Dark Souls 2 and 3 multiplayer is back after two weeks offline
FromSoftware has switched Dark Souls 2 and Dark Souls 3 online features back on after a two-week shutdown over security holes. It did not say what the threat was.
SUMO· the number puzzle
Dialo· learn languages by speaking
ediviewer· read EDI files like documents
giftdetect· the right gift in minutesIf you have been unable to invade other players in Dark Souls 2 or Dark Souls 3 for the past two weeks, you can go back to it. FromSoftware says the multiplayer of both games is working again.
The online features, including invasions and messages left by other players, were switched off on all platforms on 30 October. The studio blamed "identified security vulnerabilities". Just under two weeks later, it announced that its investigation was finished and the problem fixed. It apologised "sincerely" for the trouble and thanked players for their patience.
What exactly the danger was, FromSoftware does not say.
Why was Dark Souls 2 and 3 multiplayer turned off?
The official explanation stops at "security vulnerabilities", but the timing points somewhere. It is assumed the shutdown is linked to two critical flaws in PHP, a popular programming language used on web servers. They were patched on 21 October, but attackers had already started using them in real attacks. That is an assumption, not something the studio confirmed.
Dark Souls games were not alone. Online features in Final Fantasy XIV, Pokemon Champions and other titles were also restricted for a while as a precaution.
Not the first time
Players in the comments seemed relieved that the wait did not drag on for months. In 2022, a hole was found in the Dark Souls trilogy that let someone run malicious code remotely on another player's PC, and the servers stayed down much longer.
This time the fix was quicker, and invasions and messages are available again in both games.
Apps worth a look
SUMO: the number puzzleTap the right tiles, add them up, hit the target. Easy to learn, hard to master. Free, for all ages.
Dialo: learn languages by speakingTalk to an AI conversation partner; every sentence comes back corrected and explained in your language. 9 languages, A1 to C2.
ediviewer: read EDI files like documentsOpen EDIFACT and X12 messages, see every segment explained, convert to JSON/XML, export PDF and Excel. Runs locally, no upload.
giftdetect: the right gift in minutesPick who it is for, the occasion and their personality. The search engine reads product descriptions from local shops and ranks what fits. Free, no sign-up.
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