Dark Souls 2 has just received a major visual upgrade thanks to a new path tracing mod that is now available in a public beta. The mod, currently available through Discord (invite link here), brings a completely new lighting system to the game, changing how environments look and feel from the ground up.

Before getting into what the mod does, it is important to understand what path tracing actually is. Path tracing is an advanced form of ray tracing that simulates how light behaves in the real world. Instead of using pre-baked lighting or simple light sources, it calculates how light bounces off surfaces, passes through windows, and interacts with objects.

This results in more realistic shadows, reflections, and overall lighting. In a game like Dark Souls 2, this can completely transform the atmosphere, especially in darker areas where lighting plays a huge role. If you’ve ever felt that the lighting in DS2 feels a little lackluster or generally washed out, these path-traced visuals are certainly an improvement.

What exactly does the path tracing mod offer?

1. Adds Path tracing to Dark Souls 2. It removes almost all fake lights in the game. Torch, and items which produce light are invaluable in early game especially.
2. Areas/Lights are reconfigured for each zone. You should not need a torch in sunlight areas, even if they are indoors and there is a single window/door open exposed to sun/sky, the lighting should always make sense and grounded, this is the essence of PT and LE is configured to be that way, capturing every window and door portals.

via DSLightingEngine Discord

With this mod enabled, most of the game’s artificial lighting has been removed. Instead, lighting now comes from natural sources like the sun, torches, and glowing items. This makes light sources much more important during gameplay. For example, torches are no longer just optional tools. In darker areas, they become essential for visibility, especially early in the game.

The mod also reworks lighting across different zones. Areas that receive sunlight will now look brighter and more natural, even indoors if there are windows or openings. On the other hand, caves and enclosed spaces will feel much darker. The goal here is to make lighting feel grounded and realistic, rather than artificially placed.

To run the mod properly, players will need a system that supports ray tracing and runs Windows 11. The developer confirmed it can run on an RTX 3060 Ti at 1440p using DLSS Quality mode, but it can work with any RTX 2000 series and above card, or something equivalent from AMD or Intel. Technologies like DLSS and FSR are recommended for smoother performance, as path tracing is very demanding. The mod also supports HDR and full-resolution output, which further improves visual quality.

However, do keep in mind that, as this is a beta version, there are some issues. For instance, during online invasions, the game can crash for some players. On top of that, there are some visual bugs, but the developers are working on fixing every reported issue and bug as the path tracing project progresses.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.