYMI - Some of Windows Central's biggest Xbox articles of the week

• The Xbox 360 is 10 years old today, while the Xbox One celebrates its 2nd birthday
• Xbox Store digital Black Friday sale is now live
• Xbox's Kudo Tsunoda will work on improving 'human interaction methods' on Windows devices
• Round-up: The New Xbox One Experience, tips, tricks, useful links and more
• Chivalry: Medieval Warfare slices its way to the Xbox One on Dec. 1
• Xbox app for Windows 10 update rolling out today with Facebook friend finder and more
• Rainbow Six: Siege open beta test will be held from Nov. 25-29
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided gets its release date pushed back to August 23, 2016
• Xbox Fitness launches new YO:30 yoga workout for balance and strength
• Free Battle of Shadow and Light content update released for Halo 5: Guardians

New Xbox One game releases for the week ending

The Crew® Wild Run Edition - Racing / MMO - Ubisoft

"A stunning open-world re-creation of the U.S. Roam freely from sea to shining sea. Ride recklessly across the entire US map. Customize your cars, monster trucks and motorcycles for mayhem on- and off-road. Join instant stunt and skill challenges."

STAR WARS™ Battlefront™ - Shooter - EA / DICE

"Feeling the ominous thud of an AT-AT stomping down on the frozen tundra of Hoth. Rebel forces firing blasters as Imperial speeder bikes zip through the lush forests of Endor. Intense dogfights between squadrons of X-wings and TIE fighters filling the skies. Immerse yourself in the epic STAR WARS™ battles you've always dreamed."

Deadpool - Action & Adventure / Shooter - High Moon Studios / Activision

"I made sure to capture all my good sides, so I made my game a third-person action-shooter. (Yep, you get to look at my heinie.) - Keep a look out cuz some of my X-Men pals (Whoa, what pals?!) are making an appearance."

Game of Thrones - Episode 6: The Ice Dragon - Action & Adventure - Tell Tale Games

"Episode six of a six part episodic game series set in the world of HBO's groundbreaking TV show."

Knight Squad - Action & Adventure - Chainsawsome Games

"Knight Squad is an insane 1 to 8 players chaotic arena friendship destroyer. Take on current friends and future frenemies in any of the incredibly fun game modes, ranging from Last Man Standing to Medieval soccer.."

And that's a wrap!

Sometime this week we'll be submitting reviews of Fallout 4 and Star Wars Battlefront. Just Cause 3 and Rainbow Six Siege are the only Triple A titles left to launch in 2015, rounding off the year rather nicely. Can Microsoft top their stellar 2015 line-up next year? Only time will tell.

What have you guys been playing this week? What do you think of this week in Xbox? Let us know below for a chance to win Rise of the Tomb Raider!

Join us in the Windows Central Xbox forums!