Dark Souls 2 PC servers are back, but Prepare to Die multiplayer is gone forever

Multiplayer servers for Dark Souls 2 are back online after nearly ten months of downtime, but publisher Bandai Namco says that the original game's multiplayer can't be brought back.

In a tweet earlier today, the official Dark Souls account confirmed that "online features for the PC version of Dark Souls 2: Scholar of the First Sin have been reactivated." While the expanded edition of the game is now back online, the base game will follow "at a later date."

While Dark Souls 2 is on its way back (following on from Dark Souls 3 last month), long-term fans may find themselves disappointed by a follow-up announcement. Bandai also revealed that "we have determined that we will not be able to support online services for the PC version of Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition that was released in 2012, due to an aging system."

That certainly tracks - Prepare to Die is pretty janky nowadays, and its ailing multiplayer features would likely have required significantly more work to bring online, a cost weighed against its dramatically smaller player-base. Bandai says that "work on the restoration of online services for the PC version of Dark Souls Remastered is still underway," with more information promised "when they return."

Back in January, Dark Souls servers were pulled offline for the entire trilogy following a security issue that threatened the launch of Elden Ring. Bandai Namco and FromSoftware have been working to gradually bring servers back since May, and it seems that progress is finally speeding up. 

If you're still making your way through The Lands Between, you might find that Elden Ring's new game+ is quite the victory lap.