Roughly two minutes of The Duskbloods gameplay spread online this week, days ahead of FromSoftware’s closed network test on Nintendo Switch 2. The clip, which first appeared on Bilibili, captures a Moon Blood Bestowal match — the endgame scenario where the teams holding the most Victory Points are dropped into an arena to fight over the title of Victor of the Dusk.
Quick answer: The leaked video is a Moon Blood Bestowal arena fight showing PvPvE combat, aerial juggles, gunplay, summons, and a character shape-shifting into a dinosaur. Playing it yourself requires a network test invite; the first session runs August 21 from 12:00 to 16:00 CEST.
What the Moon Blood Bestowal footage shows
Moon Blood Bestowal is the closing act of a match. Teams accumulate Victory Points during the run, and the leaders are funneled into a shared arena to settle it directly. The clip is essentially an all-out brawl between multiple players, with no downtime.
The combat moves closer to Elden Ring Nightreign’s speed than to Dark Souls’ deliberate pacing. Players chain aerial combos, juggle opponents in the air, and call in summons mid-fight. One character pulls a firearm, which is the clearest link yet to Bloodborne’s gunplay. The most unusual moment is a transformation into a dinosaur, used to shove another player clean off the arena edge.
Characters in the leaked clip
Three Dusksworn appear on screen with distinct abilities during the fight.
| Character | Seen doing |
|---|---|
| Walter – The Blood Eater | Melee pressure plus a drawn firearm, showing the game’s gunplay |
| Gillian – The Guillotine | Direct player-versus-player attacks in the arena |
| Rust-Gospel Baldur | Combat abilities used against other players |
The Duskbloods network test schedule
The closed test runs across five fixed windows rather than staying online continuously. Each session lasts four hours.
| Date | Session (CEST) |
|---|---|
| Friday, August 21 | 12:00 – 16:00 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 04:00 – 08:00 |
| Saturday, August 22 | 20:00 – 00:00 |
| Sunday, August 23 | 12:00 – 16:00 |
| Monday, August 24 | 04:00 – 08:00 |
Matches support up to eight players. FromSoftware has been upfront that bugs are expected, since the point of the exercise is server load, multiplayer stability, and balance rather than a polished demo.
Requirements and preload for network test participants
Access is invite-only. Applications ran from July 22 to July 28, and selected players were notified on August 7 with a download code. If you were picked, the client is already available to preload from the Nintendo eShop on Switch 2, and it takes up just 3.8GB, so the download finishes quickly.
You also need an active Nintendo Switch Online membership to connect. Codes and participation details live on the official Duskbloods network test site.
Note: FromSoftware is blocking capture during the test entirely. The Switch 2’s capture button is disabled in-game, and sharing screenshots or clips is not permitted, which makes the leak the only public look at gameplay in motion so far.
What the test does not include
Two limits are worth knowing before the servers open. You cannot invite friends into a match during the test, so squads are formed by matchmaking only. There is also no solo mode available in the test build.
Both of those are test restrictions rather than final design decisions. Co-op is confirmed for the finished game, and solo play is reserved for the full release.
Where the game stands ahead of launch
The Duskbloods is a Switch 2 exclusive built from the ground up as a PvPvE multiplayer game, with Hidetaka Miyazaki directing. It was revealed during the first Switch 2 Nintendo Direct, and the gothic art direction on display there has stayed consistent through every subsequent showing.
The game is still targeting a 2026 release, and no specific launch date has been confirmed. Until FromSoftware sets one, the network test remains the only hands-on window, and the leaked arena footage is the closest anyone outside it gets to seeing how a match actually ends.
