Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki has good news for anyone worried about PvP in The Duskbloods: he sucks at it too, and you don’t “have to be great at PvP in order to win”
Dark Souls and Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki has sought to reassure players nervous about the player-versus-player elements of FromSoftware's upcoming multiplayer game, The Duskbloods, admitting that he himself is not particularly skilled at PvP. His comments aim to counter concerns from fans of the studio's traditionally single-player-focused, story-driven titles, who worry that a shift towards competitive multiplayer could alienate those less interested in facing off against other players.
Miyazaki explained that players will not need to be great at PvP in order to win matches, suggesting the game is being designed so that strategy, preparation or other factors can offset a lack of raw combat skill against human opponents. The Duskbloods marks a departure for FromSoftware into more overtly multiplayer-driven territory, and Miyazaki's remarks appear intended to soften expectations ahead of release by framing the PvP as approachable rather than a barrier reserved for highly skilled players.
- Miyazaki says he isn't skilled at PvP himself
- The Duskbloods won't require PvP mastery to win
- Comments aim to reassure fans wary of multiplayer focus
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those welcoming Miyazaki's approach argue that making PvP outcomes depend on preparation, build strategy and tactical choices rather than raw mechanical skill is a more inclusive and creatively rich design philosophy, in keeping with FromSoftware's tradition of rewarding thoughtful play over twitch reflexes. They value a game where newcomers and less dexterous players are not simply fodder for veterans, and see this as widening the audience for a genre historically dominated by a small pool of highly skilled competitors, while still preserving depth for those who enjoy mastering systems.
The case against
Sceptical players and competitive purists counter that if skill is deliberately diminished as a factor in winning, PvP risks feeling arbitrary or unearned, undermining the sense of achievement that comes from genuinely outplaying another human opponent. They value competitive integrity and worry that design choices favouring strategy or preparation over execution could mean matches are decided by pre-match loadout decisions rather than in-the-moment skill, potentially frustrating players who specifically enjoy testing their reflexes and technique against others.