How to Merge regulation.bin Files in DSMapStudio

Install two mods that both modify regulation.bin and dropping one file on top of the other silently deletes the first mod's changes — no prompt, no warning. regulation.bin is one packed file holding almost all of a game's gameplay params, so two mods touching it always collide. The fix is to merge at the row level instead of overwriting whole files: pull each mod's changed rows out as CSV and import them onto one shared base, so both sets of edits coexist. The full step-by-step lives on the per-game guides below.

Why regulation.bin mods conflict

The conflict isn't between individual edits — it's between two whole files claiming the same filename. Both mods ship a complete regulation.bin, so whichever you copy in last wins entirely, wiping the other's changes even on rows the two never both touched. Merging works because DSMapStudio can export just a mod's changed rows to a small CSV and import them onto a regulation.bin that already contains another mod's edits. That row-level granularity is the whole reason merging is possible.

The method in brief

Every game's merge follows the same shape, built on CSV export/import:

1. Open each mod, use the Modified filter to see exactly which rows it changed.
2. Export those rows to CSV — one mod at a time.
3. Create a project on a clean vanilla base of your exact game version.
4. Import each mod's CSV onto that shared base.
5. Resolve any rows two mods both changed, then save and test.

The one rule that breaks merges silently: every mod must land on one identical vanilla base. Mixing bases is the most common cause of post-merge crashes.

Pick your game's guide

Method's identical; paths, unpacking, and quirks differ:

• Elden Ring — the complete walkthrough (the canonical version of the steps), conflict resolution, error reference, and patch-compatibility table.
• Dark Souls 3 — the DS3 walkthrough, including the offline/anti-cheat rule and DS3-specific conflicts.
• Armored Core 6 — the AC6 walkthrough, mech-part conflicts, and re-merging after its frequent patches.

Modding a Souls game not listed? The Elden Ring walkthrough applies directly — open a project for your game and follow the same steps.

Automate repeated merges

Re-merging the same set often (modpacks, post-patch refreshes)? DSMSPortable applies CSVs to a regulation.bin from the command line, so a full multi-mod merge becomes one batch run — the DSMSPortable CLI guide covers it. The re-base after a patch is in updating params after a patch.

Resolve conflicts, and back up first

When two mods change the same row, the second import overwrites the first — so you decide which wins, or hand-merge the columns each changed (the per-game guides have a conflict table with concrete examples). Before any merge, copy your regulation.bin somewhere safe: a bad merge can't be undone across a save, so a named backup is your rollback.

If the file won't even open

Can't open regulation.bin at all with "Unknown DCX format"? Your game is patched newer than v1.11.1 supports — a compatibility issue, not a merge one (fix). DSMapStudio v1.11.1 can't read Elden Ring 1.12+ (post-SotE); on a current ER patch, merge in Smithbox, the actively maintained fork — the CSV concepts transfer directly (vs Smithbox).

Ready? The Elden Ring walkthrough has the full steps, the CSV export/import page is the workflow it's built on — and back up your regulation.bin first.