Twitter user DriftItem has just released a data visualization depicting where users die the most in Dark Souls. Using a 3D rendered map, DriftItem located roughly 20,000 bloodstains, which appear on the ground in the spot that a player has died, to emulate where people have struggled the most.
The data that was collected is depicted in a Dark Souls map that doesn’t show the entire world, but offers a notable portion. The first half of the game is shown most prominently, which offers great insight as to where new players experience the most deaths. The small stretch of area connecting Firelink Shrine, the starting area, to Undead Burg, which is usually the area players examine first, is especially littered with bloodstains.
On top of collecting bloodstain locations, DriftItem also used the custom game client he created to see where soapstone messages were placed. According to the map, it is clear that there are a dense amount of messages around the area that players stumble upon Solaire for the first time. Other areas covered with messages include locations outside the Capra Demon and Belfry Gargoyles encounters, which comes without a surprise given that they are early death traps and difficulty spikes.
DriftItem has clarified that data preservation is the driving force behind this experiment. The Dark Souls multiplayer data is not stored on a central server, and traded between clients instead. Due to this, when the Dark Souls Remaster comes out in a few months, it is likely that a lot of data will be lost forever as the player number goes down. Thus, DriftItem collects all data that goes over the network. In regard to messages specifically, username, SteamID, timestamp, position, area, ratings, and message texts are all collected.
An updated version of the map has just been posted with captions signifying locations. DriftItem can be reached and followed through Twitter for more updates regarding these fascinating finds.