What are the best Dark Souls 3 mods?
Dark Souls 3 is every bit as difficult as the original game, but it is getting on a bitand could use some improvements.
This is especially true if you’ve already beaten the game multiple times and have run out of new content to experience.
Fortunately, the modding community has created no shortage of great mods that really make Dark Souls 3 worth replaying!
The 10 Best Dark Souls 3 Mods
While there are over a thousand mods for Dark Souls 3 on the Nexus, we’ve set about trying out the ones that have been downloaded the most.
We then selected the mods that stood out the most based on their stability and how they improve the game.
So, if you’re ready to become the Ashen One again, here’s our list of the 10 best Dark Souls 3 mods:
10.StraySouls
Kicking off our list is a mod that we think is pretty damn necessary for anyone who has beaten Dark Souls 3 many times.
As with any of the best video games of all time, when you play them more than once, they start to lose a bit of their magic.
StraySouls seeks to change this by randomizing enemies so that you’ll never know what is around the next corner.
One thing that can make Dark Souls 3 easier than it should be is always knowing what enemy is where, but this mod puts you back to square one.
StraySouls works by modifying the map files of the game directly so that enemies in that area are randomized.
However, because of the game engine, bosses and NPCs work differently than regular enemies, as they have to be cloned to be randomized.
These clones are what you will encounter in the world, but upon killing them, they will not drop loot as they’re not the original characters.
While this is a bit disappointing, we were able to overlook it for the most part, as we were more focused on what the game would throw at us next!
Although it isn’t a perfect mod, we highly recommend it if you want to replay the game and not know what’s coming your way.
9.Wex Dust
Since invading other players’ worlds has become a part of Elden Ring, it has become increasingly difficult to find invasions in Dark Souls 3.
There just aren’t as many people playing Dark Souls 3, and even when other player worlds are available, in the vanilla game, you’re limited to your area.
Well, Ametalon has created a mod that makes finding worlds to invade a whole lot easier and more efficient!
Wex Dust makes it so that you can invade any player, no matter their location, so long as they are in your matchmaking range.
This is a pure quality-of-life change that we definitely enjoy being able to use, though we do have to say it comes with an extremely small chance of a ban.
Although the creator has taken every precaution to prevent this from occurring, as with any mod that interacts with online content, there is a risk.
However, the only issues that have been reported stem from players trying to invade a DLC area when they don’t own the DLC.
Otherwise, over 50,000 people have downloaded and benefited from Wex Dust, and we had no problems when testing it out!
8.Hunter’s Combat
If you’re a fan of Dark Souls, you’re probably also a fan of Bloodborne, and this mod allows you to combine the two!
While Dark Souls 3 weapons are undoubtedly awesome, this mod adds Bloodborne-style trick weapons to the game that are incredibly fun.
Hunter’s Combat adds iconic weapons, including Ludwig’s Holy Blade, Rakuyo, the Saw Cleaver, and the Threaded Cane.
Now, the Threaded Cane is our personal favorite, but all of these weapons are fantastic to play around with, and they can deal a lot of damage.
Plus, they look really awesome in combat, and there is even a firearm parry ability added with this mod which we love.
This is a must-have mod for Bloodborne fans but also anyone who enjoys having a wide variety of fun weapons to fight with!
7.Item Randomiser
Like StraySouls but for items, this mod is something we highly recommend if you know where everything is in the vanilla game.
When this mod is installed, it randomizes every item in Dark Souls 3, even those dropped by enemies, so you’ll never know what you’re getting.
However, there are some key items that aren’t randomized, as they could break the game if they were!
Once you receive an item, it will automatically be removed from the randomizer pool, so you won’t be able to get it again, with a few exceptions.
Additionally, the weapons you find will have a chance to be either normal, infused, reinforced, or both.
There are a total of 1600 items included in the randomization pool, and once they have been exhausted, the game will default to a random pool of any item.
Moreover, this mod also comes with an optional auto-equip function that, if turned on, will automatically equip any armor, weapons, or rings you find.
The auto-equip can be turned on using the .ini file, which also gives you the option of turning off weapon requirements.
Item Randomize certainly makes the game much tougher, and we definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a challenge!
6.Dark Souls 3 Infinite Possibilities Megamule
In any of the best fantasy RPG games, creating a character build is serious business, and some players have it down to a science.
Unfortunately, not all of us are adept at making character builds, which can be really limiting when it comes to experiencing everything a game has to offer.
Well, fortunately, Infinite Possibilities gives you the ability to play around with a variety of different builds so that you don’t have to mess up your main file.
This mod adds two new save files, the Wanderer and the Wanderess, which give you the ability to experiment with a number of different builds.
Each of these files comes with 6,709,870 souls, and all items, armor, weapons, and rings have been obtained.
We really enjoy using these saves to test out some wacky builds that give us ideas for other main playthroughs.
Plus, messing with these characters is a lot less risky than going into a game with a build only to realize after 10 minutes that you hate it!
5.Champion’s Ashes
Champion’s Ashes is a complete overhaul of Dark Souls 3, and it is designed to provide more balance and depth to the competitive PVP environments.
This mod adds new attacks, combo chains, and a feint system, as well as new weapons, armor sets, rings, and restored content.
It also introduces new mechanics like perfect block, backsteps, improved spells, and power standing that make combat a lot more interesting.
Now, because this mod is aimed at PVP, there are two ways to play it, and one of them involves getting banned.
You see when Dark Souls 3 determines you are using specific mods, it will stick you and all other banned players into a special server.
There, you’re allowed to play against other banned players all you want while using whatever mods you desire.
Alternatively, if getting purposely banned isn’t your style, you can play offline with a new save using the ModEngine mod by Katalash.
This mod blocks the network to prevent the game from connecting to the internet while you have mods active.
Plus, it uses an alternate save file for modded runs, so your vanilla save games won’t be altered by mods at all.
We personally tested this mod using the ModEngine, but a majority of Champion’s Ashes play on the banned server, so the choice is up to you!
4.Challenge Mods
Challenge Mods is a collection of Cheat Engine scripts that are designed to, you guessed it, make Dark Souls 3 more challenging and more interesting!
A few things this mod comes with include a speed modifier, a lighting modifier, an NPC stat modifier, and a size modifier.
It also comes with a third-person cam, a top-down cam, and a first-person cam which is coupled with an aggression mod that increases the range at which enemies will detect you.
However, one of our favorite additions is the Weeping Angel script, which makes enemies on screen become frozen but immortal.
Moreover, the enemies off-screen get a speed boost, so you’ll really have to get creative if you want to stay alive!
If you’re someone who enjoyed fighting the hardest bosses in Elden Ring and want to make the bosses in DS3 even more difficult, this is the mod for you!
You can get really creative with your playthroughs using Challenge Mods, and it definitely puts a unique spin on the game.
3.iGP11
If you want to make Dark Souls 3 look better but don’t want to download a preset pack or stylized texture overhaul, iGP11 is perfect.
This mod gives you all of the tools you need to make Dark Souls 3 really shine, and it’s nice to be able to play around with the settings yourself!
When this mod is installed, you can change the depth of field, anisotropic filtering, motion blur, HDR, and more.
It is also necessary for many texture overhaul mods, so if you do want to download one, you’ll more than likely need iGP11 first.
iGP11 may not turn Dark Souls 3 into one of the most graphically demanding PC games, but it will do wonders for the appearance of the world!
2. The Convergence
Now, it was hard to choose between The Convergence and Cinders, as they’re both amazing overhauls, but in the end, we had to give this one second place.
However, it was a very close call, and we still highly recommend checking The Convergence out for yourself!
This mod is an extensive overhaul of the game that introduces new mechanics, weapons, spells, bosses, and much, much more.
Every map in the game has also been extensively updated with new items and enemies, as well as improved lighting.
Similarly, this mod makes covenants a vital part of character builds, and they will grant special perks and buffs.
All of the weapons have also been rebalanced or completely reworked to make them suit gameplay better.
If that wasn’t enough to sell you, the bosses have also been overhauled, and some are completely new to provide an extra challenge.
Best of all, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything this mod does, and it really does make replaying the game worthwhile!
1. Cinders
Taking our number one place had to be Cinders, a total overhaul that aims to make Dark Souls 3 feel similar to one of the best games like Elden Ring with all of its changes.
Seriously, loading Dark Souls 3 up with this mod makes it feel like a completely new game in the series, and we absolutely love it.
While there are a ton of changes since this mod affects almost everything in the game, we’re going to highlight what stands out the most.
One impressive change is that this mod adds new game modes, such as Gauntlet, which allows you to face off against all of the bosses in varying orders.
The progression in the main game is also a lot less linear, and the enemies and bosses have had their abilities, strengths, and locations changed.
Additionally, magic has been redesigned to be much more fluid, and FP regenerates over time, with casting being tailored to this new mechanic.
You can also look forward to new classes and bosses, as well as new bonfire options, a curse and mark system, and a new Covenant offering system.
We absolutely love Cinders, and if you want to feel like you’re experiencing Dark Souls 3 for the first time, you definitely shouldn’t pass it up!
Summary
We hope you’ve enjoyed our list of the 10 best Dark Souls 3 mods and found some that you are looking forward to trying out!
DS3 may be one of the best games in the series, but these mods definitely add a ton of replayability.
Cinders, in particular, makes DS3 feel like a brand-new game, and we highly recommend trying it on your next playthrough!
Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best Dark Souls 3 mods:
- Cinders
- The Convergence
- iGP11
- Challenge Mods
- Champion’s Ashes
- Dark Souls 3 Infinite Possibilities Megamule
- Item Randomiser
- Hunter’s Combat
- Wex Dust
- StraySouls
