Dark Souls Remastered Network Test Dates Announced

Dark Souls veterans and newcomers can now look forward to the Dark Souls: Remastered Network Test even more with the dates of the test officially announced.

Bandai Namco confirmed on Tuesday that the Network Test would be held for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One version from May 11-12, but you won’t have to wait t that long to download the Network Test client. In fact, you can download it right now with Bandai Namco announcing that it’s available through each of the platforms’ respective stores today.

The Network Test client won’t be available in the stores closer to the time that the test actually starts though, so you’ll have to download it now before it’s removed from the PlayStation and Xbox Store. It exits the store on May 8 at the end of the day, so if you don’t get it by then, you won’t be able to participate in the Network Test that starts three days later. Bandai Namco explicitly said that no new participants will be accepted after the Network Test client is removed from the stores.

As for the exact details of the time that the Network Test will begin, Bandai Namco’s announcement said that the test will be live at 6 p.m. PDT and will end at 11:59 p.m. PDT on May 11 with the test reopening at the same times again on May 12. These test times only apply to the Americas, though it wasn’t said if another test would be extended to those outside the region.

If you’ve never played the original Dark Souls, the in-game location that the Network Test will take place in will mean little to you. But for those who have triumphed in Lordran before, you’ll be happy to know that the Network Test takes place in the Undead Parish. This is one of the first areas that you’ll encounter when the game turns players loose and lets them explore more, and it’s also where you’ll encounter familiar enemies like the Fang Boar and test your skills against the Black Knight.

It’s unclear though how many of these PvE enemies will be seen in the Network Test though, if any are present at all. Bandai Namco didn’t announce any restrictions regarding how far players can go in the Undead Parish, but they did say that players would be able to summon co-op partners and invade other players’ worlds to test the strength of the network.

A start date for the delayed Nintendo Switch Network test has not yet been announced.