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This HD Texture Pack for Dark Souls 2 overhauls more than 6000 textures

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Modder ‘Save Smokey’ has released a pretty interesting HD Texture Pack for Dark Souls 2. This pack overhauls more than 6000 textures, bringing its visuals closer to the aesthetics of the first Dark Souls game. In other words, this pack introduces some noticeable art style changes to the game.

The modder claimed that he used iGP11 for extensive texture overriding. By using this tool, he was able to dump every texture in the game and filter, tone down the brightness and make them darker. As such, nearly 6000 individual texture files were modified and are included in this pack.

These new textures are also sharper and do not bring any additional performance overhead. Not only that, but some areas present now new challenges, creating a real use for the torch. This is something that may please those that were disappointed by the game’s simplified lighting system.

Prior to its release, Dark Souls 2 featured a more advanced lighting system. Unfortunately, FromSoftware switched to a simpler lighting system as PS3 and Xbox 360 could not handle it. And while this pack does not improve the lighting system, it changes the textures in order to make the environments feel closer to the game’s original vision.

Now I’m pretty sure that some Dark Souls 2 loyalists will not like this pack. And, to be honest, that’s fine. This HD Texture Pack is only for those that are willing to replay the game with a different art style. For these players, this is a really interesting mod. And to be honest, and for some weird reason, its overall idea reminds me of the “blue sky” mod for Resident Evil 5.

But anyway, you can download this HD Texture Pack for Dark Souls from here. It’s also worth noting that there is a Lite version for download. This Lite version will appeal to those that want subtle changes.

Below you can also find some comparison screenshots between the vanilla and the new textures.

Have fun!