The Duskbloods Opens Its Doors Early for FromSoftware's Bold New Direction

When FromSoftware announces a network test, it's rarely just about checking whether the servers can survive launch day. This August, Nintendo Switch 2 players will get their first chance to step into The Duskbloods, the studio's upcoming PvPvE action game built around vampires, rival Bloodsworn and constantly shifting multiplayer encounters.

On paper, it's another closed beta. In practice, it's the first real look at a game that feels unlike anything FromSoftware has released before.

More Than Another Soulslike

Despite the inevitable comparisons, The Duskbloods isn't simply Elden Ring with multiplayer turned up. The game places up to eight Bloodsworn warriors into a gothic world where every match revolves around competing for powerful First Blood. Players must fight monstrous enemies, survive encounters with rival hunters and decide when it's worth risking everything for another objective—or when it's smarter to escape with what they've already earned.

That PvPvE structure changes the rhythm completely. Instead of methodically clearing levels and memorizing boss patterns, players are constantly reacting to one another. Every decision carries a trade-off. Chase another Bloodsworn and you might lose valuable resources. Ignore them and they could become an even bigger threat later in the match. Those are the kinds of interactions developers simply can't recreate inside a studio.

August Is the First Real Test

The closed network test will run across multiple sessions between August 21 and August 25, giving selected Switch 2 owners several opportunities to explore the game's systems before release.

While server stability is naturally part of the goal, the more valuable information will come from watching thousands of real players approach the game at the same time. Which objectives become priorities? How aggressive will players be? Does the risk-versus-reward balance encourage exciting encounters or simply cautious play? Those answers matter because multiplayer games are often shaped less by developer intention than by player behavior.

A New World With Familiar DNA

Although The Duskbloods moves away from traditional Soulslike structure, it still carries unmistakable FromSoftware fingerprints.

Its gothic setting blends vampires, ruined cities and supernatural creatures, while combat remains focused on deliberate timing rather than frantic button mashing. Players can customize Bloodsworn characters, wield a variety of weapons and abilities, and even traverse maps using tools such as jet-powered gliders, adding a level of verticality rarely seen in the studio's previous games. That combination makes The Duskbloods feel less like an attempt to chase multiplayer trends and more like FromSoftware experimenting with ideas it hasn't explored before.

The Biggest Question Finally Gets an Answer

Ever since the game was revealed, discussions have tended to end the same way: "It looks fascinating, but what does it actually feel like?"

The August test is the first opportunity to answer that question. Players will spend those few days doing what FromSoftware fans always do—testing combat, dissecting mechanics and trying to break every system they can find. By the time the servers close, the studio should have something far more valuable than performance data. It will finally know whether its most unusual multiplayer project in years feels as compelling in players' hands as it does in trailers.