Dark Souls: Shadow Of The First Flame Will Keep You Busy Until DS4

1 day ago 10

Published Jul 2, 2026, 8:13 AM EDT

Paul Farrelly is a Contributing Writer for Screen Rant’s Gaming section and the founder of GeekGasm.org, a site dedicated to celebrating all things gaming, from triple A blockbusters to weird and wonderful indie hits. Based in Louth, Ireland, Paul has spent years writing about games, pop culture, and tech, turning his lifelong love of gaming into a career that lets him talk (probably too much) about what makes this industry so endlessly fascinating.
He’s previously written and collaborated with several entertainment outlets, including LADbible, gaining a wide perspective on how gaming fits into today’s pop culture conversation. His work blends genuine enthusiasm with thoughtful analysis, exploring how design, storytelling, and community have made gaming one of the most creative mediums around.
When he’s not glued to a controller or keyboard, Paul’s usually spinning vinyl, plotting his next horror marathon, or debating which Resident Evil entry really reigns supreme.

Dark Souls 3 remains one of the most polished and challenging adventures in the FromSoftware catalog of games. It perfected the boss battles in the series and was the precursor to Elden Ring, which opened the doors to a wider audience with its open world design. For many people, though, Dark Souls 3 is one of FromSoftware's greatest achievements and many have been waiting earnestly for Dark Souls 4 ever since.

With Dark Souls 3 considered the finale in the series by creator Miyazaki, it's not really clear if we'll ever get a Dark Souls 4. But with the series' amazing success, it seems inevitable that we'll revisit the Ashen One and restart our journey once again some time in the future. Luckily, while we wait, we have Shadows of the First Flame on NexusMods to tide us over. The perfect companion piece and addition for Dark Souls 3, breathing new life into the game while we wait for a new addition to the series.

Lorian wearing his armor and wielding his flaming sword with Lothric on his back.

With gamers long debating whether the Dark Souls franchise is finished, it's nice to get something new like this. Shadows of the First Flame is essentially a mod that gives Dark Souls 3 a visual overhaul. Focussing on lighting and shade, the mod gives the visuals a face lift and changes how it looks on modern PCs. A reworking of light, shadows, shading, reflections and even color grading, the mod available over on Nexus Mods changes the overall look and feel of Dark Souls 3, giving gamers the perfect excuse to jump back into the dying Kingdom of Lothric.

The overall effect of the Shadows of the First Flame mod is a darker, more gothic visual flair for Dark Souls 3. Foggy light beams pierce through the cracks of the ruins and everything feels darker and more menacing as you travel through well-known areas like the Cathedral of the Deep and the Profaned Capital. With more than 6,000 downloads already, Shadows of the First Flame is proving to be a popular addition for Dark Souls 3.

Image shows an unofficial remaster for Dark Souls 3

If you are planning to test out this mod for yourself, you will need to first install the ModEngine2 and the latest reshade mod version before selecting Shadows of the First Flame. All the instructions are clearly listed in the mod's description over at Nexus Mods. This is the fourth lighting mod from the same creator for Dark Souls 3 alone, showing their dedication to adding quality of life improvements to an already amazing game. With mods like this and The Flaming Flame adding new content for Dark Souls 3, we could potentially play this game forever.

With the future of the franchise uncertain and no official release date for Dark Souls 4 yet, it's great to have something like Shadows of the First Flame to add longevity to Dark Souls 3. The community and support behind creating new content is amazing and getting something like this for free is always welcome. If you're willing to spend a few bucks, though, you could always check out Elden Ring, and it's officially confirmed upcoming DLC while you wait for Dark Souls 4.