Dark Souls was an excellent title. Gamers who wanted more from this series would've been elated at the prospect of a sequel that would bring forth more of the same interconnected level design and perfectly tailored difficulty. However, while Dark Souls II was a great game in its own right, most people are of the opinion that it's the weakest Soulsborne game around, mainly due to a lack of input from Hidetaka Miyazaki himself.
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Thankfully, this wasn't the case with Dark Souls III. Miyazaki came into the picture once again to craft a brilliant title that would embody everything that made the first game in the trilogy great. It also integrated modern nuances to make combat and gameplay all the more satisfying. Dark Souls III was a massive treat for PC players, since they could use the magic of mods to alter the game in new and interesting ways. Keeping this in mind, here are ten of the best mods that PC players can install in their copy of Dark Souls III.
Updated on June 28th, 2021 by Ritwik Mitra: Dark Souls III is one of the greatest video games of all time, and serves as a fitting conclusion to this legendary trilogy. The game is full to the brim with intense multiplayer action, awe-inspiring boss fights, exemplary level design, and enemy encounters that will keep players on the edge of their seats. As is the case with any popular game that's released on PC, there are a bevy of mods that can enhance the overall experience considerably.
15 Incandescent ReShade 2.0
For the most part, Dark Souls III is a stellar title with an atmosphere that is absolutely dripping with menace and unease. To expect a reshade that alters the lighting and graphical elements of the game feels downright criminal, due to the stellar work that's already on display.
However, out of all the DS3 mods players can get to reshade their game, this one treats the original work with the most respect. The touches this reshade makes are fairly minor. They end up enhancing all the elements that were already great in the original lighting, instead of trying to add its own spin.
14 Honest Merchant
This is one of the best Dark Souls 3 mods from a completely utilitarian point of view. The Honest Merchant mod adds a character to the game that allows players to get all the items they need for a fair price. It's perfect for players who want to revisit the game without having to waste any time grinding for valuable items.
This mod isn't recommended for first-time players, who should check out the vanilla experience first before delving into these mods. Don't worry about being banned from online play either; this mod doesn't raise any red flags in this regard.
13 Hunter's Combat
For people who wanted Dark Souls III to have more of a Bloodborne feel in terms of combat, Hunter's Combat is the perfect mod for them.
This mod allows players to essentially utilize the firearm parry and visceral attacks present in Bloodborne, along with the use of four trick weapons — the Threaded Cane, Ludwig's Holy Blade, Saw Cleaver, and the Rakuyo. This transforms the experience gamers would enjoy while playing Dark Souls.
12 DS3 Ascended Mod RPG
The Ascended Mod for the Soulsborne games is something that is pretty popular in the community, with this particular mod for Dark Souls III being quite engaging in that regard.
While there's a normal version of the mod that can be applied to augment the game's difficulty slightly, the real challenge comes from Ascended Mode. In this mode, Dark Souls III becomes a challenging gauntlet that will definitely frustrate players who aren't able to deal with the level of difficulty in this mod.
11 Item Randomizer And Auto-Equip
Randomizers are pretty common mods present across most of the Soulsborne games on the PC. The Item Randomizer in particular makes for a pretty entertaining mod to install in Dark Souls III.
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In fact, this mod also has an optional feature of auto-equipping certain items onto the player. This can make for a much-needed quality-of-life improvement for anyone who likes experimenting around with each and every weapon, shield, armor, or anything else along the same lines in Dark Souls.
10 Pocket Souls
The thought of using the enemies of Dark Souls like Pokémon sounds like an absolutely ridiculous idea. However, one can't deny that there's definitely some level of entertainment to be enjoyed with such a tactic.
This is exactly what the mod Pocket Souls aims to accomplish. The mod brings a whole new level of interactivity with the enemies of Dark Souls by allowing players to capture them using Abyssal Souls — the mod's take on Pokéballs — and unleashing them on enemies in the game.
9 BloodSouls Judgement of Ash
The impact that Bloodborne had on the fanbase was immense, Many consider it the greatest title that Miyazaki has worked on to date. It's only a given that the modding community would strive to see this PlayStation-exclusive title reflected in their mods for the PC Soulsborne titles as well.
This can be seen in BloodSouls Judgement of Ash, one of the best DS3 mods. It may still be in its alpha stage, but still boasts enough content to put most other overhaul mods to shame. The fact that the mod creator is creating a new area for this mod as well should be well enough to illustrate the sheer scale of it. Players can't wait to see what the final build has to offer.
8 Wex Dust
Invading the worlds of other players and dueling with them is one of the biggest highlights in Dark Souls 3. However, what makes the act of invading a player annoying is that players can only invade others in the area they currently reside in.
Thankfully, with the Wex Dust mod, this problem will become a thing of the past. This excellent Dark Souls 3 mod ensures that any player can be invaded regardless of their location. This is a source of massive relief for players who get irritated at the idea of having to move around the map in order to invade other players.
7 Dark Souls 3 Infinite Possibilities Megamule
Making builds in Dark Souls 3 can be a rather stifling experience. Players are often forced to go down a certain path after they've invested a fair bit in any one of the many stats present in the game. As a result, players who want to experiment in Dark Souls 3 might be unable to do so.
Thankfully, the Dark Souls 3 Infinite Possibilities Megamule mod is here to save the day. This mod adds numerous saves with a bunch of diverse characters. This allows players to try out the builds they want without ruining their main save.
6 Blue Sentinel
Fighting players online is a source of huge enjoyment for Dark Souls players. Unfortunately, hackers — a persistent problem in Soulsborne games — can suck the fun out of this experience. To prevent these cheaters from ruining a player's experience, the Blue Sentinel mod can be a saving grace.
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This mod allows players to detect any cheaters that they're dueling with. They can then either boot them completely (if they're an invader) or disconnect (if they're the ones who have invaded). It might seem like a simple function; however, any player who's been harassed by cheaters time and time again can attest to the fact that the Blue Sentinel mod has the makings of one of the top Dark Souls 3 mods.
5 Dark Souls 3 Enemy Randomizer
Item Randomizers might be entertaining enough to integrate into the world of Dark Souls III. But even more interestingly, the game truly becomes a wholly different and unpredictable beast once an enemy randomizer is added to the mix as well.
With the Dark Souls 3 Enemy Randomizer mod, players will be able to experience a wholly unique run. Everything from enemies to even bosses get switched around to surprise players at every step of their journey across the kingdom of Lothric.
4 Champion's Ashes
The combat of Dark Souls III is one of its biggest highlights, but players who've played this title for hundreds of hours might eventually get bored of the experience after a point. Thankfully, by installing the Champion's Ashes mod, this boredom can become a thing of the past.
Champion's Ashes overhaults the combat system to a massive degree. This allows players to try out a whole host of new movesets that will certainly make for a fresh yet familiar experience, especially in PVP.
3 Challenge Mods
The Challenge Mods are a set of modifications for Dark Souls. Players can tweak them as per their convenience to allow for a whole host of unique scenarios and — fittingly enough — challenges.
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What makes this mod pack so popular is the fact that it has a script that essentially allows players to summon Stands of enemy characters. This turns the game into a massive JoJo reference that is an absolute blast to play through.
2 The Convergence
This is another mod that is very much a work-in-progress. Yet, sheer amount of systems that have been overhauled in The Convergence mean that this mod deserves a ton of credit as is.
Maps have been reworked, and new spells and weapons have been added. The mod also adds some new bosses that serve up an interesting challenge as well.
1 Cinders
Of course, it would be impossible to rank the mods of Dark Souls III without mentioning one particular modification that has become legendary for all the right reasons — Cinders.
This mod is the biggest and most radical overhaul for Dark Souls III. What makes it even greater is the fact that none of these changes feel unfair in any sense. If anything, Cinders doesn't aim to make the game difficult or challenging. Rather, the main aim is to enable a fresh and unique experience for players who already know Dark Souls III from the inside out.