The Duskbloods: New Details on FromSoftware's PvPvE Game

If you've been keeping tabs on FromSoftware's upcoming titles, The Duskbloods is probably already on your radar. The game has been generating a lot of buzz lately, and with fresh details dropping recently, now is a good time to go through everything that's been confirmed so far.

Starting with the biggest recent news, during the latest Nintendo Direct, FromSoftware officially announced that The Duskbloods will be getting a closed network test this summer on Nintendo Switch 2. There are no exact dates or signup details out yet, but this is going to be your first real opportunity to actually get your hands on the game and see how it all works in practice.

The PvPvE structure has been one of the most talked-about aspects of the game.

And the closed network test is finally going to give players a proper look at how it plays out. On top of that, Kadokawa, the publishing company that also has a stake in FromSoftware, has reaffirmed that The Duskbloods is still on track for a 2026 release. A lot of people assumed it might slip into 2027, so it's good to hear that it's apparently still moving along on schedule.

Worth keeping in mind, though, The Duskbloods is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, so if you want to play it at launch, you'll need the hardware. Whether it eventually makes its way to other platforms is anyone's guess at this point, though that tends to happen with most titles. Bloodborne fans know all too well what it looks like when that doesn't happen.

So with all that out of the way, here's a full rundown of what we actually know about the game itself. The Duskbloods is not a traditional single-player FromSoftware experience. If you're coming in expecting something like Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Elden Ring, this is a different beast entirely. The game is built around PvPvE, which means you're not just up against AI enemies; other real players are in the mix at the same time.

Think of it like the invasion system from the older Souls games, but instead of it being a side mechanic, it's the entire foundation of the game. Miyazaki has spoken about why the team went in this direction, saying that the PvPvE structure opens up a much wider range of design possibilities than a purely single-player format would.

FromSoftware has always had a knack for building dangerous enemy encounters, strange worlds, and memorable player-versus-player moments.

A game that leans fully into all of that at once could end up being something really special, if they get the balance right. That said, Miyazaki has also made clear that The Duskbloods isn't going to leave solo-minded players out in the cold. Even if PvP isn't really your thing, there should be ways to approach the game more on your own terms. Victory in matches isn't just about taking down other players.

You can also earn victory points by defeating powerful AI enemies or completing objectives, so there's room to lean into a more PvE-focused playstyle if that's where you're most comfortable. In terms of the actual setting, you play as a character called a Bloodsworn, a warrior who has gained supernatural abilities through a special connection to blood. Miyazaki was clear that this isn't meant to be a straightforward vampire game.

The team wanted to build their own mythology around blood and power rather than just retreading familiar territory, which is very much in line with how FromSoftware typically approaches world-building. The central storyline of The Duskbloods seems to revolve around something referred to as the First Blood, which appears during a lore event called the Twilight of Humanity.

This is essentially a catastrophic collapse where the boundaries between different time periods start to break down, which explains why the game's visual style pulls from so many different eras and aesthetics. Unlike Elden Ring, The Duskbloods isn't an open world. Instead, the game takes place across a series of maps that are specifically designed for conflict and objective-based play.

One of the more intriguing systems teased so far is the role system.

This is where players can be assigned different roles during a match, such as a rival or a destined companion. So in one match you might be actively hunting someone down, and in the next you could find yourself working alongside that same person. It's a concept that keeps match dynamics feeling unpredictable. The movement also looks noticeably faster than what you'd expect from a traditional FromSoftware game.

The trailers show wall-running, vertical movement through environments, and ability-based mobility, so while the atmosphere might remind you of Bloodborne, how The Duskbloods actually feels to play could be quite different. It's giving off similar vibes to how Nightreign shook things up.

Character customization also works differently here. Rather than building a character from scratch, the way you would in Elden Ring, it looks like The Duskbloods features a roster of pre-existing Bloodsworn characters, each with their own weapons, abilities, and look.

You can still make them feel like your own, though. Progression works by taking part in matches, earning victory points, and then heading back to your base to spend your rewards. Those rewards let you change up your Bloodsworn's appearance and shift their combat style over time.

And of course, because this is FromSoftware, the lore is going to be a massive part of what makes The Duskbloods worth diving into.

Miyazaki has said he's enjoyed the process of scattering story fragments throughout the world and letting players piece things together at their own pace. That approach is very much continuing here. Parts of the narrative are tied to your Bloodsworn's blood history and their fate.

A kind of character profile you can develop and customize, and uncovering more of their background and connection to the wider world is going to be a big part of the experience. The Duskbloods is clearly a bold move for FromSoftware. It's got that gothic atmosphere, a world full of lore just waiting to be unraveled, and the kind of dark creature and environment design the studio is known for.

But it's wrapping all of that in a multiplayer format that's going to feel very different from what most fans of the studio are used to. For a portion of the fanbase, the PvPvE focus is simply not going to land, and that's a fair reaction. Plenty of FromSoftware fans are still holding out for another sprawling single-player adventure.

But this studio has a long history of taking swings that don't always look great on paper at first and then delivering something genuinely memorable. With the closed network test arriving this summer, you won't have to wait too much longer to start forming your own opinion on whether The Duskbloods is going to deliver.