How to backup your save files

[RainDreamer]

To back up:
1. Go to \Documents\NBGI\DarkSouls
2. Find a folder with your GFWL gamer tag as its name.
3. Copy the file in the folder.
4. Make a new folder anywhere, in the gamer tag folder if you want, name it "Back up"
5. Paste the file in the newly made folder.
You now have a backup copy of your save files.
Optional: Make more folders and name those folders appropiately for as many back up as you want. You can, of course, copy and rename the savefiles themselves, but it would require an extra step (delete original and rename backup) when you restore.

To restore:
1. Go to your back up folder.
2. Copy the file.
3. Go to \Documents\NBGI\DarkSouls\
4. Find a folder with your GFWL gamer tag as its name.
5. Paste and replace the file in that folder.
Upon restore, you are returned to the point the save is made.

If you have DSfix autobackup function on, you will see some file(s) like [number]_draks0005.sl2.bak in the gamer tag folder. That is the backup file(s) made by DSfix. To restore, just delete the original file (draks0005.sl2) and rename the backup file of your choice to draks0005.sl2


Darksouls have a very aggressive auto saving policy, so plan ahead and make back up often. I suggest every time you reach a bonfire, and before turning human.

Of course, this can be abused and cheat as a manual save/load function. I say, don't abuse this function if you want to enjoy this game the way it should be. But this is extremely useful in the case of save file geting corrupted for no reason, or when a hacker come in and mess up your play through by killing an NPC, and you don't want to start everything again. Having a backup to fall back to can save weeks of frustration.

Enjoy

[Slug Camargo]

We need a sticky here! Mods, chop, chop!

[cua_bien02]

Or just simply enable backup function in DSfix.

[RainDreamer]

cua_bien02 a écrit :

Or just simply enable backup function in DSfix.

Backup function in DSfix broke for me. Only save 10 files, but cannot delete old files for some reason, and thus stuck in those 10 old files.

But well, I will include that in the original post.

[Ninja Savior]

RainDreamer a écrit :

Of course, this can be abused and cheat as a manual save/load function.

I can already foresee the purist Dark Souls Police passionately criticizing this practice while on the other side we have the "It's my game, I'll play as I want" guys.

[[CPC] Claiy]

Pretty usefull with hackers how kill NPC or corrupted file (lost 10 hours of gameplay on one character for no reason O_o) , and for others how use it as a save/load function ... well they do what they want xD

[Ecke]

Thanks mate

[mdcpaladin]

thank you. just backed up my 40 hr toon.

[panda.]

So I could backup my save, kill Gwyn, restore, kill him again, restore again?
To see both endings without going into NG+ with my character...

[RainDreamer]

panda. a écrit :

So I could backup my save, kill Gwyn, restore, kill him again, restore again?
To see both endings without going into NG+ with my character...

That is what I meant by abusing it as a save/load function. =p

[peter.tron]

forgive my lack of understanding, but i don't grasp how i would manually create a save file.
for instance, if i am about to walk through the door to fight the spider boss, how exactly would i go about creating a manual save at that exact moment before walking through the door?
i saw a youtube video whereby the uploader said you have to quit the game, then go into the save file folder location, but that's where it gets baffling to me.

[paladin181]

Open the menu, then all tab and copy the save. Or you can just quit, then copy the save file.

[Zamus]

melfice181 a écrit :

Open the menu, then all tab and copy the save. Or you can just quit, then copy the save file.

This, I used to do this on BL2 to get the quest rewards with the mods I wanted, playing in windowed mode also makes it abit easier.

[C-LOS N Y C]

it also has steam cloud now, so ur data is on the cloud.

[peter.tron]

excellent stuff melfice181!

it appears to work.

my problem is that i was attempting to see hard logic in how that would work.
i assumed copying the main save file to another folder would only duplicate/backup the original save file (logically).
therefore accessing that new backup copy would load the same autosave bonfire section as the original save file.
how the game would know how to save at that precise moment when you quit out and made a backup is beyond me.

in the end it really doesn't matter.
it works, that's the important thing.
i shouldn't think too much about the "how" ;)

[Kramsikler]

So obviously, all the settings are reverted back to before after you do this right?