Last weekend, there were major discussions regarding a critical security flaw in the multiplayer of all Dark Souls games. This has gone so far that the servers are currently offline. Players are now worried about Elden Ring, where the problem is also said to exist.
What is the problem? A serious security issue caused unrest around Dark Souls 1 to 3. Hackers were able to exploit a so-called “Remote Code Execution” flaw until recently to take control of the other player’s PC through the multiplayer.
- Through the RCE exploit, players can execute codes on your computer from their PC and manipulate it, even destroy it.
- This was possible through the invasion feature of the PvP mode and the co-op mode. According to player reactions, this flaw has apparently existed for a long time but was not widely known.
- Now, however, there has been such significant attention that developer FromSoftware had to take all servers of Dark Souls 1: Prepare to Die Edition, DS1 Remastered, Dark Souls 2, and Dark Souls 3 offline until the issue is resolved.
Nearly a month before the release of Elden Ring, the next big title from FromSoftware, this is now causing concern among fans. According to them, the flaw is supposedly also affecting Elden Ring.
Exploit also in Elden Ring? Fans hope for a fix before release – Developer responds
Is Elden Ring really affected? This cannot be said with absolute certainty. Numerous Dark Souls players who are active in the modding and security field of Dark Souls believe exactly that.
This is related to the multiplayer and server structure of previous FromSoftware titles. They all operate on the same principle, both in co-op and PvP.
Other players can be summoned into your world, and hostile “invaders” can invade other worlds in PvP. You are also vulnerable with co-op players. Furthermore, Elden Ring runs on the same engine.
The described exploit seems to be related to the PvP mechanics, which will also be found in Elden Ring. By the way, here you can find an overview of how co-op and PvP work.
What a hack looks like is shown in the clip from The Grim Sleeper, who was affected by such an exploit during an online session:
This is how the community reacts: Among players and fans, the mood is rather gloomy due to the security gap. Some long-time Dark Souls players criticize that the exploit has been present in the game for some time and that FromSoftware is only now reacting as it has spread.
User FlannOff writes: “The most frustrating thing about this is the fact that Bamco [Bandai Namco] and From [Software] have never done anything to prevent or fix these attacks. When these losers started destroying other people’s game saves in DS3, they simply ignored the hundreds of reports without even acknowledging the issue.”
Others look with concern towards the release of Elden Ring. While some are almost relieved that the issue is now made public. They see it as more likely that it will be fixed before the launch of the upcoming action RPG.
Reddit user WaluigiIsMe states: “If this is true, I am glad that Elden Ring has been postponed. Hopefully, Fromsoft and Bandai are aware of this. Potentially being hacked constantly on PC because of an invasion or co-op is somehow bad.”
What do the developers say about this? Both in the relevant Reddit post and on Twitter, the developers have already responded. In addition to closing the servers, they have also responded several times to the players’ remarks.
On Reddit it states: “Thank you for the tip. The issue has already been forwarded to the relevant internal teams, […].”
We currently do not know how long it will take to fix the problem.
How can you protect yourself from cheaters? In principle, there is currently nothing you can do against the exploit. The servers are down anyway. Until publisher Bandai Namco and FromSoftware fix the issue, you can only wait.
However, if you play Dark Souls online on PC, you should take a look at the “Blue Sentinel” mod for Dark Souls 3 on Nexus. This is a kind of homemade cheat protection for fans. The modification detects cheaters and allows you to remove them from your session. There may also be such a mod for Elden Ring.
The mod helps against most types of cheaters who are active on PC in all Dark Souls installments. According to the latest update, it is even said to protect against the exploit.
What do you think about this? Have you ever been bothered by cheaters and hackers in Dark Souls? Are you perhaps even a victim of the exploit?
