How to Merge regulation.bin for Dark Souls 3

Running two Dark Souls 3 mods that both modify regulation.bin means combining them properly — copying one file over the other deletes the first mod's changes. The merge uses the same row-level CSV approach as every supported game (export each mod's changed rows, import onto one shared vanilla base), but DS3 adds a rule the others don't: modded DS3 must be played offline, or the anti-cheat can soft-ban your account. So a DS3 merge is two jobs at once — merge correctly, and keep modded play strictly offline.

The shared, screenshot-level CSV mechanics are in the Elden Ring walkthrough — the canonical version, identical with a DS3 project open. What follows is the DS3 layer on top.

Merge offline, play offline

⚠️ Never play merged (or any modded) Dark Souls 3 online. DS3's anti-cheat flags modified game files and issues a soft ban that drops your account into a penalty matchmaking pool — cut off from the normal online community. Elden Ring merging has no equivalent penalty; DS3 does.

Two habits keep you safe: launch merged DS3 through ModEngine2 in offline mode, and if you also play vanilla DS3 online, keep a clean unmodded regulation.bin (or a separate install) to switch back to. Because DSMapStudio writes your merge to the project's mod folder rather than over the game files, keeping a clean baseline to return to is simple.

What you need

• DSMapStudio v1.11.1 — current DS3 is fully supported.
• DS3 files, UXM-unpacked from ...\DARK SOULS III\Game\ — not the packed install.
• A vanilla DS3 regulation.bin as the shared base — every mod onto one identical base, or it crashes.
• The mods (each a regulation.bin or CSV).
• ModEngine2, configured for offline use.

The merge, in DS3 terms

The standard CSV export/import workflow with a Dark Souls 3 project:

1. Open each mod, apply the Modified filter to each table to see exactly which rows it changed.
2. Export those rows to CSV — one mod at a time, one CSV per table.
3. Create a project on a clean vanilla DS3 base, Game Type → Dark Souls 3.
4. Import each mod's CSV (Replace existing / add new rows).
5. Resolve any rows two mods both changed, then save.

Exact menu paths: the Elden Ring walkthrough. The one thing that differs is the conflict set.

DS3-specific conflicts

DS3's params differ from Elden Ring's in one way that matters for merging: DS3 uses a single ItemLotParam, not Elden Ring's map/enemy split — so when two mods both change drops, they collide in one table, not two.

Same logic as any game; only the single-ItemLotParam detail is DS3-specific.

No version minefield

Unlike Elden Ring, DS3 doesn't get format-breaking patches, so v1.11.1 reads current DS3 without the drama that produces "Unknown DCX format" on post-1.12 Elden Ring. If you do see that error on DS3, it's usually one file another tool re-saved — re-extract it with UXM. That stability makes DS3 a comfortable game to learn merging on.

Test offline

Save (Ctrl+S), point ModEngine2 at the project's mod folder, launch DS3 offline. Confirm each mod's changes — kill an enemy whose drop you merged, check a rebalanced weapon. The Modified filter on each table should show both mods' rows together before you ever launch; a change missing in-game but present under the filter is ModEngine2 config, not a failed merge.

Full step detail: the Elden Ring walkthrough. Mechanics: CSV export/import. Every game's guide: the merge hub. DS3 setup specifics: the Dark Souls 3 guide.