Dark Souls Remastered also stores several character slots inside one .sl2 profile container. A reliable backup therefore captures DRAKS0005.sl2 at the profile level and keeps the numeric user folder context. Steam Cloud can help, but it should not be the only copy before a mod, manager, or migration. SaveEditor.com does not describe one character as an independent file because that would misrepresent the container structure.
Start with the least destructive explanation
When Dark Souls Remastered progress appears missing, first verify the active PC location: Windows: %USERPROFILE%DocumentsNBGIDARK SOULS REMASTERED<user-id> | Linux / Steam Play: Steam Play: <SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/570940/pfx/. Expected files/folders: DRAKS0005.sl2. Many apparent save failures are actually profile, storefront, path-redirection, or cloud-selection problems rather than damaged game data.
Preserve every surviving copy
Copy DRAKS0005.sl2 and preferably the complete numeric profile folder. Before renaming, moving, replacing, or opening candidate backups, copy them outside the live directory. Do not use the only surviving file as the test specimen for repair or editing.
Check launcher and cloud state
Storefront context: Steam. The account-specific numeric directory matters. Keep the directory level when moving backups between PCs. Cloud notes: Steam Cloud is documented for Dark Souls Remastered, but a manual dated copy is still recommended before experimentation. A sync client can reintroduce an older or newer version after a manual restore, so recovery work should keep local and cloud copies conceptually separate until the wanted progress is confirmed.
Use format and compatibility clues
The Windows profile uses a single DRAKS0005.sl2 container under the NBGI account directory. Multiple in-game characters can live inside the same file. File replacement affects the whole profile container. Character-level merging requires a dedicated parser and is not implied by this Game Hub. If the file exists but is ignored, compare the complete directory structure, slot/profile naming, game edition, mods/DLC, and any companion metadata. Do not assume an extension change or generic checksum tool can repair a game-specific container.
Game-specific troubleshooting
If an imported profile does not appear, verify that it is inside the correct numeric account folder and that cloud synchronization did not restore another revision. If a known-good backup works, preserve it and create a fresh in-game save before further experiments. If no copy works, prefer read-only inspection and source-backed game-specific tooling over repeated writes.
Verification context: The Documents/NBGI save path and Steam Cloud support were reviewed against current PCGamingWiki coverage. DRAKS0005.sl2 naming is corroborated by current save-manager/community references.