The Duskbloods: All Characters Explained

The Duskbloods is FromSoftware's newest game, coming out later this year exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. Focusing on online PvPvE battles with up to 8 players, it departs from previous Souls games, in a similar manner to Elden Ring Nightreign. In this guide, you'll learn everything known about the Characters / Bloodsworn in the game so far.

This information is based on the Closed Network Test previously held for the game. This guide will be updated as new Characters and customization options are revealed.

You can explore more Duskbloods guides on GameBase.

In The Duskbloods, all characters are self-sufficient, having enough offensive capabilities to take down enemies. There are no traditional builds or classes, unlike in past FromSoftware titles, as all Bloodsworn have similar stats, each with a unique moveset and Skills. Additionally, all characters have reliable melee and ranged attack, making all of them viable in a wide variety of situations.

Each character might synergize best with a specific kind of Kin: For example, Sniper Layla loves to dish out ranged attacks from a distance, so a melee Kin synergizes perfectly, acting as frontline and allowing her to dish out heavy damage.

Every Bloodsworn shares the same controls, and all of them can perform the following actions:

• Block: Use L to set a Shield to block incoming attacks from the front. Can be used while moving and in midair. Each Bloodsworn has a specific type of Shield that has certain resistances and weaknesses. The Shield will break if it receives enough damage and will regenerate after some time.
• Howl: Press L + ZR to howl, dealing damage and staggering enemies. The Howl acts as a Parry, and it will greatly fill the Stagger bar of enemies if used when an enemy attack lands.
• Roll: Press A to roll. Each Bloodsworn has a unique rolling animation, with some being longer and having less i-frames. You can use A mid-air to dash, as well.
• Jump: Press B to jump. Hold B to do a charged jump. In our testing, jump distance seems to be the same for all characters.

Melee and ranged attacks differ for each Bloodsworn, as they each use unique weapons. The Bloodsworn Skills and Aspects they have access to are unique as well.

Albert is a beginner-friendly character with a straightforward, well-rounded kit. He's a solid pick in most situations, with both short-range and long-range combat options.

When playing as Albert, you'll want to make use of your whole kit, weaving Blood Skills in between melee attacks, and keeping pressure with ranged attacks when you need to create distance.

Against him, keep up pressure and get up close so he's unable to use his Skills.

Weapons

Albert uses a Saber, which has a similar moveset to curved swords in past FromSoftware titles, and a SMG, which fires in short bursts. Both are quick and grant him versatility in combat.

Combos: ZL > R (Fire SMG into melee dash attack), A > ZR (Aerial heavy attack), R > R (True melee combo)

Bloodsworn Skills

Blood Blade: Fires a blood projectile forward. Can be charged to deal extra damage and stagger. Blood Blade can roll-catch enemies easily, especially if mixing uncharged and charged uses.

Light of Hayern: Charges and fires a beam of light. This Skill shouldn't be used directly on enemies, instead used as soon as certain enemies use their Skills (like Zork's charge or Senator's Saurian Form). Light of Hayern is very powerful and staggers enemies hit, even during their Skills. Can also be used to quickly dispatch enemy Kin.

Aspects

High Lorrik Blood: Grants extra uses for blood-based Bloodsworn skills. In practice, increases Blood Blade uses.

Upriser: Increases attack stagger against high-Virtue Bloodsworn enemies. This is especially useful in Ritual Sites and Grail Battles, as enemies will have higher Virtue as the match goes on. It is worth going for Sword Virtue on Ritual Sites to benefit the most from Upriser.

Bloodhand Jan is an offense-oriented character who excels in prolonged combat thanks to his Skills and Aspects. His whole kit is geared toward melee all-ins, being able to keep up pressure on opponents.

He relies on his Bloodsworn Skills to improve his dodge and deal serious AoE damage. When Jan's Skills go on cooldown, he is left weak and exposed, which creates a great opportunity for enemies to go in. He is also weak to ranged attacks and kiting.

Weapons

Jan uses a Greataxe, swinging it for heavy melee strikes that are slower than other Bloodsworn. His ranged attack spits out fire and can be used repeatedly until the sorcery energy is depleted.

Bloodsworn Skills

Blink: Enhances dodge speed and length for a time. This Skill is powerful in PvP, letting Jan close gaps or create distance quickly, and making it hard for enemies to read his movement. However, he is left exposed when it runs out.

Surrender to My Blood: Performs AoE blood slashes, and can be activated mid-air. This is an all-in Skill, making Jan commit to a full combo. It is perfect when fighting in close spaces or to finish off enemies with high stagger, but if an enemy can dodge or stagger Jan, he's left exposed.

Aspects

Bloodhand Lineage: Attacking after taking damage heals back a portion of health lost. This Aspect makes Jan very powerful in melee 1v1s, as he can heal back a lot of HP, making him tanky.

Lord of Blood: Heals spellbound foes and increases attack power. A straightforward Passive that increases Jan's damage output and helps with PvE clears, as spellbound enemies will live on for longer.

Trang Lahn is an assassin-like Bloodsworn with Stealth and Burst damage. She has Abilities that make her slippery and able to catch players off guard.

When playing as Trang Lahn, you'll want to pick up enemies one by one, maximizing the effectiveness of your Bloodsworn Skills and ranged attacks. Avoid getting caught in the middle of chaotic PvP encounters.

Against Trang Lahn, keep an eye out for her and try to stay nearby to prevent her from using her Stealth abilities. You'll need to avoid her Serpent summon, which can be done by jumping or blocking at the right time.

Weapons

Trang Lahn uses chakrams, which have low melee range but dish out quick attacks. She can also throw them from a distance, with ammo recharging over time.

Her charged melee and ranged attacks can deal a lot of stagger, while her light melee attacks deal higher damage than usual. You'll need to hit as many ranged attacks as possible, and when close, try to hit a charged heavy melee or a quick R > R combo and then create some distance. Trang Lahn excels when using her whole kit to overwhelm enemies.

Bloodsworn Skills

Darkmoon: Makes Trang Lahn invisible for a short time. Stealth is lost when close to enemies. Can be used mid-air. Using Darkmoon at the right time can be the difference between winning or losing a PvP encounter, as it'll give you plenty of options to use items, heal back up, or sneak on enemies.

Mama Nātha: Summons a giant snake that attacks around Trang Lahn. Aiming with the Left Stick guides the serpent in the selected direction; otherwise, it attacks in a circle around Trang Lahn. This Skill can be tricky to use due to how long it takes to cast, but it can be great to catch players off guard around terrain or to stagger enemies out of their own Skills.

Aspects

Alluring Bride: Drinking blood extends the spellbind to nearby enemies. This improves Trang Lahn's ability to clear large groups of enemies, improving her PvE clear times.

Daughter of the Darkmoon: Hides from distant foes and makes targeting harder. In our testing, it is difficult to prove how effective this Aspect is, but it should help Trang Lahn's stealth potential.

Sniper Layla is a ranged-oriented Bloodsworn, equipped with a Sniper Rifle and having Skills that enhance her escape and ranged damage potential.

Her ranged attacks are extremely powerful both in PvE and PvP, being able to dish out high DPS and burst alike. Paired with a melee Kin, she can be very hard to deal with. Her PvE potential is unmatched as well, thanks to her DPS.

Against Layla, you'll need to lock her down, as her melee damage is worse than other Bloodsworn, and try to block and dodge her ranged attacks otherwise.

Weapons

Layla has a pair of Katars, which dish out quick melee attacks with low damage. She can perform a three-hit true melee combo with R > R > R, which can come in handy in PvP.

Her Sniper Rifle is the star of her kit, though. Dealing high DPS and with a low recharge time, she is able to make quick work of monsters and enemy players alike. She can lock on to targets or aim freely.

Bloodsworn Skills

Neb-ra Vanishing: Dashes in the selected direction with the Left Stick. This Skill is perfect for Layla, allowing her to escape enemies who all-in and reposition to use ranged attacks. She is exposed when it is on cooldown.

Verd Gatling Gun: Fires with a gatling gun, which deals high damage and can stagger enemies, as well. This Skill is great for PvE, as it deals a lot of damage to staggered bosses and mini-bosses, further improving Layla's PvE clear times. It can be used to stagger enemies from a distance, too, but it leaves Layla stuck in place while it is being used.

Aspects

Neb-ra Lineage: Gradually restores HP up to 50%. This Ability can help Layla when she's caught without heals, but it is situational in use. Can be used when clearing PvE monsters to heal back up.

Nighteye: Increases lock-on and observation range. The increased lock-on range synergizes with Layla's ranged attacks, allowing her to fire at enemies from afar.

The Senator is a well-rounded character with precise attacks and Skills that can be extremely powerful if used at the right time. His kit is geared toward players who can attack at the right time to maximize its damage potential.

When playing as the Senator, you'll want to avoid all-ins, instead poking players with your ranged and melee combos, using your Skills to prevent enemies from engaging.

The Senator has a difficult time dealing with airborne enemies as he can't catch them with his Skills, leaving him exposed. Make use of jumps and air dashes to pressure him and avoid getting caught by his Skills.

Weapons

He uses a Rapier with a very similar moveset to Thrusting Swords from past FromSoftware titles. The Rapier's best attacks are its running attacks and the follow-up to a ranged attack (ZL > R), which allow him to gap-close forward.

His ranged attack sends out a bird that attacks targets.

Bloodsworn Skills

Bloodstake: Charges and then creates a stake below enemies, impaling them. This Skill can be tricky to use because it takes a long time to cast, so it is best used against stationary enemies.

Saurian Form: Transforms into a dinosaur and charges at foes. Does a grab attack immediately upon contact. This Skill can be deadly in melee range as enemies cannot dodge or block it easily, but it can be dodged by jumping, so it is better used in close spaces and when threatened in melee range.

Aspects

Blood Disciple: Lowers the level required to unlock the second Bloodsworn Skill. This helps Senator become stronger earlier, being able to use the Saurian Form early in Phase 2 of matches, and helping him deal with stronger PvE opponents earlier.

Unshakable Sword: Doing a perfect guard boosts melee attack power. Great Passive that emphasizes the Senator's need to time his attacks and blocks at the right time. His melee attacks can hit very hard if Unshakable Sword is triggered.

Zork is a tanky-style character with a unique playstyle. He works best as a melee frontliner, but also has high mobility thanks to his Missile Skill, and has some serious ranged damage with Human Rocket.

When playing against Zork, you'll need to keep an eye out to avoid his Missile and Human Rocket Skills, as they hit very hard. Exploit his worse-than-average dodge and keep up pressure with melee and ranged attacks alike.

Weapons

He uses a Sea Cable, swinging it in the fashion of a heavy weapon. Zork does not stagger as easily as other Bloodsworn, making it possible to trade melee hits with R > R and come out on top. His ranged attack fires a cannonball that deals high damage and stagger but has low ammo, and should be best used to catch off-guard enemies trying to heal or create distance.

Bloodsworn Skills

Missile: Zork stands in place, firing missiles in the selected area. This can hit very hard and can make short work of staggered enemies, but leaves Zork exposed.

Human Rocket: Charges flying straight ahead. Deals high damage and stagger if enemies are hit, but it stops when colliding with terrain. Human Rocket can be difficult to use in PvP as enemies can just dodge or jump to avoid it, so avoid spamming it as it can leave you exposed if you miss. This Skill is great for quick map traversal and for staggering PvE bosses and enemy Kin.

Aspects

Law of the Deep Sea: Defeating enemy Bloodsworn steals a portion of their max HP. This is lost if you're defeated by the same player afterward. This Aspect makes Zork a menace in PvP, granting him a huge HP pool if he can snowball several PvP kills.

Dread Resonance: Allows Zork to hold his Howl by holding L + ZR. This Aspect makes it very easy for Zork to parry incoming attacks, and enemies must watch out for it and avoid attacking mindlessly.