Online Matchmaking

Online Play

The summoning/invasion mechanics have changed slightly from Dark Souls. Below are items that facilitate online play:

Item	Information
White Sign Soapstone	This is required to summon other players and can be found by talking to Mild Mannered Pate in Forest of Fallen Giants. You need to complete the gauntlet in front of him to get the soapstone from him.
Red Sign Soapstone	Sold by Titchy Gren in Undead Purgatory. Requires the defeat of the Executioner's Chariot to get to. Allows players to be summoned as a hostile phantom.
Small White Sign Soapstone	Found in the room above Merchant Hag Melentia in Cardinal Tower, in Forest of Fallen Giants. Used to summon other player's as shades (shorter duration of summoning).
Black Separation Crystal	Default Item. Used to banish friendly phantoms or to leave a host's world as a phantom.
Cracked Red Eye Orb	Dropped by Enslaved Pig and won when winning a Brotherhood of Blood duel. Used to invade other worlds.
Cracked Blue Eye Orb	Dropped by Old Knight. Won by winning a Blue Sentinel duel. Used to invade worlds of the guilty.
Guardian's Seal	Given by Blue Sentinel Targray upon joining the Blue Sentinels covenant. Automatically summons you to other worlds to protect Way of Blue members when they are invaded.
Crest Of The Rat	Given by the The Rat King upon joining the Rat King Covenant. Draws trespassers of the Rat King's territory into your world as gray spirits.
Bell Keeper's Seal	Given by Belfry Guard upon joining the Bell Keepers covenant. Allows player to invade bell tower trespassers in Belfry Luna (The Lost Bastille) or Belfry Sol (Iron Keep).
Dragon Eye	Given by Magerold of Lanafir upon joining the Dragon Remnants covenant. Allows members to lay a Dragon Soul Sign and be summoned as a hostile Dragon Spirit phantom in another player's world.

Soul Memory Ranges

Soul Memory is the total number of souls your character has ever obtained (regardless of what was done with them). It is used as a matchmaking requirement, as being within a certain Soul Memory range of another player allows you to connect. There are various tiers of Soul Memory, and the restrictions on multiplayer connections involve how many tiers you are away from another player.

Disclaimer: The specifics of the following information may be subject to change in the future. This was tested during Calibrations 1.05 and Ver. 1.04, on PS3 only.

Tier List

Tier #	Soul Memory
1	0 - 9,999
2	10,000 - 19,999
3	20,000 - 29,999
4	30,000 - 39,999
5	40,000 - 49,999
6	50,000 - 69,999
7	70,000 - 89,999
8	90,000 - 109,999
9	110,000 - 129,999
10	130,000 - 149,999
11	150,000 - 179,999
12	180,000 - 209,999
13	210,000 - 239,999
14	240,000 - 269,999
15	270,000 - 299,999
16	300,000 - 349,999
17	350,000 - 399,999
18	400,000 - 449,999
19	450,000 - 499,999
20	500,000 - 599,999
21	600,000 - 699,999
22	700,000 - 799,999
23	800,000 - 899,999
24	900,000 - 999,999
25	1,000,000 - 1,099,999
26	1,100,000 - 1,199,999
27	1,200,000 - 1,299,999
28	1,300,000 - 1,399,999
29	1,400,000 - 1,499,999
30	1,500,000 - 1,749,999
31	1,750,000 - 1,999,999
32	2,000,000 - 2,249,999
33	2,250,000 - 2,499,999
34	2,500,000 - 2,749,999
35	2,750,000 - 2,999,999
36	3,000,000 - 4,999,999
37	5,000,000 - 6,999,999
38	7,000,000 - 8,999,999
39	9,000,000 - 11,999,999
40	12,000,000 - 14,999,999
41	15,000,000 - 19,999,999
42	20,000,000 - 29,999,999
43	30,000,000 - 44,999,999
44	45,000,000 - 359,999,999
45	360,000,000 - 999,999,999

Multiplayer Item Ranges

These ranges are calculated from the perspective of the player using the corresponding items.

Item	Downward Range	Upward Range	Example
White Sign Soapstone	-3 Tiers	+1 Tier	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 17 - 21
White Sign Soapstone with Name-Engraved Ring	-6 Tiers	+4 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 14 - 24
Small White Sign Soapstone	-4 Tiers	+2 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 16 - 22
Small White Sign Soapstone with Name-Engraved Ring	-7 Tiers	+5 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 13 - 25
Red Sign Soapstone	-5 Tiers	+2 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 15 - 22
Dragon Eye	-5 Tiers	+5 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can send their sign to a host in tiers 15 - 25
Cracked Red Eye Orb	-0 Tiers	+4 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can invade a host in tiers 20 - 24
Cracked Blue Eye Orb	-3 Tiers	+3 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can invade a host in tiers 17 - 23
Bell Keeper's Seal	-1 Tier	+3 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can invade a host in tiers 19 - 23
Crest of the Rat	-1 Tiers	+3 Tiers	Host at tier 20 can summon a phantom from tiers 19 - 23
Guardian's Seal	-5 Tiers	+4 Tiers	Player at tier 20 can be summoned by a host in tiers 15 - 24

Item ranges will require retesting to find if anything has changed since Patch 1.10

Other Notes

• Soul Memory is the only range-based parameter that restricts who can connect outside of the Brotherhood of Blood arena. There is no level range otherwise in Dark Souls 2¹. This means that:
  • A level 1 and a max level player can connect if they have identical or similar Soul Memory.
  • Two players of an identical level cannot connect if they are too far apart in Soul Memory.

* Brotherhood of Blood arena has been given Soul Level matchmaking as of Patch 1.10. Players who are within 5 levels with each other will have higher priority to match, (SL 150 will match with SL 145-155 faster than an SL 200 matching with an SL 150)

• Since the release of Patch 1.10, there is no division between players in regular NG vs higher NG+ cycles.

• The Name Engraved Ring is not just a filter that makes pairing up with friends easier, but it also extends the viable Soul Memory range for co-op when equipped. Belonging to the Heirs of the Sun covenant does not extend the Soul Memory range.

Covenants

• Being in the Heirs of the Sun covenant will increase the chances of being visible, and thus summoned for co-op.
• If you are in Belfry Sol or Belfry Luna then members of the Bell Keepers covenant can invade you.
• If you are in Grave of Saints or Doors of Pharros, members of the Rat King Covenant can summon you into their world.
• The Blue Sentinels can invade you if you have acquired the status of Sinner or greater.
• Members of the Way of Blue can receive help from a Blue Sentinel when they are invaded by a red phantom.
• Members of the Brotherhood of Blood can invade you as a red spirit using Cracked Red Eye Orbs.
• Members of the Dragon Remnants can be optionally summoned and fought.

Other Online Features

• Bloodstains: If you see a bloodstain on the ground, you can stand above it and activate it to see another player's death or the final few seconds before death. If a seemingly innocent place is covered with bloodstains, then that is a good hint that the place is not all that it seems (unless you're over by the cliffs of Majula. It is unknown by me as to why, but people love jumping off).
• Illusions: If you see a light blue illusion, then you are watching another player (who is online) playing. The illusions tend to only last a few seconds and you cannot interact with them, but they do help give the player some solace that others are going through the same strife as themselves.
• Messages: Other players can leave messages around the land of Drangleic and they will appear in your world. You can view them and rate them, as well as leave your own. The message system uses options rather than free typing, which can make messages cryptic at times. Messages are very useful if you are stuck or worried about an area, giving you valuable information about your current location. Leaving messages has an added benefit in that you'll receive a health bonus if you receive a rating from another player.
• Burning: Burning a Human Effigy at a bonfire will prevent summonings or invasions for 30 minutes. Messages and illusions can still be seen.
• Name-engraved Ring: Using this ring and choosing the same gods will greatly increase the chance of seeing each other, and will prevent any possible summons whom do not have the ring on or have not chosen the same god.

Online Play Issues (ports)

If you do not see any online features, then you may need to open certain ports in your firewall and your router. The ports to open are:

PS3

TCP 80
TCP 443
TCP 5223
UDP 3478
UDP 3479
UDP 3658

Xbox Live:

TCP 80
TCP 53
TCP 3074
UDP 88
UDP 3074
UDP 53

Dark Souls II Server Ports:

Dark Souls II server TCP/UDP ports:
TCP: 50000 - 50100
UDP: 50000 - 50100

Footnotes

1. There is a statement from Namco Bandai suggesting that players should be within 10 levels of each other if they want to co-op. This has been disproven through testing, no level proximity of any kind is required.