{"id":1670286,"date":"2026-08-21T04:48:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T04:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/6quQW7zpAK3YCVCq3S39t9"},"modified":"2026-08-21T04:48:31","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T04:48:31","slug":"im-a-decade-plus-fromsoftware-sicko-and-these-are-my-5-takeaways-from-the-first-duskbloods-gameplay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/im-a-decade-plus-fromsoftware-sicko-and-these-are-my-5-takeaways-from-the-first-duskbloods-gameplay\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a decade-plus FromSoftware sicko, and these are my 5 takeaways from the first Duskbloods gameplay"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Ahead of The Duskbloods’ network test next week, veteran Soulsborne YouTubers VaatiVidya<\/a> and Oroboro<\/a> have uploaded long gameplay videos and explainers for the Switch 2 exclusive PvPvE game, while IGN<\/a> and Automaton<\/a> have published new interviews with project lead and Soulsborne commander-in-chief, Hidetaka Miyazaki.<\/p>\n

As a veteran Souls sicko, here are my biggest takeaways from the footage and conversations around the game, which we’ll surely get on PC eventually, right?<\/p>\n

It’s structured like Nightreign<\/h2>\n

Instanced, run-based gameplay. A timer ticking down as the difficulty\/stakes increase. Characters with set fantasies\/abilities (maybe even equipment?). While the objectives and specifics may differ, Duskbloods’ overall structure feels like an evolution of Nightreign’s. Out of the gate, though, Duskbloods will have three maps\u2060\u2014one more than Nightreign even after its Deathly <\/del>Forsaken Hollows DLC.<\/p>\n

It’s more PvP-focused than Nightreign, but has options for PvE-likers<\/h2>\n

Rather than hunting down your fellow players like in Tarkov or Marathon, a Duskbloods match sees you trying to complete more PvE objectives than the other players in your lobby. Objective completion raises your “Virtue” score, and the high scorers at the end of each timed round survive to the next. It looks like there are PvP map events and optional objectives, and the default final battle is a PvP slugfest between the players who made it to the end.<\/p>\n

Vaati mentioned, though, that there’s an unlockable option to make the final battle a co-op PvE boss instead, more akin to Nightreign’s Nightlords. On the opposite end, there’s an item to heighten the PvP focus, giving you Virtue for hunting down and killing another player in the lobby.<\/p>\n

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