After more than 100 hours with Elden Ring Nightreign, I approached The Duskbloods with enormous enthusiasm. FromSoftware’s new multiplayer action game appeared to offer a mix of player-versus-environment combat and player-versus-player encounters, which seemed ideal for someone inexperienced at FromSoftware PvP. The expectation was simple: explore, defeat bosses, build strength and perhaps survive the final confrontation, even without being an exceptional duellist.
The Network Test challenged that assumption. I enjoyed parts of the weekend, but I also lost repeatedly and found those defeats unusually difficult to enjoy. After nearly 10 hours, I was left unsure whether the finished game will better support players like me—or whether I should return to Nightreign.
A Network Test is a difficult way to judge the full game
The test itself created several limitations. I normally play Nightreign in a trio with my partner and a close friend, but The Duskbloods is designed around solo and duo play. We hoped we could at least enter the same matches and compete, yet the Network Test did not provide a reliable way to queue together. Occasionally, we entered at the same time, found one another and formed temporary alliances, but that was inconsistent.
Those shared moments were easily among my best experiences. Working together to gather virtue, protect a pledge and defeat bosses captured the appeal of a world where cooperation and competition happen simultaneously. Spending the weekend unable to experience that consistently with friends, however, made the test feel much less inviting. Whether the launch version will allow groups to coordinate in this way remains unclear.
The test also offered one map and six playable characters. I needed time to find a character that suited me, eventually settling on Trang Lanh, particularly when paired with a Kin NPC that could absorb attention or distract enemies. The test’s selection of bosses, enemies and events also appeared deliberately restricted. The full game is expected to launch with three maps and 10 characters, but if the variety of encounters and activities is not substantially broader, matches could become repetitive very quickly.
After only a few hours, many rounds began to feel alike. That repetition made the frequent losses more demoralising, because each defeat often seemed to follow the same pattern rather than teach me something new. For more gaming coverage, explore RETROCADE’s Arcade Blog and arcade videos.
The PvE route was difficult to protect
I do not object to losing, and I am comfortable admitting that competitive multiplayer is not naturally my strength. What surprised me was how little opportunity I had to benefit from the game’s PvE systems before other players intervened.
The previews suggested that exploring and defeating bosses could help PvE-focused players gain enough power to compete later. That may be true in principle, but I was repeatedly attacked while trying to perform those activities. Other players would arrive, kill me, then take the virtue, flame or other reward I had been pursuing. Denying an opponent’s progress is a legitimate tactic, although there appeared to be limited incentive to hunt players outside Ritual Sites and certain Sigil objectives.
One encounter was particularly dispiriting: an opponent killed me, immediately teleported to my respawn location and eliminated me again before I had properly recovered. It was effective, but it did little to make the match feel welcoming to an inexperienced player.
Alliances were also awkward to establish. Players need to approach one another closely, yet a Kin companion may attack without being commanded. That could make the other player believe an attack had started, leading them to retaliate while I was still navigating menus. The result was a system intended to support cooperation that often created accidental hostility instead.
Ritual Sites pushed every match towards PvP
Ritual Sites appeared to shape the later stages of most rounds. These areas direct players towards objectives such as claiming stones, defending a pledge or eliminating rivals. By the end of the second and third phases, the chapel, clock tower and other locations often became concentrated PvP battlegrounds.
It was still possible to pursue a Trespasser boss or another activity, but doing so generally meant operating alone while everyone else fought at a Ritual Site. I eventually tried joining those confrontations, only to be defeated repeatedly. Across the entire test, I never reached the final Grail fight.
My most successful moment came when I defeated the “sworn enemy” assigned through a Sigil before they could kill me. Unfortunately, that victory prompted the opponent to pursue me for the remainder of the match, producing several more deaths. The system delivered a brief thrill, but the overall balance left little room for a cautious player to recover.
There is plenty to like beneath the frustration
The Duskbloods is not without strengths. Movement is fast and enjoyable, with quadruple jumps and an impressive air dash that make traversal feel wonderfully expressive. Playing as the Senator and tearing through enemies in dinosaur form was a highlight, while Layla offered the satisfaction of unloading bullets into distant bosses.
The presentation is equally striking. Character designs, Trespasser bosses and environments all have a strong visual identity, and exploration rewarded curiosity with hidden locations such as underground ruins and the upper room of the clock tower. Many Kin partners were memorable too, especially the ferocious wolf and the relentlessly irritating Marlowe. The Baritone, however, tested my patience.
Most importantly, the underlying concept remains compelling: a FromSoftware action game in which several players occupy the same world, sometimes cooperating and sometimes competing, often doing both at once. That is exactly the kind of unusual multiplayer structure I want to enjoy.
Launch improvements could change the outlook
The Network Test was designed primarily to assess the online infrastructure, not to provide a complete representation of the finished product. After the first session, the connections generally worked well. Even so, the test was also an opportunity to show players enough of the experience to build confidence ahead of release, and my own sessions were not consistently enjoyable.
Several unanswered questions could make a meaningful difference. The full game may allow story progress despite repeated losses, which would give each failed run a clearer sense of purpose. A launch character might also suit my playstyle better. Skill-based matchmaking could place me against players closer to my level, while an established meta might encourage experienced competitors to leave explorers alone during the early phases.
Being able to queue with friends would also change the experience considerably. Even if we lost, shared adventures could provide the motivation missing from the test. With time, I may also learn strategies for collecting virtue while avoiding direct encounters. There are many possible improvements, but they remain possibilities rather than assurances.
Ultimately, practice may close some of the gap between me and players who have spent years mastering this style of PvP. The challenge is finding enough enjoyment in defeat to remain motivated. If inexperienced players leave, the remaining community could become increasingly competitive and intimidating.
I will still try The Duskbloods at launch. However, the Network Test drained much of my initial excitement for its vampire battle-royale premise. Whether the final release restores that enthusiasm will depend on its variety, matchmaking, progression systems and ability to make cooperation feel as worthwhile as competition. If you are comparing interactive entertainment for a games room, RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide is a useful place to start, alongside the range of arcade machines.
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