Right now, it isn't clear what FromSoftware's next project is going to be. Elden Ring's anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree expansion has a June 2024 release date, and that's all fans know about. Some rumors have surfaced regarding the Japanese developer's next game, and Armored Core 6 could get an expansion mirroring its predecessors’ half-step sequels, but no concrete details exist. It seems that FromSoftware has entered another period of silent development between announced projects, though at least fans aren't waiting years for another teaser trailer follow-up like what happened with Elden Ring.

For a community as passionate as FromSoftware's, finding fulfilling substitutes until the next fresh, expertly-designed Soulslike experience launches can be difficult. Luckily, FromSoftware's titles are made with replayability in mind. Repeated New Game Plus runs with different build and narrative choices are only the beginning, as Soulslikes often include online cooperative and competitive elements that players may revisit as much as they wish. And when every official option is used, the fans themselves have built a growing library of gameplay overhaul mods that are thorough enough to feel like new FromSoftware releases in and of themselves.

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The Best Dark Souls Mods, Ranked

Dark Souls players have created a lot of awesome mods over the years. Here's a look at some of the absolute best.

Major Mods Can Serve Similar Roles to Full FromSoftware Releases

While randomizers and cosmetic mods can add replay value to any title, capturing the experience of a brand-new game is tougher. It takes a lot of time and effort to build mods on that scale, and that goes double for any emulating FromSoftware's distinct, detail-oriented style. However, it's FromSoftware's consistent style that also provides mods with a foundation and blueprint. There isn't always a large leap in gameplay or graphics in FromSoftware games, a complaint directed towards Elden Ring following up the Dark Souls trilogy, but that simultaneously takes pressure off of their mods to do the same while making deviations stand out even more.

Dark Souls: Archthrones Already Feels Like It Could Be A FromSoftware Game

An immediate example is Dark Souls: Archthrones, which released its first demo in March 2024 to an impressed public. Based on the structure of Demon's Souls, Archthrones offers five such thrones for traveling to different reimagined parts of the Dark Souls universe. An entire game's worth of new enemies, equipment, areas, gameplay mechanics, and even multiplayer servers are planned, and the demo has demonstrated that Archthrones’ development team is capable of achieving their lofty ambitions. Despite being made on Dark Souls 3’s engine, Archthrones looks and feels like Dark Souls 4, and should be a great Soulslike to jump over to the next time FromSoftware is in-between projects.

Other Noteworthy FromSoftware Soulslike Overhaul Mods

Producing Archthrones would be a credit to FromSoftware's fandom if that's all it did, but Archthrones is far from the only project of its kind. Dark Souls: Nightfall is another team effort with a public demo, this one having been dropped before Elden Ring was released. It's positioned as a full-on sequel to Dark Souls 1’s Dark Lord ending, and involves everything from new geography and voice acting to deep structural changes like a Majora’s Mask-like time loop and a combat stance system. After the major boss, lore, and quest changes made in its creators’ last mod, Dark Souls: Daughters of Ash, there's good reason to treat this mod with the same gravity as Archthrones.

There are too many Souls overhaul mods to make a comprehensive list, but some other highlights from the community’s efforts include:

• Dark Souls Remastest
• Dark Souls 2: Augur of Darkness
• Dark Souls 2: Seeker of Fire
• Dark Souls 3: Cinders
• Dark Souls 3: The Convergence
• Elden Ring: Garden of Eyes
• Elden Ring: Reforged
• Elden Ring: The Convergence
• Sekiro: Resurrection

Whether it's enjoying Remastest’s remake of DS1’s multiplayer or the drip feed of new dungeons and playthrough options in Elden Ring Reforged and The Convergence, there are plenty of playthrough-changing mods that can take FromSoftware fans’ minds off of the wait for its next game.

From Software

Based in Japan, FromSoftware is a development company best known for the Souls series and Armored Core franchise. Other popular games from From Software include Elden Ring, Sekiro, Bloodborne, and the King's Field series.

Date Founded

November 1, 1986

Headquarters

Tokyo, Japan

CEO

Hidetaka Miyazaki

Parent Company

Kadokawa

Known For

dark souls , Armored Core