A new mod for Dark Souls 3 might be the closest thing gamers get to playing some form of Bloodborne 2 for a long time, but it looks pretty great. Despite the popularity of Bloodborne, developer FromSoftware hasn't really gone into much detail about what, if anything, they're planning for Bloodborne 2, instead choosing to focus on their more recently-created IPs like the notoriously difficult Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the upcoming RPG Elden Ring.
Despite the knowledge that the game world of Elden Ring was co-created by George R. R. Martin (of The Winds of Winter and other Game of Thrones novels fame) and the fact that it will be more fantasy and RPG-focused than previous FromSoftware titles, not terribly much is known about Elden Ring. The upcoming game will, however, feature the same musical composer from both Dark Souls 3 and Bloodborne, and those two games have also combined in another, more immediately tangible way in the form of a fan-created mod.
As recently reported on by PC Gamer, the new Hunter's Combat mod for Dark Souls 3 looks like the closest thing to a Bloodborne 2 players have a chance of experiencing anytime soon, and although it's not fully finished it still looks pretty impressive. The mod for Dark Souls 3 adds in trick weapons from Bloodborne, and although right now it only has two of them (with Bloodborne's Threaded Cane weapon being featured in the YouTube video below) PC Gamer reports that the mod's creator, Forsakensilver, is planning to release more weapons in future updates, including the Hunter's Axe. Check it out:
Despite its unfinished nature, the Hunter's Combat mod for Dark Souls 3 still looks like a pretty good recreation of Bloodborne's fighting styles, down to the inclusion of the game's gun parry and follow-up visceral attacks. Even for players very familiar with Dark Souls 3, the inclusion of such drastic combat changes is sure to make the game feel like a fresh experience, even though it will likely come with some serious balancing issues when it comes to certain boss fights.
With FromSoftware seemingly singularly focused on crafting the world of Elden Ring, there is no telling when players may get a chance to return to the twisted, Lovecraftian universe of Bloodborne in a sequel, but this Hunter's Combat mod is the next closest thing. It's also the only chance some PC players may have to experience the different fighting styles offered by Bloodborne's Hunters, since the original game is still a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Until Bloodborne 2 is announced, likely after the development of Elden Ring has completed, those players anxious to get their trick weapon parries back should check out this mod for Dark Souls 3... but try not to gain too much insight while doing so.
Source: PC Gamer, Alan Z. (张适水)/YouTube