The Duskbloods How to Reach Phase IV

Reaching Phase IV — the Moon Blood Bestowal — is the goal of every serious Dusk Battle in The Duskbloods. Most matches end with three survivors, but only the players who manage Virtue carefully across Phases I-III will see the closed arena beneath the blood-red sky. This guide is a phase-by-phase playbook distilled from FromSoftware’s August 2026 press preview in Tokyo, where IGN, Game Informer, and Wccftech each played roughly eight hours of the Network Test build.

The guide assumes you have already familiarised yourself with Dusk Battle Phases and the Virtue System. Read those first, then return here for the practical workflow.

Why most players do not reach Phase IV

Press playtesters found that the map knowledge gap decides more matches than combat mechanics do. Players who had run Lowarno City several times were reliably reaching Phase IV, while newcomers were reliably culled. The single biggest cause of being culled was failure to interact with the right Virtue sources at the right phases.

The second biggest cause was spawning into the wrong region. Spawn choice at the start of each phase decides what Virtue is available to you, and choosing poorly at Phase II or III is essentially giving up your cull survival.

Phase strategy and Virtue walkthrough

Phase I — set the foundation

Phase I is your setup phase. There are no eliminations, so the goal is not to play defensively. The goal is to build the strongest possible foundation for Phase II.

The four Phase I priorities:

1. Spawn into a region with a Trespasser nearby. Trespasser co-op kills are the highest-percentage Virtue source, and the press preview emphasised that spawning near one matters.
2. Claim at least one Flame Virtue corpse. Press test prioritised Flame Virtue grabs because they are guaranteed to lift you above the cull threshold even if you do nothing else in the phase.
3. Level up to 12 or higher so your Bloodsworn Skill unlocks. A level-12 character at the start of Phase II is significantly stronger than a level-8.
4. Open weapon-enhancement chests. Fire, lightning, and poison enhancements carry through to Phase IV.

A new player can complete these four priorities in roughly seven to nine minutes of focused play. A veteran can do it in five. The gap is map knowledge and route memorisation.

Phase II — survive the first Culling

Phase II opens PvP through the introduction of Ritual Sites in the back half of the phase. The bottom three players are culled when the phase ends.

Three reliable strategies:

• The Trespasser grind: stay in a region with a Trespasser and co-op it with another player. This is the safest route to high Virtue because Trespassers cannot be one-shot and they stay alive long enough to feed multiple participants.
• The Ritual Site dive: rush to a Ritual Site when it activates. Use Goldstones for Pledge Virtue if you prefer non-PvP, or Redstones for Sword Virtue if you prefer duels.
• The Flame chaser: rotate across regions hunting Flame Virtue corpses. Press playtesters consistently flagged this as map-knowledge territory because corpse locations are largely fixed within regions.

The single biggest Phase II mistake is to chase every duel. Players who spend the back half of Phase II duelling rather than securing Virtue sources are reliably culled, even if they win their fights.

If you are trailing in the rankings by mid-Phase II, switch to a Sigil target. Successful Sigil completion grants bonus Virtue that can lift you above the cull threshold even from a deep hole.

Phase III — solidify top-three

Phase III narrows the field from five to three. The same three strategies apply, but the stakes are higher because the cull threshold tightened.

For Phase III, the most reliable path to top-three is:

1. Form an Alliance with another player. Press coverage confirmed bonded players outperform solo players across the same matchups.
2. Coordinate around a Trespasser if you can find one, since this is the highest-value event for the final cull.
3. Avoid chokepoint duels. The bottom two culled players are reliably the ones who committed to a duel over a Pledge instead of rotating to a higher-value target.

A common Phase III mistake is to rush to the bell-tower Event too early. Press coverage emphasised that the bell tower is the highest-value Event objective during Phase III, but the path up leaves you exposed for several seconds. Wait until you have an Alliance partner before attempting the bell-tower climb.

Phase IV — win the finale

Once you reach the Moon Blood Bestowal, you enter the closed arena with the other two survivors. Each of you has two lives and your Kin persists.

Press coverage emphasised that less is more in the finale:

• Stay near the centre of the arena if you can. Avoiding edges prevents ring-outs.
• Coordinate with your Kin as if it were a fighting game partner. Your Kin is your second chance to deal damage while you reposition.
• Save your Bloodsworn Skill for the second life when possible. Wasting it on the first life can leave you without an answer when the duel is tight.

The single biggest finale mistake is focusing only one opponent. Press preview reported that the most common cause of Phase IV eliminations was a player focusing a single duel while the third player flanked for the kill.

Pre-queue checklist

Before queueing each match, confirm:

• Your Bloodsworn is selected and your Sigil is set.
• Your Kin preference if applicable.
• Your Alliance status is open to forming one mid-match.
• Your controls are configured — see Controls hub.
• Your network connection is stable — see Troubleshooting.

Sample Phase I to Phase IV timing

A typical successful run takes roughly 30 minutes. Here is a sample timing for a player with map knowledge:

• 0:00 to 0:30: hub preparation and queue.
• 0:30 to 9:30: Phase I — grind, claim Flame, level to 12+, open chest.
• 9:30 to 19:30: Phase II — co-op Trespasser, claim Flame, contest Ritual Site.
• 19:30 to 27:30: Phase III — form Alliance, co-op boss, avoid duels.
• 27:30 to 30:00: Phase IV Moon Blood Bestowal.

Players without map knowledge typically lose ten to fifteen extra minutes across Phases I-III due to backtracking and missed objectives.

Frequently asked questions

Does reaching Phase IV improve rewards?

FromSoftware has not confirmed specific Phase IV reward bonuses for the 2026 launch. The press preview did not surface a victory bonus beyond standard match payouts.

Can I quit the test client before reaching Phase IV?

Yes. The match continues for other players, and you receive no penalty. This is one of the reasons the Queue Time will sometimes feel slow — players who never reach Phase IV give up before the match ends.

Does the test count wins?

Players receive rewards based on placement at the end of the match, regardless of whether they reach Phase IV. FromSoftware uses these rewards to populate Bloodlines.

Related pages

• Dusk Battle Phases — phase-by-phase detail
• Virtue System — Virtue source prioritisation
• Bloodsworn roster overview — best fighter per phase
• Kin and Summons — Kin carry into Phase IV
• Map guides — map-specific strategies