Dark Souls 3: Champions Ashes Will Keep You Busy Till Dark Souls 4

1 week ago 13

Published Jan 27, 2026, 6:00 PM EST

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Although Dark Souls 4 is unlikely given Elden Ring's success, Dark Souls 3 and past FromSoftware titles still have incredible amounts of fan support that make them worth replaying. Community efforts have spawned a number of expansive mods for older Souls games, refining or increasing the content within them. One mod called "Champion's Ashes" does exactly this, polishing the experience of one of the best tiles from the series.

Champion's Ashes is a mod for Dark Souls 3, made originally by SirHalvard on Nexus Mods. Based on the mod's description, it was intended to overhaul many of the systems within Dark Souls 3, balancing its combat system to be more friendly toward PvP interactions. However, refinement to the game's weapons is much deeper than you might expect, adding new mechanics that create a whole new depth to combat.

Is Dark Souls 4 Ever Actually Coming?

Signs Don't Look Favorable To Another Entry For FromSoft's Popular Trilogy

Dark Souls 4 is pretty much a pipe dream for diehard FromSoft fans, as Elden Ring has taken over as the definitive Soulslike experience for the time being. With Elden Ring's Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, Elden Ring Nightreign, and FromSofts' Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive The Duskbloods in the works, a return to the Dark Souls series just wouldn't make much sense.

The creator of Dark Souls, Hidetaka Miyazaki, has gone on record saying that Dark Souls 3 was the conclusion of that story, including all the deep lore surrounding it. With bosses like Slave Knight Gael representing the end of the Dark Souls world, the DLC for Dark Souls 3 seems to provide the biggest "ending" possible. With new worlds like those seen in Bloodborne or Sekiro being more open-ended, it would make sense to return to those settings instead.

Until DS4 Comes, Champion's Ashes Is Plenty

New Weapon Inclusions And Balance Improvements Provide A Deeper Experience

Dark Souls 3 Champion's Ashes expansion mod keyart

Thankfully, even without any chance of a Dark Souls 4, Champion's Ashes transforms Dark Souls 3 into something great for a replay. For starters, you get a variety of new character creation options, including the ability to become fresh classes as you start a new adventure. Several PvE changes allow for an easier approach to the game as well, adjusting everything from boss health to changing weaker spells into much more adaptable consumables.

One of Champion's Ashes' biggest changes is how it redoes almost every status condition in the game, from Bleed and Poison to Curse, Burn, Forst, Shock, and more. New items allow you to cure these conditions much more often, or at least prepare for them in easier ways.

Perhaps the largest change in the Champion's Ashes mod is to the weapons of Dark Souls 3, which have far more abilities now. Much like Elden Ring, many weapons have been given unique Arts, or moves exclusive to them. This makes your arsenal feel more personalized, especially with ranged weapons that have almost been reworked entirely.

Powerstancing also returns from Dark Souls 2, with extended compatibility making more tools work together properly. With the inclusion of Bloodborne's iconic trick weapons too, Champion's Ashes has a variety of expanded combat options that make Dark Souls 3 feel better than ever to play in 2026.