The Duskbloods Hands-On: FromSoftware's PvPvE Puts Virtue Before Victory
The Duskbloods reframes FromSoftware's approach to online play, using a board-game-like Virtue system to let players win without direct PvP skill, a deliberate departure from the extraction-shooter format the term PvPvE usually implies.
Key Facts
- The Duskbloods network test runs from August 21 to 24, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2.
- The game supports up to 8 players in a PvPvE format, with matches divided into 4 phases.
- The network test includes 6 playable characters, while the full version will have over 10 character bases.
- Virtue points determine survival across phases, with the final battle being a three-way duel or a PvE boss fight.
- The game is directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki and is scheduled for release on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.
Reporting from 7 sources: 4Gamer.net, GAME Watch (Impress), Denfaminicogamer, Automaton, and 3 more.
FromSoftware's new Nintendo Switch 2 action game The Duskbloods, directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, holds a network test from August 21 to 24, 2026. Ahead of that, media hands-on sessions and a group interview with Miyazaki revealed the game's core loop. In The Duskbloods, up to 8 players compete across four phases, earning victory points called Virtue to survive elimination. Virtue comes from defeating enemies, looting items, completing events, and, within designated Ritual Grounds, defeating other players. Outside those areas, PvP yields little benefit, so the game emphasizes strategy over direct combat skill. Players choose from six fixed characters in the network test, each with unique melee and ranged weapons, bloodline arts, and mobility options including air jumps and dashes. The full version will add customization and over 10 character bases. Miyazaki confirmed the game is not an extraction shooter and that PvPvE was a loose label. He also said the final battle can be PvE against a boss, and that ranked matches and seasons are planned.
- Albert: an orthodox vampire swordsman, the tutorial character, fights with a saber, machine gun, and blood-blade projectiles.
- Yang of the Bloody Hand: axe and fire user, "a person in pajamas," relies on a rapid-dodge bloodline art despite heavy openings.
- Tan Lan: throws the dual-purpose Moon Ring Blade like a chakram, has a stealth bloodline art, and can turn nearby regular enemies into minions all at once.
- Layla the Sniper: katar melee plus a sniper rifle, "can also pull out a machine gun from her body like a jack-in-the-box"; her long lock-on range makes her strong against NPCs.
- Elder Samir-Patres: rapier, spirit-bird ring, blood swamp, and a bloodline art that transforms him into a dinosaur; in the test he carried the "Fleeting Love" Brand.
- Zoke: diving suit, undersea cable, spear gun, missiles, and a human-rocket charge; one Automaton writer calls him "robot-like," and Miyazaki cited him as the clearest example of the game's broad vampire design.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 7 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- 4Gamer.net ［プレイレポ］フロムの謎に包まれた新作アクション「The Duskbloods」は，要素が盛りだくさんすぎ。対人だけではない自由度の高い戦略性が楽しい
- GAME Watch (Impress) Switch2「ダスクブラッド」試遊レポ！ 対人苦手でも“最後の3人”になれる。PvEもあればPvPもあるフロム新作に期待
- Denfaminicogamer 『ダスクブラッド』ネットワークテスト第2回はこのあと11時より開始。最大8人で戦うマルチプレイPvPvEアクションゲーム。プレイヤーはそれぞれ特徴的なキャラを選択し「始まりの血」を巡る壮絶な戦いに身を投じる
- Automaton フロム・ソフトウェア新作『ダスクブラッド』先行プレイ感想。団結したり、戦ったり恋したり、“フロム流”すぎるまったく新しいPvPvE
- Inside フロムのSwitch 2新作『The Duskbloods』宮崎英高氏インタビュー(後編)「変なゲームだと思います。そこも含めて楽しんでもらえたら」
- GameBusiness.jp フロム新作『The Duskbloods』は「上手い人だけが楽しめるゲームにはしたくない」―PvPvEを選んだ理由を語る宮崎英高氏インタビュー
- Game Spark フロム新作『The Duskbloods』ネットワークテスト初日は中止に―サーバー障害復旧せず、今後の実施は改めてお知らせ