Dark Souls III is a profile-container game: DS30000.sl2 can hold multiple characters, so copying it is not the same as exporting one slot. Manual backups remain especially important because players should not treat launcher sync as a guaranteed recovery system. Archive the full account-ID directory at important milestones. If you later experiment with a character manager or editor, keep the untouched original separate from every generated copy.
Known Dark Souls III save-file structure
The researched filename or folder pattern is DS30000.sl2. File-extension context: .sl2 The documented format notes are: The standard PC profile uses one DS30000.sl2 container under the account-ID folder. Multiple characters are stored inside that container rather than as separate files.
Why an extension is not enough
A save filename can identify a likely container, but it does not prove the internal schema, game version, checksum rules, encryption state, or editability. Replacing DS30000.sl2 replaces the profile container containing multiple character slots. Character-level import/export is a separate game-specific operation. SaveEditor therefore separates file identification from Tool compatibility and only labels a game-specific Tool Verified when its exact profile/version evidence passes the runtime gate.
Where the format is stored
PC save locations: Windows: %APPDATA%DarkSoulsIII<user-id> | Linux / Steam Play: Steam Play: <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/374320/pfx/. Storefront context: Steam. The account-ID directory is part of the profile. The save location is separate from the game installation directory. This matters because two releases can use different containers or companion files even when the visible slot name is similar.
Back up before inspecting or editing
Copy DS30000.sl2, preferably by archiving the full account-ID folder, before major progression, mods, or migration. A read-only viewer is lower risk than a writer, but the live save should still be copied first. Cloud context also matters: Do not rely on Steam Cloud as the only backup for Dark Souls III; current community reports continue to emphasize local manual backups. Keep the original bytes available so any experiment can be reversed without relying on a cloud service or automatic backup.
What this reference does not claim
This page does not infer an undocumented checksum algorithm, encryption key, compression layer, or cross-store conversion from the file extension. Troubleshooting evidence: If a migrated file is ignored, restore the original and confirm the account folder and game version before attempting identity edits or third-party conversions. Those questions require a verified parser/profile or a game-specific source, not a generic format guess.
Verification context: The AppData account-folder location was reviewed against current PCGamingWiki coverage. DS30000.sl2 naming and the practical lack of dependable Steam Cloud backup are corroborated by long-running PC community documentation.