File Formats
See tools and tutorials for how to edit most FromSoftware file formats in practice. The glossary may also go into more detail on some of them. Several of these formats were only introduced in later games, and many have significant differences between games.
Many of the proprietary FromSoftware formats are accessible in SoulsFormats for programmatic browsing or editing and SoulsTemplates for hex browsing. See also the SoulsFormats format summary for even more obscure formats and usage details.
| Format | Description |
|---|---|
| ACB | Contains lights for cutscenes in DS2 (at least) |
| BDT, BHT | dvdbnd archives containing nearly all game data |
| BND | Usually found as [something]bnd.dcx, a generic file archive format |
| BTL | Point light sources in maps |
| CTL | A facegen format. From their website: "Controls & distribution densities. A binary file format. Valid for all SAMs with the same BasisKey." |
| DCX | Found as [something].dcx, a generic file compression format. Can be unpacked with WitchyBND |
| DDS | Image texture format. Can be edited with photo editing programs. |
| DRB | Mysterious UI format |
| EGM | A facegen format. From their website: "A binary format containing the principal component modes as one standard deviation vertex deltas." |
| EGT | A facegen format. From their website: "A binary file format containing texture statistics data for each pixel for each mode." |
| EMEVD | Event scripting files used in all games. Can be edited with Darkscript3 |
| entryfilelist | …and similarly named formats. Things to preload when loading a map, probably |
| ESD | State machines used for character behavior, dialog trees, and enemy AI, depending on the game |
| FFX | Visual effect files used in DS1 |
| FFXResList | Lists resources (textures, models, or animations) for FXR in Elden Ring. Can be edited with a text editor. |
| FLVER | Model format |
| FMG | Generic text containers for localization |
| FSB, FEV, ITL | FMOD sound archives |
| FXR | Visual effect files used in DS3 and Elden Ring |
| GFX | SWF variant used for UIs |
| GPARAM | General-purpose graphics config |
| HKS | Compiled Lua script used by Havok for actor behaviors |
| HKX | Havok archive |
| LUA | Lua file, used for enemy AI, or event scripts in earlier games |
| MSB | Map file containing all world entity placements |
| MTD | Material definition file |
| MQB | Used in Dark Souls 2 cutscenes. Can be opened with WitchyBND and edited with a text editor. |
| NGP, NVA, NVM | Navmesh file |
| PARAM | General-purpose game data config |
| SCNBND | Used in Dark Souls 2 cutscenes |
| SL2 | Save files |
| TAE | Defines animation events such as sounds, effects, and hitboxes |
| TPF | Texture archive containing DDS files. Can be unpacked with WitchyBND. |
| TRI | A facegen format. From their website: "A binary format containing a polygonal model composed of triangles and quads and, optionally, texture coordinates, either per-vertex or per-facet (indexed). Normal information is not stored, as normals must be dynamically computed in a SSM." |