ds3os

Dark Souls 3 - Open Server (ds3os) is an open-source implementation of the game servers for Dark Souls 2 (SOTFS) and Dark Souls 3. Its stated purpose is to offer an alternative for playing online with mods without the risk of being banned, or for players who want private sessions free of cheaters and invasions. The project authenticates Steam tickets, so it does not support pirated copies, Steam emulators or similar workarounds. Downloads are published on the GitHub releases page. After building, the output includes a Bin folder with Loader and Server subfolders: the loader lets you create or join a server, while Server.exe runs a dedicated server. On first run the server emits Saved\default\config.json, which holds matchmaking parameters that can be adjusted and applied by restarting. Servers can be password protected via that config. The Steam client (no login required) must be installed for Server.exe to initialize. A feature table lists support for network transport, announcement messages, profile management, blood messages, bloodstains, ghosts, summoning, invasions, auto-summoning (covenants), matchmaking, leaderboards, bell ringing, quick matches (arenas), telemetry, ticket authentication, master server support, loader support, an admin WebUI and sharding. Dark Souls 3 is described as stable enough for use, while Dark Souls 2 SOTFS support is experimental and under development. A roadmap mentions per-server mod settings (such as removing summon limits) and stronger anticheat. The project uses its own save files to avoid conflicts with retail saves; a loader option can copy retail saves into ds3os, but copying back is intentionally not automated. Docker images are published for the main server and the master server, with a one-line run command that bind-mounts the Saved folder. Troubleshooting notes cover admin privileges for the launcher, port forwarding (50000, 50010, 50050, 50020 for TCP and UDP), firewall rules, and correct ServerHostname/ServerPrivateHostname values. Configuration properties are documented in RuntimeConfig.h. Building uses Visual Studio 2022 and C++17 with CMake-generated project files, and Nix build/run commands are also provided. The repository contains Protobuf definitions, resources, source for the injector DLL, loader, NodeJS master server, main server, game-specific server code for Dark Souls 2 and 3, shared code, third-party libraries, WebUI static resources, and analysis tools. Contributions are invited, particularly for stubbed server calls and unknown protobuf fields. Credits acknowledge community research and several related reverse-engineering and modding repositories.