Dark Souls servers are finally coming back online

By Jesse Lennox May 27, 2022

After shutting down servers for all three Dark Souls titles on PC due to security issues, FromSoftware has finally spoken out and stated that it is already working on bringing the games back online.

Initially turned off due to an exploit being discovered in Dark Souls 3 that could allow malicious players to hack into other players’ computers, FromSoftware claimed this would be a temporary server outage until the launch of Elden Ring. However, over three months later, we only just now have gotten an update on the issue. First claimed by a Reddit user, and then confirmed by PCGamer, FromSoftware says that online play will be returning to Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 soon.

In an email to PCGamer, FromSoftware stated: “We are currently in the process of restoring the online servers for the Dark Souls series on PC. We plan to restore online service for each game progressively, bringing back servers for Dark Souls 3 once we complete the necessary work to correct the problem. We will provide additional updates as soon as the restoration schedule is finalized. We want to thank all our players for your patience and understanding as we work to fix this issue.”

While it doesn’t give any exact dates, or even a time frame, for when servers will come back online, this is the first time the studio has officially acknowledged the issue since the shutdown in early February. It seems like Dark Souls 3 will be the first game to be brought back online, with the other two to follow sometime later.

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Elden Ring’s first significant post-launch content is a PvP Colosseum

Four players fight in an Elden Ring colosseum.

Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware have confirmed that multiple PvP Colosseums will be added to Elden Ring as part of an update on December 7.
Although Elden Ring is the best-selling and most critically acclaimed game of 2022, its post-launch patches have primarily been focused on balance tweaks and bug fixes. Update 1.08, which drops on December 7, changes that by adding a new way for players to duel each other. Colosseums will now appear in Limgrave, Leyndell, and Caelid, where players can face off against each other. There will be three match types: 1v1 duels, 3v3 team fights, and free-for-alls where only one player can come out on top.
The update will be free to Elden Ring owners across all platforms, and a new trailer gives us a look at these new arenas and the fights that take place within them.
ELDEN RING | Free Colosseum Update Trailer
The Colosseums look like fun places for players to test new character builds, show their builds off to others, and test their skills against really experienced players. It seems like this is strictly PvP-focused content though, so players yearning for more single-player content of DLC won't be satiated just yet. Still, this is one of our first very clear indications that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment are interested in adding significant, brand-new content to Elden Ring, which is a good sign.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The Colosseums will be added as part of Elden Ring Update 1.08, which is set to release on December 7.

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Dark Souls Remastered PC servers are back online for the first time since January

A player looks at messages in Dark Souls.

Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware have finally restored online functionality for Dark Souls Remastered on PC today. The game's PC servers have been offline since January of this year when a dangerous exploit was discovered.
The PC versions of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition, Dark Souls Remastered, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 had a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability, which in the worst cases could potentially allow someone to take control of another Dark Souls player's PC. To prevent that from happening, Bandai Namco and FromSoftware shut down online servers for all four games on January 23. A statement a couple of weeks later claimed that "online services for the Dark Souls series on PC will not resume until after the release of Elden Ring," but the wait ended up being much longer than expected.
Dark Souls 3 servers weren't back online until August, over seven months after the initial shutdown, while Dark Souls 2's online functionality wasn't restored until October. Now, Dark Souls Remastered's online features are finally live again, so PC players can leave messages, summon their friends, or invade other players' worlds again. Unfortunately, one version of the original Dark Souls on PC won't get its online features back.
https://twitter.com/DarkSoulsGame/status/1590286846465933312
In October, Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware confirmed that online functionality for Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition (the original PC release) will never be restored. "We have determined that we will not be able to support online services for the PC version of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition that was released in 2012, due to an aging system," a tweet explains. "We apologize for the long wait and ask for your understanding in this matter. Our sincere thanks to the people who have been playing Dark Souls since its launch."
Regardless, Dark Souls fans can take solace in the fact that the wait is finally over, and versions of all 3 Dark Souls games can be played online on PC again.