Dark Souls Item Randomiser mod means you can't just stroll up to the Zweihander and swan through the rest of the game

Dark Souls, Jim, but not as you know it.

Dark Souls is great, and the fact that it gets harder on each New Game+ playthrough means it has a pretty hefty lifespan. But all good things must come to an end, and even the most passionate fan will one day find the challenges have simply run out.

Or they did, anyway, until the Dark Souls Item Randomizer mod appeared. As spotted by PC Gamer, the mod does what it says on the tin - randomises item placement.

Mixing up loot locations means you can once again experience the thrill of wondering what an item glow holds for you, but perhaps more importantly, it means you can't rely on your usual Dark Souls builds. No more making a dash for your favourite weapon and using it through the whole experience; you'll need to work with what you've got.

As if that weren't enough, mod users can share seeds if they enjoy a particular layout, and refer to a cheat sheet if they get stuck looking for a necessary gameplay item, such as a key. It also boasts a range of difficulty settings and options, so you can tailor the randomness to suit your preferred challenge level, and even opt to keep key items in their place.

Developer HotPocketRemix is still working on the mod, but it is playable and does work, so if you're keen to help beta test you can join in via Reddit. Getting it up and running isn't super easy, unfortunately, even for experienced mod users, but the first priority for the next build is to address that. Other potential future features include randomising starting equipment and quest rewards.

Hit the links above to read much more about this fascinating project; anything that provides an excuse to go back to Dark Souls is okay in our books.