Dark Souls is easily one of the important video games released in the modern era. The game single-handedly proved a solid and decisive point that most gaming studios at the time were failing to understand — that there was definitely a viable market for hardcore AAA video games that wouldn’t hold a player’s hand at every step of the way and actually treated them like rational adults. Dark Souls was — and still is — a raging phenomenon that has birthed a genre in itself, while simultaneously becoming a common comparison when it comes to analyzing difficulty in video games.
While its release on the PC was marred with controversy — and a ton of optimization issues — patches have somewhat improved the overall experience. However, to really make the most of playing Dark Souls on the PC, consider the following mods.
While the release of Dark Souls on PC was a bit of a disaster early on, enough fixes and patches have arrived to turn the game into a stable experience on the platform. This, coupled with the host of mods available for the game, has arguably turned the PC version of Dark Souls into the best way to experience this legendary title. Here are some great mods that players can download for the game to augment their experience considerably.
How To Install Mods For Dark Souls
The process for installing Dark Souls mods is pretty similar to most other games on PC. Players need to ensure that they read the instructions of every mod before opting for a download, otherwise, the installation process can seem more cumbersome than required. Modding might seem like a complicated process, but all it involves is ensuring that the files are placed in the proper location.
Most mods require players to overwrite certain files, with texture mods being a great example of the same. In this case, players should definitely create a backup of the files they’re planning to overwrite. It might seem like fairly obvious advice, but there are many players who end up overwriting files incorrectly, leading to everything from incorrect visual artifacts to the dreaded crashes on startup.
The most important thing a player should keep in mind while downloading mods is researching what they alter or overhaul and wondering if such mods are even required in their playthrough. A player’s mileage can vary for almost every mod, and not all the fan content available for the game (regardless of its quality and popularity) will fit in with the player’s definition of fun.
15 Improved Normal Arrows
For the most part, players would stick to the melee combat of Dark Souls, which feels like the most approachable and least complex way to dish out some serious damage against the game’s many enemies. However, in doing so, some people fail to realize the viability of some of the other playstyles that players can explore in the game.
One really useful way to attack enemies without putting the Chosen Undead in harm’s way is by using ranged attacks. A bow is pretty helpful in this regard, even though it might not be the most exciting way to approach combat in this game. Regardless, it’s a viable strategy that players can pursue if they’re struggling with this game.
So, it can be rather underwhelming to see just how lackluster the arrows look in the game when they’re shot towards enemies. It’s a minor complaint, but players who want to address it can do so with the Improved Normal Arrows mod. It’s a simple mod that actually adds in textures for arrows of different kinds in the game, which makes for a small yet welcome change for fans who want their ranged build to be a bit more visually exciting as well.
14 Lava Eyesore Fix
Dark Souls might be an excellent title, but the experience does end up wavering a bit over the latter half of the game. A huge offender in this regard is the lava areas, which look ugly, feature uninspired encounters, and house the worst boss in the entire series.
While there’s not a ton that can be done for the last two points, players can at least make the lava look better with this mod. It’s a small change, but anything that makes the lava areas of Dark Souls bearable is a must-have.
13 Thanks Obama
The first mod that we should definitely give due props to is a hilarious running gag in the Dark Souls fandom that has become quite legendary in its own right.
With this mod, one thing is guaranteed — regardless of the frustrating manner in which a person may die in the game, the player will definitely chuckle once the words “THANKS OBAMA” pop up on the screen.
12 Mouse Fix
For the most part, players recommend the use of a controller to play Dark Souls. However, if players want to use the keyboard and mouse controls to play the game instead, then this mod is crucial to avoid any needless frustrations.
After all, the default keyboard and mouse controls for Dark Souls are quite lacking. With this small mod, players will get more options to customize the controls of Dark Souls.
11 High-Res UI And Subtitle Fonts
Dark Souls is an excellent game, but the title has certainly aged quite a bit. The UI is a great example of this — it might do its job, but there’s no denying that this interface can seem ugly at times.
This mod adds a small fix that increases the resolution of the UI’s elements. It also increases the resolution of the subtitle fonts as well, which is a minor yet welcome change.
10 Highly Visible Health Bars
While the health bars in Dark Souls are visible for the most part, there are times when guarding an enemy’s health can get somewhat hard due to the dark environments.
With this mod on, players can easily see the damage they’ve done, regardless of how dimly lit the surroundings may be. Another great function in this mod is the fact that it has support for colorblind people — something that would definitely be welcome in a time when accessibility options in modern games are pretty much expected.
9 Dark Souls Item Randomizer
For players who want their playthrough of Dark Souls to be more unique, the Dark Souls Item Randomizer mod will definitely prove to be quite valuable in that regard.
This mod ends up shuffling treasures all over the world, making the act of opening each and every chest a gamble. This mod is highly customizable, allowing players to tweak a whole host of settings that can either make the game easier… or even more punishing.
8 Dark Souls Flora Overhaul
Dark Souls might be a brilliant game, but one has to admit that its graphics have definitely aged a bit. This can be seen in the flora of the game, which doesn’t really show the sort of quality one might expect from a modern title.
Thankfully, with the Dark Souls Flora Overhaul mod, these particular swaths of greenery can be improved when it comes to their overall quality, allowing players to enjoy a game with greater visual fidelity.
7 Andres Cranial Ember
One has to admit that the faces of Dark Souls aren’t exactly all that great to look at. They’re not necessarily an eyesore, but the plastic look feels a bit jarring to behold at times.
Thankfully, the Andres Cranial Ember mod provides a convenient solution to this by updating the heads in the game. Even the texture of the hollows are updated, which is a great addition as well.
6 Dark Souls HD Texture Pack
Dark Souls Remastered was a welcome announcement, but there are many people who were disappointed by the lackluster effort put into this remaster. Their major gripe stemmed from the fact that many mods for the original Dark Souls were superior in that regard… with this texture pack taking center stage.
With the application of one of the best mods for Dark Souls, the game will turn into a pristine and sharp-looking title that will definitely be eye-pleasing for most players… while they’re getting hacked to bits by enemies, that is.
5 Age Of Sunlight
Gameplay overhauls are pretty abundant in Dark Souls, but Age of Sunlight has the distinction of being a mod that was released quite recently but is already turning some heads.
Boasting a total of over 12,000 (!) changes to the game, Age of Sunlight is an ambitious attempt at overhauling the gameplay of Dark Souls in order to streamline and improve the overall experience of playing this brilliant game.
4 Dark Souls Enemy Randomizer
While the item randomizer is a great mod in its own right, Dark Souls truly becomes a wildly unpredictable game when players end up integrating an enemy randomizer into the mix as well.
All of a sudden, everything from normal enemies to full-blown bosses are completely randomized, making for a completely new experience that can be tailored somewhat according to a player’s specifications as well!
3 Prepare To Die Again — Of Ash And Dust
A lore-friendly mod that attempts to restore the cut content of the game and expand upon certain areas in order to bring a fresh yet familiar experience to players, Prepare To Die Again — Of Ash And Dust is one of the best Dark Souls 1 mods that no fan of Dark Souls should miss out on.
This mod can be the perfect way to play through Dark Souls another time in order to experience the game with what is essentially a fresh coat of paint.
2 Daughters Of Ash
Of Ash and Dust might be a lore-friendly experience, but the same can’t be said for Daughters of Ash. However, the sheer amount of ambition put into this mod makes it one of Dark Souls’ best mods for the game by a country mile.
Featuring new enemies, locations, items, characters, weapons, and even bosses — Daughters of Ash is an expansion that any fan of the vanilla Dark Souls experience should definitely try out.
1 DSfix
But of course, there was only one mod that could’ve come to the forefront as the best mod for Dark Souls, and something that players absolutely must install if they don’t want to get frustrated by their purchase of this game on the PC.
Featuring a host of features and improvements that end up fixing a ton of issues with the game while simultaneously improving its overall visual quality as well, DSfix is the best Dark Souls mod for anyone who wants the quintessential Dark Souls experience.
Dark Souls is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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