The Duskbloods release is fast approaching, and the closed network test has already started. Gameplay previews have begun popping up along with a particularly interesting leak that claims to reveal 14 of the game's playable characters, and you can practically feel the aura emanating from them.
Key Takeaways
- FromSoftware's The Duskbloods: Switch 2 exclusive, eight-player PvPvE with no traditional campaign.
- Leaked roster lists 14 grotesque, blood-twisted Bloodsworn—each with bizarre, biologically themed abilities.
- Gothic FromSoftware vibe, grotesque cast, blood-based mechanics and the mimic wildcard Nameless Shadow.
The Duskbloods is FromSoftware's latest project, and it's shaping up to be one of their strangest ones yet. It's a Switch 2 exclusive, and as if that wasn't already weird enough, it's also an eight-player PvPvE experience with no traditional story campaign in sight. The game does still have that classic FromSoftware feel, though, with its trademark gothic horror vibe and grotesque character design—if the latest leak is anything to go by, at least.
An apparent data leak has allegedly revealed 14 playable Bloodsworn characters, each with their own names, titles, backstories, and bizarre blood-based abilities.
This leaked roster is particularly eye-catching due to the sheer uniqueness of these alleged characters. RPG classes can get pretty repetitive. These characters, however, all have a strange relationship with blood, some kind of disease, or another type of bodily transformation, and they each have a story you're pretty much guaranteed to have never heard before. If this leak turns out to be legitimate, FromSoftware may have just created their most visually and mechanically unusual cast yet.
1 Gillian the Guillotine
Gillian is an executioner associated with the Marisbel Inquisition. He carries an enormous iron guillotine blade on his back and is beginning to mutate due to the years of blood exposure he has endured. This spawned his search for a mysterious substance called the Blood of the Beginning.
2 Veronica the Foul-Rot
Veronica is possibly one of the creepiest characters on the roster. It's said that she is a blind nun who was carelessly abandoned beneath a crumbling cathedral. Her time in the cathedral has treated her unkindly, and her body has become covered in grotesque blood blisters. It sounds like these blisters will double as an ability, spreading rot and disease to anyone who gets too close. Her footsteps leave rot in her wake, which could actually give a pretty interesting tactical advantage in battle, potentially allowing her to herd enemies.
3 Walter the Blood Eater
Walter is reported to be the sole survivor of an extinct clan of hunters who specialize in a rare type of blood. His heightened sense of smell allows him to track his opponents down and sniff out their weaknesses, but his search for pure blood has driven him to madness.
4 Sebastian the Nail-Pierced
Sebastian is a masochistic religious fanatic who finds glee in driving silver nails into his own body. The blood that flows from these wounds can be harnessed to perform miracles on the battlefield, allowing him to weaponize his own misery. It would be interesting to see if these nails actually reduce his HP in battle. If so, he might be a high-risk-high-reward type of character.
5 Maurice the Coffin-Bearer
Maurice carries an enormous coffin on his back that contains a grotesque creature. This mysterious creature is allegedly connected to his family somehow, and it looks like you can use both the coffin and the creature in battle. If this reminds you of Demon Slayer, you're not alone. It's pretty safe to say, however, that whatever creature lurks inside Maurice's coffin probably isn't going to be as cute as Nezuko.
6 Oscar the Thread-Torn
Oscar is described as a deranged taxidermist who attaches the flesh of beasts to his own body. This skin-crawling Frankenstein-like behavior helps Oscar in battle, as he can reportedly take tissue from his enemies and use it to repair himself. As Oscar's corrupted power accumulates, he will eventually turn into an ancient and no doubt terrifying beast.
7 Ulan the Mud Treader
Ulan is a female warrior who received incredible power through a series of human experiments. Her body now secretes corrupted blood from her ankles, leaving a trail of poison behind her. This sounds similar to Veronica's power. Instead of being a heavy tank like Gillian, Ulan could be a more strategic player who focuses on cutting off enemies' escape routes and controlling paths.
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8 Isabel the Candle-Snuffer
Isabel sounds like one of the more 'normal' characters, at least in the beginning of her story. She was a waitress in the Siltera Noble Mansion, but her supernatural ability is anything but normal. Isabel can apparently materialize shadows that trap her enemies' blood inside them so she can collect it. The leak suggests that she can also manipulate light somehow, which would also be an incredible tactical advantage in battle.
9 Randolph the Gut-Rinner
Randolph is a more modernized character who is equipped with a mechanical device, or jetpack, if you will, that allows him to fly. Flying around the battlefield would be an excellent evasion tactic, and coupled with the massive spear he's said to wield, he may be one of the most tactical characters on the roster.
10 Yuri the Gazer of Flesh
Yuri is said to be a heretical observer who severed his own eyelids. His supernatural stare allows him to intensify another person's blood flow simply by looking at them. This too would prove an interesting skill in battle if it's not just a story add-on, and the result is catastrophic. If Yuri gazes at you a little too long, you could explode.