By far one of the most critically acclaimed and most popular entries in the Souls-like genre has to be Dark Souls 3. This game took all of the good aspects of previous entries in the series and tweaked them to be even better than they were before, and even dropped a lot of the negative aspects of Dark Souls 2. Dark Souls 3 is definitely a game that will be played for many years to come.
Despite this there are quite a few players out there who are probably growing tired of what the base version of Dark Souls 3 has to offer. For those players there best option is to start modding the game however they wish. Mods can add all kinds of fun and interesting aspects to games, and the Dark Souls 3 community has provided many different mods for players to experiment with. This guide shows players the best mods available right now and how to install them.
Dark Souls 3 - How to Install Mods
From Software does not officially support modding for Dark Souls 3, and are actually very much against the concept. In the past this made modding the game fairly difficult, but thanks to significant work by the community it is now easier than ever to add mods to the game. Players should keep in mind that installing mods is technically against the user agreement for Dark Souls 3, and they can technically be banned from online servers if mods are detected in their game while online. More than this though players should not use mods that give them an unfair advantage over players anyway just to be polite. The best practice is to just stay offline when using mods anyway.
Those who do want to mod the game though should first make their way over to Nexus Mods and set up an account for free. Once here they will be able to download the DS3 Mod Engine. This addition to the game will make downloading and installing mods an incredibly simple process. All players have to do is download the Mod Engine and copy its files inside the same folder that the DarkSouls3.exe file is in. Players than just have to follow the Mod Engine's instructions to set its directory to whatever folder they will be putting their mods in.
Mods are also very easy to install. With the DS3 Mod Engine installed all players will need to do is download the mod and then extract it into their new Mods folder. Those who don't want to use Mod Engine will have to put in a little bit of extra work, but each one will come with its own instructions telling the player exactly what folder to extract to and what files might need editing.
Dark Souls 3 - Best Mods to Install
- Comfort Mod: This mod may seem blasphemous to the majority of hardcore Dark Souls players, but it makes the game much easier for those who are having loads of trouble with it. Basically, it changes the stats of two different items in the game: the Life Ring and Covetous Silver Serpent Ring. These two rings will grant players things like more HP, more souls gained per kill, and even HP and mana regeneration. Perfect for newcomers who need to challenge to be cut down a little.
- iGP11: Dark Souls 3 is definitely one of the best looking From Software games, but, as modders will tell you, there is always some room for improvement. Those who want to make the game look better or replace textures in the game with more interesting or sillier components will want to install iGP11 as soon as they possibly can. It allows the player to experiment with the textures and graphics themselves, but a huge portion of other texture mods require it as well. The best bet is to download it before any other mods.
- Hunter's Combat: Bloodborne managed to bring the Souls series even further into the mainstream, and so many players played that game first before Dark Souls 3. That means that many players were shocked to find the differences between the two game's combat systems. This fixes that problem by replacing the Dark Souls 3 combat mechanics with that of Bloodborne. Players will be able to use trick weapons, visceral attacks, and even gun parry to bring their enemies down with this mod.
- Ten New Classes: One of the biggest things that begin to grow old over time with the Dark Souls games is the limited amount of classes that players have access to. This mod completely rectifies that problem by adding in ten entirely new classes for the player to select. Each one will come with their own stats, starting equipment, and cosmetic look so they are a perfect way to make the game feel a little fresher.
- StraySouls: One of the best things for those who have played Dark Souls 3 a thousand times is to add a little bit of randomization to the game. This mod will completely randomize all the enemies in the game every time that you play, so every single game will be different than the last. This also works for bosses as well and it also allows for enemies to be multiplied too. This is definitely a hardcore challenge.
- Challenge Mods Pack: This pack of mods can add some ridiculous and wacky challenges to the game. There are ten separate mods included in this pack and each one makes the game more difficult in their own ways. One triggers the first-person mode for players that will severely limit their view, another can adjust the player's size and therefore their hitbox, and another still can edit the enemy stats to make them drastically more difficult.
- Cinders: This mod is basically THE Dark Souls 3 mod. This was specifically created for players who had seen everything that the game had to offer and found themselves needing more. Cinders change the vast majority of the game. For example, it alters the progression through each of the game's areas, new enemy and boss stats and placements, altered weapons and armor sets, brand new classes, and a slew of other changes to the game.
- Item Randomizer and Auto Equip: This mod changes Dark Souls 3 into a roguelike game effectively. Every item drop and pick up in the game has now become randomized, so players will never know what they are picking up. There is also an option to turn on Auto Equip with this mod as well which will automatically equip any weapon that has been picked up to the player's hand. This forces players to think hard before picking up an item cause they never know if it will be something useful or an absolutely worthless weapon.
- Champion's Ashes: This mod is another pretty significant overhaul to Dark Souls 3, but has more of a focus on the combat system in particular. With this mod players will be given brand new attacks and combos, new weapons and armor sets to experiment with, and even additional combat mechanics that can really change the flow of a fight.
- Pocket Souls: For all of the Pokemon fans out there, this mod lets players play Dark Souls 3 in a completely new way. By using Abyssal Flasks the player can capture 56 of the game's different enemies and then use them to fight against other foes. By leveling up players will be able to capture stronger creatures to use against the more powerful enemies in the game.
Dark Souls 3 can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.