Duskbloods retains the most iconic feature as Souls (Non-combat!)

Duskbloods is another radical departure from FromSoftware after the company delved into live multiplayer Elden Ring Nightreign. But while the audience can merge Nightreign and Duskbloods due to their always-online, PvE(vP) nature, such comparisons ignore how new Duskbloods it really is.

Elden Ring Nightreign is finally an Elden Ring spin-off; Duskbloods is a brand new, original world from FromSoftware that has been in development since at least 2019. This timeline suggests that Duskbloods was actively developed before the success of the formation of the industry Elden Ringand before positive acceptance Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The importance of this historical context is as follows: Duskbloods it's not purely a reaction to FromSoft's recent successes, nor an attempt to build on something similar Nightreign. All signs point to the game being a fresh and ambitious project from FromSoftware, potentially the company's most significant release since Elden Ring. As such, its narrative and tone are just as important as its combat and exploration.

How blood history and fate work in Duskbloods

The Duskbloods lore will be nothing to sneeze at

In typical FromSoftware fashion, current promotional materials for Duskbloods doing little to explain his true story. However, from the trailers and interviews, it can be seen that the game will follow a clan of vampiric beings known as the Bloodsworn. Twilight blood. These Bloodsworn will compete across space and time to obtain First Blood, a substance associated with an event called the Twilight of Mankind that signals the end of the human race.

Lore in The Duskbloods will be delivered unconventionally

FromSoftware games, especially those directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, deliver their stories in a unique and blunt way. While there is some footage, it's almost always vague, abstract, and open to interpretation: the characters don't have normal conversations and instead speak in poetic, opaque monologues. The best lore insights come from environmental clues, enemy locations, and especially item descriptions.

Specifics DuskbloodsThe item economy has yet to be revealed, but Miyazaki has suggested that the game will use the same basic narrative strategies. Speaking to Nintendo, the director said:

“One thing I like to do in any game I direct is leave scraps of lore and world-building details, allowing the player to use their imagination to make connections. Duskbloods in this he is no exception.”

He went on to say that the character customization that will take place in the hub area will be framed as changing the “blood history and fate of one of the protagonists”. This process can lead to changes in a character's appearance or abilities, but also “intrinsic characteristics of the role they play in the world and their relationships with other characters”.

Blood History and Destiny and FromSoftware are changing things up

In the same interview, Miyazaki would eventually describe Duskbloods” narrative as “sketchy”. This certainly sounds like typical FromSoft storytelling, but the protagonist-centric nature of blood history and destiny makes this style fundamentally different. Simply put, the lore fragments in FromSoftware's previous games are usually about the world around the player character; DuskbloodsFragments of lore can relate to the player characters themselves.

What blood history and destiny can mean for Duskbloods

A character's “blood history and destiny” could literally correspond to their own story, but since the Bloodsworn derive their powers from “special blood”, it is also possible that the blood history and destiny refer to the lineage of those who have been granted the same blood as the character. This would be similar Vampire: The Masquerade's lore: each of the IP's six vampire clans is defined by blood continuity, with the six blood types corresponding to the six ancient vampires.

That would explain the “history” part, but not so much the “fate” part. But with consideration Twilight Blood's time-hopping premise, it's not too much of a stretch to assume that this “fate” refers to future events. With no time constraints, and with the variety that comes from so many playable characters, Blood History and Destiny could lead to a complex and expansive lore, both in terms of character story and world building. Hopefully incorporating this lore information into the customization system will make it easier to digest compared to other FromSoft stories.

It remains to be seen how Blood History and Destiny will differ from FromSoftware's traditional progression, lore and customization. These three systems have historically been linked in previous ARPGs by developers, but never in such a personal, character-specific context. Duskbloods it seems to be getting more interesting every day; here's hoping FromSoft's continued experimentation pays off.