FromSoftware's The Duskbloods Network Test Hits Connection Woes on Switch 2

FromSoftware has a fix for players struggling to connect during The Duskbloods closed network test: get closer to your router, or plug in a cable.

The developer advised participants experiencing instability over wireless internet to play near their router or modem, or switch to a wired connection. Some players have reported being stuck on the title screen, unable to enter a match at all. The issues surfaced as the closed network test — a limited-time stress run that lets developers gauge server performance before launch — got under way. Eurogamer

The Duskbloods is a PvPvE action game from FromSoftware, the studio behind the Dark Souls series and Elden Ring. PvPvE means players fight each other and computer-controlled enemies at the same time. The game is scheduled to launch on Nintendo's Switch 2 console later this year, and the network test runs until Monday.

An official post on The Duskbloods website also directed players with connection problems to the Nintendo Support FAQ covering online services on the Switch 2. The test is running on Nintendo's newest hardware, which released earlier this year.

The network test features multiplayer matches with up to eight players at once. TechRadar Nintendo published a guide on its website explaining how players could apply for access. The test window is limited, and there is no indication yet whether the connection issues will extend the schedule.

FromSoftware has forbidden anyone from posting screenshots or video of the network test and has disabled the console's capture button during play. Kotaku That means no footage of the test is supposed to appear online — a common restriction for pre-release builds that publishers want to keep under wraps.

For a network test, connection problems are par for the course. The whole point of running one is to find exactly these weaknesses before paying customers show up at launch. Players hitting a wall at the title screen are, in an unglamorous way, doing the job the test exists to do — and FromSoftware now has data to work with.

The advice to use a wired connection is about as basic as troubleshooting gets, but it points to the reality of early network tests: the servers are the variable being tested, and the fixes often sit with the player's own setup in the meantime.