The Duskbloods: 10 hours of network testing, and what if it wasn't meant for us?

A sicko from Elden Ring spends 10 hours on The Duskbloods' test network—and comes out concerned. Frankly, we get the nuance.

The Context

We’re among those who have exhausted Elden Ring in every way—all three endings, the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the most absurd and meta builds alike. So when The Duskbloods, FromSoftware’s new exclusive for the Nintendo Switch 2, launched its network test, we jumped at the chance. Kotaku sums up what we felt: after 10 hours of play, we’re seriously starting to wonder if this game is even for us.

What The Duskbloods Really Is

The Duskbloods isn’t a Soulslike in the traditional sense. It’s a game centered on online PvP, with a gothic baroque aesthetic that’s pure FromSoftware, a lore to decipher, but a gameplay core resolutely focused on player-versus-player confrontation. No open-world exploration filled with mythic bosses—here, it’s you against other humans, in arenas and scenarios structured by the game itself.

The art direction is there—no one builds visual worlds like this at FromSoftware. The combat animations retain the precision and tactile density we love. But the game’s center of gravity is fundamentally different from what we’ve come to expect from them since Dark Souls.

The Soulsborne Fan’s Dilemma

For someone coming from Bloodborne, Sekiro, or Elden Ring, The Duskbloods demands a complete mental reconfiguration. Those games spoke to something solitary and contemplative—a personal struggle against a hostile world, punctuated by hard-won victories. The Duskbloods puts the other human at the center, with all that entails: the frustrating mind games, the unpredictable timings, the social dimension of an online game.

Has FromSoftware succeeded in making it accessible and satisfying? That’s the real question we can’t yet answer after 10 hours of network testing. Network tests are, by nature, limited—matchmaking isn’t final, features are missing, and the test population isn’t representative. What we can say: the experience is divisive, and it feels like an artistic choice, not a design flaw.

Our Provisional Verdict

FromSoftware made Sekiro when everyone wanted Dark Souls 4. They have every right to make The Duskbloods. We’d be more blown away if we were hardcore PvP players—here, we recognize the talent without feeling like part of the target audience. We’ll reassess at launch.

Rating: 7/10 (provisional, network test) · To remember:The Duskbloods is FromSoftware’s high-stakes PvP gamble on Switch 2—fascinating but potentially disorienting for solo Soulsborne fans. · For whom: Confirmed PvP players and those curious to see FromSoftware step boldly outside its comfort zone.