Modding Tutorials

Below is an assorted list of tutorials on how to do various Souls modding related things. If you have a tutorial that you would like to add, feel free to ping a wiki contributor or a staff member on the modding discord server.

*Note: The majority of tutorials for Dark Souls Map Studio should apply to Smithbox, albeit some UI changes among other things.

*Note: Older tutorials use Yabber, which is now outdated and can lead to problems. Users should now use WitchyBND, which functions almost identically for most users.

Beginner Tutorials

Games Name Author Description
All Basics JeNoVaViRuS First steps to do before trying to do anything related to modding.
All General Troubleshooting for Mod Issues Challenger Andy Mod not working? This document provides some steps to try before you ask for help.
All Downpatching Your Game Geeeeeorge/King Bore Haha Instructions for how to downpatch your game version. Written for DS3 but can be useful for all games.
All Identifying the Game Version that a Mod Uses Challenger Andy Instructions for how to identify the game version (patch) a mod was made for or supports.
All Cheat Engine: The Basics Challenger Andy How to install, setup, and operate Cheat Engine for FromSoftware games.
All Learning to Mod FROMSOFT Games ft. Grimrukh LobosJr & Grimrukh Series of two-hour streams that serve as a pretty comprehensive crash course for beginners to FromSoft mod making. Please use DS Map Studio instead of "Yapped".
DS1 Downpatching Dark Souls Remastered Geeeeeorge/King Bore Haha Instructions for how to downpatch your game version. Written for DS1 but can be useful for all games.
DS1 Modding Dark Souls 1 with Soulstruct (Basic Setup and Map Editing) Grimrukh Introduction to modding Dark Souls 1 (either version) using Soulstruct, an almost-all-in-one editor program by Grimrukh. Find out how to load a Soulstruct project, the different map entry data types, and basic character edits.
DS1 Modding Dark Souls with Soulstruct (Player Characters) Grimrukh Learn how to modify "player characters" like Solaire, Siegmeyer, and the Crestfallen Warrior in Dark Souls 1, including an introduction to talk scripts (ESD/EzState).
DS2, All* Cheat Engine: Common Functions Challenger Andy Common Cheat Table functions for Dark Souls 2. Similar to other FromSoftware games as well.
DS2: SOTFS Modding sotfs with ParamStudio (basic setup, tools required, general development workflow) TalkSickWaist Introduction to modding Dark Souls 2 (sotfs only) using ParamStudio v .5+, a parameter editor with handy meta links and powerful search capabilities. Find out how to start modding sotfs from scratch by unpacking your game, creating a ParamStudio project compatible with MapStudio that uses loose params, using ParamStudio to decrypt your regulation file, navigating MapStudio, and even how to clone bosses onto other maps as regular enemies.
ER Basics of Modding Elden Ring Rainer Learn how to use ModEngine 2 and Map Studio's parameter editing features
ER Metis Mod Launcher Tutorial Rayan How to use Metis Mod Launcher.
Meta Writing Better Modding Tutorials Challenger Andy A tutorial on tutorial writing. How to write better Souls Modding Tutorials. Includes formatting, advice, styles, and more using Google Docs.

Models & Textures

Games Name Author Description
All Editing Dummy points on flver models Halvard Learn how to edit Dummy points.
All .dds: Determining Compression / Export Settings for Image Files Challenger Andy How to figure out compression / export settings for image or .dds files.
All Export Settings for .dds Challenger Andy Commonly used image export settings for .dds files across games.
All Making Weapons Invisible Challenger Andy, Dylan Alexander How to make your weapons (and probably armor) invisible.
DS1 Model Importing Using Soulstruct for Blender arfa A tutorial on how to import custom models to DSR and PTDE, intended for people with minimal to no knowledge on Blender.
DS1 How to port DS2 weapon models to DS1 PTDE Cyanic How to port weapon models (from DS2) to Dark Souls PTDE, add new weapon, itemlots
DS1 How to Make Object Textures Load in Any Map Thegreatgramcracker Learn how to make an object that normally only appears in one map have its textures load in any map. Otherwise the textures will be pure black in other maps.
DS1 Replacing and Appending UI Elements SM451 Tutorial for understanding and editing the game's UI textures, specifically item icons.
DS2 Modding Custom Objects in DS2 Moonlight Ruin A video tutorial on how to move map pieces, turn them into objects, and add an existing collision to an object.
Sekiro SEKIRO Modding Tutorial - How to Import 3d Models (FLVER Editor 1.42) Skymoon This video tutorial will teach you how to do a model swap in Sekiro using FLVER Editor.
ER Adjusting UI Elements Nymic_Razor How to move, scale, rotate, mirror, and skew UI elements using JPEXS. May also apply to other games.
ER Modifying AEGs Tutorial The King How to modify AEGs (environmental assets) in Elden Ring.
ER Creating Standalone, Retextured Assets Using AEGs and AETs Evanlyn Quick breakdown of how to create new, standalone versions of existing assets with new textures.
ER Custom Havok Cloth in Elden Ring - Quick Overview Dylan Alexander A video detailing custom cloth creation for armor using Havok Content Tools 2018 and 3ds Max 2019. Not a proper tutorial, but enough to get some progress.
ER Custom Loading Screens Challenger Andy How to create custom loading screen images in Elden Ring.
ER, AC6 Material & Matbin Editing Challenger Andy & Vee How to find and edit material / matbin files, commonly used in textures.
ER Recoloring/Retexturing Models Guide Honor Knight Learn how to edit textures in Elden Ring using Photoshop or Paint.net (Use WitchyBND instead of Yabber)
ER How to Recolor and Edit Textures Rainer A short video series on how to edit textures with Photoshop.
ER Tattoo Editing Challenger Andy Short tutorial on editing tattoos.
AC6 Fixing "Model Lag" Archivist2 Tutorial for using 'replacer' model for new parts instead, fixing a problem where they can cause model and texture problems with the new part and the one they were meant to replace.
AC6 Part Making Guide for ACVI Archivist2 Tutorial on how to make new parts in Armored Core VI, particularly the intricacies of weapons.

Visual Effects (SFX, VFX, FFX, FXR) & Bullets

Games Name Author Description
All SFX (and Spell) Recoloring Basics and Guide Directory Challenger Andy Serves as a first stop for recoloring SFX (visual effects, FFX, FXR) and spells in any game.
All Viewing & Opening Video Files Thegreatgramcracker How to open video files in FromSoftware games, like .pam files.
All Viewing & Identifying SFX Challenger Andy Multiple methods to view and identify SFX (visual effects, FFX, FXR) in any game.
DS1 FFX files for sfx explained JeNoVaViRuS Layout of .ffx files for sfx explained
DS2 Changing the Characters & Objects in Cutscenes Challenger Andy Mostly details how to change the player character in cutscenes, but also how to change other characters and objects.
DS2 Changing SFX used by Objects Challenger Andy A short tutorial on how to change SFX that are directly linked to a map object.
DS3 FXR Editing: Combining FXR Challenger Andy Combining multiple SFX into a single FXR.
DS3, Sekiro, ER, AC6 JavaScript FXR Library CCCode JavaScript library for creating and editing FXR (SFX) files. An alternative to XML editing. Link includes tutorials for use.
ER Bullet Editing Guide Rusty. A definitive video guide on bullet editing, which is mostly useful for spells.
ER Creating Fake UI Using SFX Seagoingnote1 Basic walkthrough to creating and positioning SFX to look like UI elements.
ER FXR Notes (Elden Ring) Challenger Andy, The12thAvenger, Rayan, ivi, Cccode Essential for SFX / FXR editing. Contains all Action IDs, EffectAs & EffectBs, Properties, and explanations of what all of that stuff does.
DS3, ER, AC6 FXR Editing: Creating a New Functional FXR ID (with a New Texture) Challenger Andy Essential knowledge on how to create a new FXR ID along with a new texture and how to pack it into the game to be used. Includes a huge troubleshooting guide.
ER FXR Editing: Identifying (& Removing) Parts of an FFX Challenger Andy Details how to identify constituent parts of an FFX/FXR through a variety of methods. Also details how to remove parts of an FFX.
ER FXR files for sfx explained JeNoVaViRuS Layout of .fxr files for sfx explained [WIP]
ER SpEffect Visuals Editing Challenger Andy How to change the visuals related to SpEffects (buffs and related mechanics).
ER XML Recoloring Tutorial Slendahmon Tutorial on how to recolor spells in ER by editing XML.

Animations and Behaviors

Games Name Author Description
All TeamTypes: Character Targeting and Damage Challenger Andy, Dark Matter, MyMaidisKitchenAid How to change TeamTypes, which determine which characters can target/damage other characters. Includes list of known TeamTypes
DS1 DS1 Custom Animation Rig & Tutorial InfernoPlus Animation rig for the player character and a tutorial
DS3 Adding Havok Variables Vawser Learn how to implement a new Havok variable, allowing behavior fields such as playbackSpeed to be adjusted within a .hks file.
DS3 Anatomy of a Boss Fight: Iudex Gundyr (DS3) Katalash Learn the inner workings of how a boss fight is setup in DS3 (also applicable to other souls games).
DS3 Modding Movesets 101 - Basics of the Basics (DS3) WhurDaMuffinsAt If you're looking to get into modding DS3 weapon movesets, this tutorial is your starting point. It guides you through setting up all the necessary applications, gives some helpful tips, and provides resources for your next steps. Note: Outdated due to use of Yapped
DS3 Modding Movesets - Muffin's Knowledge Compenium (DS3) WhurDaMuffinsAt A compendium of all my Dark Souls 3 moveset modding knowledge. I explain processes ranging from very simple to highly complex across all the relevant applications. Ongoing project, feel free to message me with contributions. Note: Outdated due to use of Yapped
DS3 DS3 Animation Editing (Actual Animations) forsakensilver How to edit DS3 animations (not TAE animation events)
DS3, Sekiro, ER HKS for Fun and Profit F Wang A beginner's guide for editing HKS from movesets to microtransactions!
ER Dodge Stutter Fix PossiblyShiba A tutorial to fix a dodge stuttering problem that can occur with movesets with custom dodges.
ER Animation Editing Workflow with Blender nomad This video tutorial demonstrates how you can import Elden Ring animations into Blender, edit them, and re-import the edited version back into Elden Ring. This is achieved without having to use 3D Studio Max, thus allowing use of (mostly) free and open source tools to complete this workflow.
ER Elden Ring Animation Retargeting Rainer Learn how to retarget animations from enemies and NPCs onto the player
ER Introduction to Moveset Modding Themyys This tutorial is about starting from 0 to creating your own Moveset, Sword art or Idle TAE using DsAnimStudio, ERClipGenerator and Smithbox.
ER A Pre-Intermediate Guide to Moveset Making in DSAS Kmstr A reference guide for many useful events in DSanimStudio for beginner and intermediate moveset makers. Learn how to edit animation data, speeds, effects, and more!
ER How to Add an Already Retargeted Animation to Elden Ring Law Short tutorial on how to add already retargeted animations. Use WitchyBND instead of Yabber.
ER Basics of Dark Souls Animation Studio Rainer Learn how to set up and utilize DSAS before more advanced editing
ER Creating New Spellcasting Animations in Elden Ring Wëiss & Challenger Andy A guide in creating unique spellcasting animations using various modding tools, and pairing said animations with bullets/attacks to create new sorcery/incantation in Elden Ring.
ER Understanding Attacks, Bullets, and Behaviors for PC and NPC Themyys Everything you need to know about BehaviorParam and creating new Attacks/Bullets for Moveset editing.

Scripting

Games Name Author Description
All Learning How To Use EMEVD Geeeeeorge/King Bore Haha Tutorial on the basics of EMEVD.
All ESD tutorial with an example JeNoVaViRuS ESD tutorial to add custom covenant rewards
All Advanced ESD tutorial JeNoVaViRuS ESD tutorial to implement a full warping system
DS1 Dark Souls Event Scripting: Intro, Making a Mod p1, Making a Mod p2 HotPocketRemix Video tutorials for EMEVD. Uses older tools but is still a good high-level intro.
ER Custom Shops in Elden Ring PositronCannon This tutorial will walk you through the steps required to modify existing shops in Elden Ring, as well as creating new custom shops.
ER Intro to Elden Ring EMEVD thefifthmatt Guide to setting up modding tools needed for event editing, and a walkthrough of important concepts from both simple and complex event scripts

Text & Language

Games Name Author Description
All Basic Text Editing Guide Challenger Andy Short tutorial to get you started on editing text and fmg in FromSoftware games.
All Using Fonts & Characters from Other Languages / Scripts philiquaz To use non-English fonts and characters in the Text Editor of Smithbox or DSMS.
ER Text Formatting Guide Challenger Andy, TKGP, ivi Tutorial/reference sheet on how to change the formatting of text. Make different sizes, colors, bullet points, and more.

Equipment

Games Name Author Description
DS1 Spell System Overview for New Spells in DS1 George/King Bore Haha Basic overview of systems required to make a new spell in DS1
DS1 How To Create New Spells In DS1 JeNoVaViRuS Overview of steps to create new spells in DS1
DS2 Altering A Specific Weapon's Damage for a Specific Move Challenger Andy A short tutorial on altering weapon damage.
DS3 Adding a Weapon Vawser Learn the basics of implementing a new weapon.
DS3 Adding a Moveset Vawser Learn the basics of implementing a new move for a weapon.
DS3 Creating a New Moveset in DS3 Halvard Creating a new moveset for weapons (focuses on TAE and HKX)
DS3 DS3 How to Create a Trick Weapon Anonim01 Consolidation of info and discussions regarding the creation of trick weapons
ER Creating New Spirit Ashes in Elden Ring Steven Dragonblade Short tutorial on creating new Spirit Ash Summons in Elden Ring, without replacing existing ones
ER How to make Replenishable Items (Refills at Grace points) Jorb How to find create items that refill when resting at a grace.
ER Porting Weapons & Standalone Weapons WrathfulMantis A video tutorial on how to port weapons to Elden Ring.
All Export, edit and import models JeNoVaViRuS How to find equipment models, export and import them

Maps

Games Name Author Description
All Placing SFX on a Map Challenger Andy How to create and place an SFX (visual effect) on a map.
DS1 PTDE Dark Souls Custom Map Tutorial InfernoPlus Start to finish process for creating a map for DS1: PTDE. Partial Transcription
DS1 Adding Enemies (and making their AI work on different maps) Cyanic Adding enemies to a different map and making their AI work by editing the luainfo.
DS1 How to Generate New .breakobj Files Geeeeeorge/King Bore Haha Tutorial on generating new .breakobj files for maps with modified object placement (this fixes broken objects looking weird when save/quitting)
DS2: SOTFS A Note on Spawn Limits in Dark Souls 2 Challenger Andy Some behavior to be aware of when editing how many times an enemy spawns in Dark Souls 2.
DS2: SOTFS How to Create a New Bonfire Desgeras Tutorial for creating a new bonfire in Dark Souls including a name and image
DS3 Dark Souls 3 Map Lighting Tutorial Abyss1ne Understanding the basic knowledge of DS3 lighting system, the GPARAM
ER Elden Ring Mapping Mini-Tutorials Evanlyn Brief tutorials for adding various, specific map features, like doors, traps, and elevators.
ER Modifying GParams (WORK IN PROGRESS) Rainer Comprehensive tutorial regarding GParams, what they do, and how to modify them.
ER Skyboxes: Identifying and Changing Challenger Andy A very questionable tutorial on how to identify the skybox textures and how to change them.
AC6 Adding Interactable Points Vawser A tutorial on how to add interactable points within maps in AC6.

Parameters

Games Name Author Description
DS1, BB Special Effects and Terrains Grimrukh How Special Effects work, how to modify them, and how terrains use them. Focused on DS1, but also applies to Bloodborne.
DS2 Custom Dialogue Modding Moonlight Ruin How to add custom dialogue and new shops, as well as how to edit talk esds.
DS2 Dark Souls 2 disable cutscene effects O Nobre Babuino How to disable the cutscene effects.
DS3 Adding New Starting Classes to DS3 Anonim01 In this tutorial you will learn how to add new starting classes to DS3. It's recommended to take a look at the "Changing Starting Classes and Class Names/Descriptions in DS3" tutorial beforehand, since this video expands on it.
DS3 Creating a bonfire Evellyn Every step to create a new bonfire. Recommended as an introduction to understand modding.
DS3 Dark Souls III Modding Tutorial - How to edit Stayparam Anonim01 This is a tutorial on the topic of editing Stayparam. It's on Brazilian Portuguese, but there is English captions so everyone can understand it, I hope.
ER Creating a New Gracesite Lucy How to add a new Grace
DS3, Sekiro, ER Create Bullets Using spEffects F Wang Small, 2-minute guide on the creation of bullets through SpEffects.
ER How to Make a New Class with MapStudio Jorb Short tutorial on how to create a new starting class in Elden Ring.
ER How to make buffs cast on both hands at the same time Syyyke Shows how to duplicate and edit spEffects to apply a buff to both hands at the same time.
ER Apply an sfx permanently to a weapon JeNoVaViRuS Shows how to duplicate and edit spEffects and apply spEffect and an sfx to a weapon permanently
ER Editing an Ash of War JeNoVaViRuS Where to find Ash of War params, tae, IDs and more
ER Create a paired weapon Rainer How to create a new paired weapon

Sound & Audio

Games Name Author Description
DS1, DS2*, DS3* Sound Bank Editing for DSR SM451 Workflow for replacing sounds/music using DSSI including a list of where each music file is stored. *Process is similar for DS2 and DS3.
DS3, Sekiro, ER, AC6 Modifying Sound in SFX (FXR) Challenger Andy A short tutorial on how to modify sounds that are produced by visual special effects (SFX) in games that use FXR format.
ER Soundbank Editing Themyys An introduction to sound modding and showcasing basic soundbank editing in the .json format, like using NPC sounds for the player
ER Adding Custom BGM and Looping It Lucy How to replace existing BGM (Backgroundmusic) and loop it properly. A condensed and slightly expanded version of the tutorial by Mr. Gaiety found immediately below.
ER Elden Ring Audio Extraction Jax Quick guide to extract and convert audio from Elden Ring.
ER How to Implement & Loop Custom Music Tracks in Elden Ring Mr. Gaiety Initially done as a series of questions regarding implementing + looping custom Boss tracks in-game, this tutorial attempts to guide the user on how to take your piece of music (usually .mp3), and convert + implement into a format that ER plays in-game for certain bosses/events/scenarios. May change over time as tools mature.

Hardcoded Systems

Games Name Author Description
All Crash Course in x86 Assembly SensePost Learn how assembly language works. Crucial when modifying hardcoded systems.
DS1 DS1 Loading Screen Items Grimrukh How to change the pool of items that randomly appear on loading screens in DS1 (both versions).
DS3 Debugging DS3 sfix How to allow debugging DS3 (Anti-anti-debug).
DS3 Debug Menu: Animation Viewer Challenger Andy How to quickly and manually play animations with a desired character using the Debug Menu.
DS3 Debug Menu: Attunement Slot Adjustment Challenger Andy How to equipped spells, miracles, and pyromancies without needing to rest at a bonfire.
DS3 Debug Menu: "Cheating" Challenger Andy How to perform actions that fall under the general umbrella of "Cheating" using the Debug Menu. Invincibility, One-shotting, parrying every attack, etc.
DS3 Debug Menu: Changing Debug Menu Formatting and Layout Challenger Andy How to change the color, scale, position, and font size of the Debug Menu window itself. Also includes information on how to open multiple windows and change list sorting.
DS3 Debug Menu: Control Guide Challenger Andy Details general debug controls, debug dash controls, free cam controls, and GUI controls. Essential knowledge for Debug Menu.
DS3 Debug Menu: Cutscene/Remo Viewer Challenger Andy Manually play and dissect cutscenes (remo). Useful for SFX/FXR editors in identifying what IDs are in the cutscene, as well as those editing or creating original cutscenes.
DS3 Debug Menu: Foot Effects & Decal Viewer Challenger Andy How to change (temporarily) and view Foot Effects and Decals using Debug Menu.
DS3 Debug Menu: FXR / SFX Viewer Challenger Andy How to spawn and view FXR / SFX in Dark Souls 3 using the Debug Menu.
DS3 Debug Menu: Display Hitboxes & Damage Statistics Challenger Andy Display character hurtboxes, damage hitboxes, and some damage statistics. Also allows identification of Bullet IDs, BehaviorParams, and other stuff.
DS3 Debug Menu: Inventory Manipulation / Item Gib Challenger Andy Useful for quickly adding (or removing) entire classes of weapons, armors, items, etc. at once to the player's inventory. Also includes how to spawn specific items.
DS3 Debug Menu: Playing as Enemies/NPCs Challenger Andy How to "play as" and control enemies, bosses, or NPCs.
DS3 Debug Menu: Player Stat & Covenant Rank Adjustments Challenger Andy Change stat levels; HP, SP, and MP amounts; Covenant Points and Rank amounts; and debuff resistance stats. Also includes information for manipulating enemy/NPC HP amounts.
DS3, DS1* Debug Menu Transcription Challenger Andy Transcription, Translations, and Explanations of DS3's Debug Menu. *Also helpful for DS1
DS3 Debug Menu: Troubleshooting Challenger Andy Troubleshooting steps for common problems when using DS3's Debug Menu.
DS3 Debug Menu: Save/Load Debug Workspace Challenger Andy Details how to save and load your current cursor positions in debug windows as bookmarks/loadable layouts, even between sessions. Fully describes SubWindow functions.
DS3 Debug Menu: SpEffect Spawner Challenger Andy Details how to spawn and view SpEffects (and SpEffectVfx) using debug menu.

Merging

Games Name Author Description
ER, All* How to Merge Mods Dylan Alexander, Challenger Andy, Angel Dasha, Clevererraptor, Rainer How to resolve conflicts between multiple mods in order to play them. Includes how to merge animations, FXR (SFX), MsgBnds, params, regulation.bins, and TAEs. Written for Elden Ring but somewhat applies to other games.
ER Seamless Co-op and Mods Lucy How to merge the popular Seamless Co-op Mod with other mods.