The Duskbloods First Impressions

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.

The Network Test for The Duskbloods runs from August 21st to August 24th, and some media outlets had a chance to try out the game early and reveal the first actual gameplay details.

In this preview, you'll learn everything known about The Duskbloods, including in-depth analysis of the game's systems and gameplay.

Note: Screenshots shown in this article are taken from promotional material, trailers, and from vgc on YouTube, using footage provided by Nintendo.

The Duskbloods takes place in Dusk Battles, PvPvE matches with up to 8 players. Everyone will spawn on the same map, filled with enemies and objectives.

Gain Virtue during Matches

Your goal during a match is to gain Virtue, which will power up your character (like traditional level-ups) and improve your place on the match leaderboard. Players with low Virtue will be eliminated as the match progresses, making it crucial to make the most of your time.

Virtue can be obtained in battle, by exploring the map, and by completing certain objectives and maneuvers:

• Repulsion Virtue: Obtained by Killing Bosses. It is recommended to level up before taking on difficult enemies.
• Flame Virtue: Obtained by interacting with corpses spread throughout the map. These can be marked or hidden, and some grant higher Virtue.
• Sword Virtue: Defeat other players inside Ritual Sites in Phases 2 and 3.
• Pledge Virtue: Obtained by interacting with Blood Altars in Ritual Sites during Phases 2 and 3.
• Commendation Virtue: Earned at the end of each phase for defeating the most enemies or acquiring different items when exploring.

It looks like the Virtue system will allow for winning in many different ways: One player didn't find success in taking down bosses and enemy players, but managed to climb the Virtue leaderboard by farming groups of small enemies.

Every Match has 4 Phases

Duskblood matches have phases, each unlocking new enemies and events, and eliminating players with lower Virtue. Each Phase lasts around 8 minutes. In Phases 2 and 3, a Ritual Site appears on the map, and more in-game events may happen. At the end of Phase 2, 2 players are eliminated. At the end of Phase 3, 3 players are eliminated.

The Final Phase is a final confrontation between the last 3 remaining players. So far, only a 3-way PvP battle has been revealed, but it is also possible to choose a co-op PvE boss fight in the options.

Form Temporal Alliances

You can request to form temporal alliances with other players. If they accept, you'll both share Virtue earned for a period of time, and cannot damage each other. Alliances are disbanded in the final phase of the match.

Co-Op Boss Fights

It has been shown that players can call for help when facing difficult bosses. Other players will receive a summon request and can choose to aid in battle, getting rewards.

Summon NPC Allies

During matches, players will encounter sigils that allow them to summon Kin, NPC allies from beyond. They function similarly to Elden Ring's Spirit Summons. They seem to accompany you until the end of the match or when defeated by an enemy player. They level up alongside you, becoming stronger as the match continues and learning new combat abilities.

It seems that there are Kin of different types, each offering different ways of supporting you in combat. Some might focus on damage, while others will heal you or debuff enemies.

Leveling Up

As you take down enemies, you will level up, gaining more HP and damage, like in past Souls titles. After reaching Level 12, you'll have access to additional Bloodsworn Skills.

Enhance your character with Upgrades

Blood Sacs can be found in various ways, such as defeating Blood Scarabs, finding them in hidden places, or in dungeons. These will allow you to upgrade your Bloodsworn Skills for the rest of the match.

Additionally, defeating Bosses will grant Blood Powers, which are even stronger.

There are even more ways to make your character more powerful, like visiting Forges to upgrade weapons and interacting with Kin Enhancement circles.

Dying Does Not Eliminate You

Dying to another player or a boss will not eliminate you from the match. You will revive after a short period without losing progress, but the player who killed you will receive a hefty Virtue reward.

Complete character quests

Each character will be given a Sigil when starting the match, giving them a unique quest, like taking down another player, finding a Kin, forming alliances, or taking down a specific boss. These might give Virtue as well as permanent progression.

Ritual Sites

During Phases 2 and 3, a Ritual Site will appear on the Map. These events allow players to get a large amount of Virtue either by killing enemy players or avoiding combat entirely.

By defeating enemy players at Ritual Sites, you'll obtain Sword Virtue, which can be enhanced by interacting with a Redstone Pillar.

By pledging to a Blood Pillar, you'll obtain Pledge Virtue, which is increased when interacting with a Goldstone.

It seems that Ritual Sites will be key for amassing Virtue in the latter phases of the game, and players must form a strategy, choosing between fighting other players or evading combat and obtaining Virtue from Blood Pillars. Leaving Ritual Sites will reduce your HP

Random Events

In Phases 2 and 3, random events might appear, such as a zeppelin that grants an air strike or a lightning storm that teleports players around.

The game is quite different in terms of player movement and how combat is played out compared to older Souls titles. Some notable takeaways from the Network Test are:

Improved Aerial Mobility and Combat

Players can jump 4 times and do air dashes and air dodges, greatly increasing mobility in the air.

A Charged Jump is also possible by holding the Jump button, similar to how Spirit Springs worked in Elden Ring.

It also seems that there will be a lot of aerial attacks and abilities, like air-dash attacks and Skills that can be used mid-air.

Drinking Blood

Every character is a Bloodsworn, a vampire-like entity with blood-related powers. It looks like every character will be able to feed on the blood of enemies, granting various bonuses depending on the character. The effects we've seen so far include:

• Turning defeated enemies into zombies, fighting by your side until death.
• Charming multiple enemies at once in a large area, making them fight with you for a short time.

Every Character has Ranged Attacks

Every character wields some sort of ranged weapon, including guns, sniper rifles, SMGs, ranged magic, and throwable weapons.

Howl To Parry

All characters can howl to deal damage, stagger enemies who attack, and repel enemy projectiles.

The Duskbloods does not feature a traditional Souls-like Character Creation, instead having select characters the player can choose from, just like in Elden Ring: Nightreign.

These characters, the Bloodsworns of Dusk, are vampire-like supernatural beings imbued with special powers and summoned in battle to take the First Blood.

Up to 10 characters will be available in the full game, each having unique abilities and weapons. It is currently unknown whether each character will be tied to the same moveset or if weapons and equipment can be swapped mid-match.

So far, 6 characters have been fully revealed:

There are 3 parts to a character's kit: the Weapons, which define their moveset; the Bloodsworn Skills, which can be activated; and Aspects, which act like passive Abilities.

Bloodsworn Skills and Aspects are customizable in the final game.

Albert

Weapons: Lorrik's Jeweled Saber (melee sword) & Submachine Gun (ranged).

Skills:

• Blood Blade: Fires a projectile blade formed of blood (scales with blood caliber).
• Light of Hayern: Raises a crystal to shine a direct beam of light.

Aspects:

• High Lorrik Blood: Grants extra uses for blood-based Bloodsworn skills.
• Upriser: Increases attack stagger against high-Virtue Bloodsworn enemies.

Bloodhand Jan

Weapons: Bloodthirsty Axe (melee) & Stone of Sorcery (fires flames ahead).

Skills:

• Blink: Uses blood to boost dodge speed.
• Surrender to My Blood: Empowers axe with blood to unleash AoE blood slashes.

Aspects:

• Bloodhand Lineage: Counterattacks heal HP after taking damage.
• Lord of Blood: Increases attack power and heals spellbound enemies.

Trang Lahn

Weapons: Full Moon Blade (a cold silver circular blade used for melee or thrown as a chakram).

Skills:

• Darkmoon: Conceals the body behind the darkmoon for a limited time.
• Mama Nātha: Summons a giant silver serpent guardian to attack the surrounding area.

Aspects:

• Alluring Bride: Drinking blood spellbinds nearby enemies.
• Daughter of the Darkmoon: Hides from distant foes and makes targeting harder.

Sniper Layla

Weapons: Hieroglyph Katars (dual-wielded bronze daggers for melee) & Sniper Rifle (sizable ranged rifle for precision aiming).

Skills:

• Neb-ra Vanishing: Turns into a swarm of insects to relocate, leaving an afterimage to confuse foes.
• Verd Gatling Gun: Pulls a giant Gatling gun from the body to fire a rapid-fire barrage.

Aspects:

• Neb-ra Lineage: HP gradually restores up to 1/2 max (though Goldblood Stake restores less HP compared to others).
• Nighteye: Increases range for lock-ons and observation.

Senator Samir Patres

Weapons: Senate Rapier (narrow-bladed straight sword for melee) & Soulbird Ring (sends forth a prehistoric spectral bird for ranged attacks).

Skills:

• Bloodstake: Forms a swamp of blood under enemies, causing a colossal bloodstake to rise.
• Saurian Form: Transforms into a carnivorous dinosaur to charge foes and attack with jaws.

Aspects:

• Blood Disciple: Lowers the required Bloodsworn skill level.
• Unshakable Sword: Perfect guarding boosts melee attack power.

Zork

Weapons: Undersea Cable (severed cable used for melee) & Speargun (ranged attacks).

Skills:

• Missile: Deploys a back cannon to assume a firing stance and launch a missile.
• Human Rocket: Activates a back propulsion mechanism to enter flight mode and charge straight ahead.

Aspects:

• Law of the Deep Sea: Defeating Bloodsworn steals max HP (lost if defeated by a victim).
• Dread Resonance: Unleashes an inhuman sonic howl (hold L + ZR to extend).

The game has a Hub area where you can prepare before battles and talk to NPCs, among other things.

The Winged Rat will be similar to maidens in previous Souls games.

It is mentioned that each character has unique abilities that you can power up, swap between, and even unlock extra abilities as you progress in the game.

Furthermore, it is expected that the game's story progresses as you play, opening up new maps and unlocking new perks and customization options. It has been said that the full game will feature 3 full maps. So far, only one has been revealed: Lowanro City.

Currently, it is not known whether characters will have Skins or Outfits, like in Elden Ring Nightreign.