Latest main zip version: 1.3
Latest patch zip version: 1.5

• 1.5: Fixed Parasitic Wall Hugger drop, malfunctioning Catacombs ladder, insta-killed Demon Ruins boss, and nerfed NG+ significantly. Also prevented Quelaag and Centipede Demon from appearin as Depths bosses, as they seem to reliably cause crashes.
• See Changelogs above for full version history.
• NOTE: There's currently a typo in the program help function. The command for installing without random animations is install-no-anim, not install-noanim.

Roguelike Souls overhauls the Dark Souls experience entirely by replacing the game's progression with a roguelike system not unlike The Binding of Isaac or Dead Cells. In each "run" through Lordran, you are tasked with conquering a semi-random sequence of levels containing random enemy types in completely random positions (not just existing enemy positions), fresh random loot, and random bosses, as well as a few other random events and risk/reward scenario. You can also create one bonfire per level, anywhere you want.

If you die five times, your progress in that run will be lost and you will be sent back to Firelink Shrine to start anew. Allies you rescue (from fixed locations) will permanently reside at Firelink to provide gameplay-modifying bonuses, and certain game progression events will unlock more loot options, but nothing else will persist between journeys through Lordran.

In addition, every time you install the mod, a fresh set of procedurally-generated weapons, armor, and spells will be created as loot. By default, enemy animation speeds are also randomized, with each animation potentially becoming slightly weaker + faster (up to a point) or stronger + slower. This can sometimes lead to particularly brutal foes who get lucky and have most of their attacks sped up (the "Card Of" phenomenon), so you can either re-install the mod to roll the dice again, or use an installation option to disable enemy speed changes altogether.

This mod was created as a charity incentive for LobosJr for his St Jude charity event in May 2020, as a sequel to 2019's (very different) mod. My goal was to make something a little more replayable and attractive for a wider Souls audience, rather than another mod that was just fun to watch. I promised to release it in June if Lobos met his $200K goal, which his community smashed. I'd hoped to find time to add more content (e.g. invaders) before releasing it, but unfortunately I was quite sick throughout June and was lucky to fix the existing big issues for this under-the-gun release!

I may update this mod from time to time, as there are a lot of knobs to balance and a few remaining non-critical bugs to address (see below), but keep in mind that this will take time away from the big DoA-style team project I'm working on right now ;). Come and discuss the mod in the dedicated channel in the Daughters of Ash Discord server if you'd like.

I hope you enjoy it! This was fun to make and a nice conceptual break for me from heavily scripted, story-based mods. Time to get back on that train...



This mod is for Dark Souls: Remastered only. It will likely never be released for Prepare to Die Edition, as the mod is both heavy on the old game engine and involves significantly memory management, but if you know what you're doing, you can take a look at the source code and try your luck making it compatible with PtDE.

Step 1: Ensure you have the latest version of Dark Souls: Remastered on Steam.

• I make no effort to support illegal copies of the game, and you may encounter serious issues if you attempt to use such a copy.

Step 2: Go offline on Steam and change your language to English.

• Unlike the original version of Dark Souls, large online mods are basically completely off-limits in Dark Souls: Remastered.
• I take no responsibility for what happens when you take this mod online, which will probably be a coop/invasion ban. You have been warned!
• The new and randomly generated item descriptions, prompts, etc. are only available in English.

Step 3: Unzip all files from the main zip (the ~200MB download) wherever you want.

• All files, including the Package subfolder, need to be kept in this subfolder.

Step 4: If a patch zip is available with a higher version, unzip that into the same folder and replace files.

• You only need to apply the latest patch zip (much smaller).

Step 5: Run the executable and use the install command to install the mod.

• Read the full instructions in the executable first. There are a few commands to help you out for uninstalling (partially) and breaking softlocks.

Step 6: Run the executable and use the manager command (or just press Enter) to run the companion program.

• This program should always be active while you're playing the mod. An in-game message will appear if the connection to the program is lost, in which case see if an error is visible and let me know (or maybe you just closed it accidentally). If you do close it for whatever reason, you should be able to simply start the manager again without needing to quit your game or anything.

• AinTunez for his SoulsMod library, executable improvement, and other code contributions.
• TKGP for his PropertyHook, DSRGadget, and SoulsFormats libraries.
• katalash for his Map Studio 3D map editor.
• Meowmaritus for DS Anim Studio.
• HotPocketRemix for his EMEVD work and unpacked FSB work.
• thefifthmatt for his advice on random text generation.
• My friend Rory for his help designing the enemy animation randomizer algorithm.
• I also used my Soulstruct tool extensively, which you can check out and download here.

You can reach me here or on Discord as Grimrukh. Feel free to message me with anything! Note that I don't check my Reddit/Twitch messages often.

--Grim