Latest version: 1.6.3

Version 1.6 introduced some major updates:

• You may be invaded by random NPCs. (For technical/aesthetic reasons, they don't glow red like regular invaders.)
• Weapon stats are now more varied and balanced.
• Some enemies will patrol their environment.
• Enemy attack speeds are not randomized by default. They can be randomized and re-randomized with a separate command.
  

1.6.3 bug fix:

• Game no longer crashes after a certain number of runs (invader flag bug).
  
  

1.6.2 minor fixes:

• Fixed an issue with choosing the game installation directory.
  
  

1.6.1 minor fixes:

• Fixed the `randomize-enemy-attack-speeds` command.
• Removed Grim-specific config file, so you can specify your own game directory.
  

1.6 minor fixes:

• Alvina's Ring restored. It is available if you have the Lordvessel.
• LobosJr's Ring now also increases enemy variety and rarity.
• All status ailments, including curse and egg, are healed whenever a run ends.
• Rare enemy appearance fixed in New Londo Ruins.
• Enemies will not appear too close to your spawn point in each level.
• Player stats can't increase above 99.
• Abyss bosses award more souls.
• NG+ enemy health boost reduced.
• Bosses won't repeat in a run. (They may still appear in the Abyss.)
• Moonlight Butterfly boss now awards souls.
• Vagrants appear less often.
• Drakes have less defense.
• Key items no longer drop multiple times in a run.
• Enemy visual effects are missing less often.
• Spells won't have zero casts.
• Various small bug/typo fixes.
  

If you like my mod projects or my YouTube modding tutorials, please consider supporting me on Patreon! Any support is greatly appreciated, and I have some neat bonus previews and other benefits for Patrons. <3

Roguelike Souls overhauls the Dark Souls experience entirely by replacing the game's progression with a roguelike system not unlike The Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells. In each "run" through Lordran, you are tasked with conquering a semi-random sequence of levels containing random enemy types in completely random positions (not just existing enemy positions), fresh random loot, and random bosses, as well as a few other random events and risk/reward scenario. You can also create one bonfire per level, anywhere you want.

If you die five times, your progress in that run will be lost and you will be sent back to Firelink Shrine to start anew. Allies you rescue (from fixed locations) will permanently reside at Firelink to provide gameplay-modifying bonuses, and certain game progression events will unlock more loot options, but nothing else will persist between journeys through Lordran.

In addition, every time you install the mod, a fresh set of procedurally-generated weapons, armor, and spells will be created as loot. You can also optionally use a separate command to randomize enemy animation speeds, with each animation potentially becoming slightly weaker + faster (up to a point) or stronger + slower. This can sometimes lead to particularly brutal foes who get lucky and have most of their attacks sped up, but you can just re-run the command if so.

This mod was created as a charity incentive for LobosJr for his St Jude charity event in May 2020, as a sequel to 2019's (very different) mod. My goal was to make something a little more replayable and attractive for a wider Souls audience, rather than another mod that was just fun to watch. I promised to release it in June if Lobos met his $200K goal, which his community smashed. I'd hoped to find time to add more content (e.g. invaders) before releasing it, but unfortunately I was quite sick throughout June and was lucky to fix the existing big issues for this under-the-gun release!

Come and discuss the mod in the dedicated channel in our Discord server if you'd like!

I hope you enjoy it! This was fun to make and a nice conceptual break for me from heavily scripted, story-based mods. Time to get back on that train...



This mod is for Dark Souls: Remastered only. It will likely never be released for Prepare to Die Edition, as the mod is both heavy on the old game engine and involves significantly memory management, but if you know what you're doing, you can take a look at the source code and try your luck making it compatible with PtDE.

Step 1: Ensure you have the latest version of Dark Souls: Remastered on Steam.

• I make no effort to support illegal copies of the game, and you may encounter serious issues if you attempt to use such a copy.
  

Step 2: Go offline on Steam and change your language to English.

• Unlike the original version of Dark Souls, large online mods are basically completely off-limits in Dark Souls: Remastered.
• I take no responsibility for what happens when you take this mod online, which will probably be a coop/invasion ban. You have been warned!
• The new and randomly generated item descriptions, prompts, etc. are only available in English.
  

Step 3: Unzip all files from the main zip (the ~200MB download) wherever you want.

• All files, including the Package subfolder, need to be kept in this subfolder.
  

Step 4: If a patch zip is available with a higher version, unzip that into the same folder and replace files.

• You only need to apply the latest patch zip (much smaller). None are currently needed for update 1.6.
  

Step 5: Run the executable and use the install command to install the mod.

• Read the full instructions in the executable first. There are a few commands to help you out for uninstalling (partially) and breaking softlocks.
  

Step 6: Run the executable and use the manager command (or just press Enter) to run the companion program.

• This program should always be active while you're playing the mod. An in-game message will appear if the connection to the program is lost, in which case see if an error is visible and let me know (or maybe you just closed it accidentally). If you do close it for whatever reason, you should be able to simply start the manager again without needing to quit your game or anything.
  

• AinTunez for his SoulsMod library, executable improvement, and other code contributions.
• TKGP for his PropertyHook, DSRGadget, and SoulsFormats libraries.
• katalash for his Map Studio 3D map editor.
• Meowmaritus for DS Anim Studio.
• HotPocketRemix for his EMEVD work and unpacked FSB work.
• thefifthmatt for his advice on random text generation.
• My friend Rory for his help designing the enemy animation randomizer algorithm.
• I also used my Soulstruct tool extensively, which you can check out and download here.
  

You can reach me here or on Discord as Grimrukh. Feel free to message me with anything! Note that I don't check my Reddit/Twitch messages often.

~ Grim