// KOTAKU — GAMING
14 Things We Just Learned About The Duskbloods
A bunch of outlets just published previews of The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s upcoming PvPvE game for Nintendo Switch 2. And man, there’s…a lot to parse in there!
The Duskbloods seems like a very weird game, not really like anything else we’ve seen before. It’s got both PvP and PvE components that can shift and reverse at a moment’s notice; it’s a bit like Elden Ring sometimes and a bit like Nightreign other times and sometimes it’s like neither of them. I really enjoyed reading all the perspectives this morning and catching up on the new official materials from FromSoftware explaining what the hell this game even is and how one plays it, which is information we really didn’t have up until now.
Here’s what I learned about The Duskbloods today from all that reading, for those who just want the highlights of what to expect from FromSoftware’s latest.
You play as one of several Bloodsworn, and you get dumped into a level with a bunch of enemies as well as the other players you’re playing with. You then go around and do stuff in the level such as killing enemies and completing other objectives given to you to collect as much “Virtue” as possible. These objectives might include exploring, fighting bosses, or finding a bunch of items. You might do a little PvP, or you might team up with another player you meet to collect Virtue together. It’s essentially like a miniature single-player Souls campaign, but with a handful of other individuals out in the world.
At two separate intervals, the game will eliminate individuals who haven’t collected enough Virtue, until there are only three left at the end. Those three remaining are then sent to an arena to fight it out with one another. Alliances are dissolved, and the work you’ve put in up to that point to collect items, make pacts with NPCs, and build your character up is put to the test, along with your actual skill.
If you die during the main part of a round of The Duskbloods, you just respawn with all your Virtue. It’s not until the final phase when you face off against the remaining players that death becomes permanent, and even then you apparently have some lives to spend. You have to die three times in that final phase before you’re eliminated entirely.
There are six playable characters we’ll be seeing in the network test this weekend, out of ten total in the game. We’ve got:
All of these guys can also do big jumps (even over buildings), can sprint, and can bite the necks of staggered enemies to suck their blood and do damage which will also let them gain some health back. This last thing will also turn weaker enemies into allies for a bit.
During the main three phases of a match, you’ll run into other players. You can just fight them if you want, or you can propose an alliance with them which, if accepted, will make it impossible for the two of you to hurt one another. These alliances will vanish in the final round, though, so if you expect to make it to the final three, be wary of partnering with someone who you know can kick your ass.
There’s also a Duos Mode that you can select at the start that allows you to partner with someone for the entire game, with four teams of two playing and one team eliminated each round. In this mode, you’ll win or lose with your partner, not against them, in the final battle.