Sekiro/Elden Ring save file backup/restore

Scripts of Windows CMD batch and bash to backup and restore save files of the games:

• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
• Elden Ring

User interface

A command-line based user interface is provided for both the backup and restore tool

• backup: type the file name you want to copy to the destination; Unicode characters(CJK for example) allowed, if font supports them. If file with same name exists, will prompt to let you choose to overwrite or abort.
• restore: the list of save files are marked with nubmers for user to choose the save file to restore/backup.

Backup UI(.bat in cmd.exe):

Restore UI(bash script in GitBash):

Confirmation is needed when restoring and overwriting; if timed out without user confirmation, nothing is done and user can choose again.

What this script does not do

These scripts deals with the save file you load with "Continue" in the main menu. They are not for profiles saves (S0001.sl2, S0002.sl2...). If you are using profile A and restore a save file of profile B, you have to manually change profile using "Load game".

Mechanism

This is how Sekiro save files work, till Jan of 2020: (Elden Ring is similar)

• When you choose "Continue" in the main menu, you load S0000.sl2 file in C:\Users\<your-username-here>\AppData\Roaming\Sekiro\76561198090276100 folder. The first part of this path equals to system variable "APPDATA". This save file will take to exactly the location and state where you exited the game last time. A good use of this save, is exiting the game just before any boss fight.
• In current version("App v1.04"), you will also see S0000.sl2.bak file, which is used to validate S0000.sl2. (I guess the validation is done when you "Press any key" after the title screen, before the main menu; and they are just identical files only with distinct filenames). If the content of two files does not match, it prompts that "You may not have exited the game correctly last time" and restore the last save with this .bak file. It often happens when you only replace the first file, but not the .bak file with your backup save file. So these scripts will restore both files.
• When you choose "Load" in the main menu, you can choose from the profiles saves, which are represented by S0001.sl2, S0002.sl2... files along side S0000.sl2, if you have started the game more than once. If you have only one progress, these files are not present. These saves only takes you to the last "buddha status" you have used.

How to use

First, change the path to store the save file in the scripts, accordingly

How to backup

1. Play game till some point you want to backup, and exit game
2. "Press any key" to enter main menu. At the right top corner of screen you will see "Verifying save file..." or something similar
3. You now reach the main menu. Alt+tab to switch to desktop
4. Run backup_sekiro_saves.sh or backup_sekiro_saves.bat by double clicking them. (If this does not work, you may need to open gitbash terminal first and use ./backup_sekiro_saves.sh)
5. Type the name as identifier for this save, like "beginning" or "before red demon"
6. The save file will be copied to the path you set.
7. You can safely enter game and continue playing.

How to restore

1. Exit game
2. Press any key to enter main menu. At the right top corner of screen you will see "Verifying save file..." or something similar
3. You now reach the main menu. Alt+tab to switch to desktop
4. Run restore_sekiro_saves.sh or restore_sekiro_saves.bat by double clicking them. (If this does not work, you may need to open gitbash terminal first and use ./restore_sekiro_saves.sh)
5. Choose the save file to restore and confirm
6. After all is done, go back to game and "Continue". Remember that if you restored the save for another profile, before "Continue" you need to "Load game" to switch profile first.

Files and explanation

For each game, there are 4 files, two .bat scripts only to use in Windows, and two .sh scripts to use under Linux or Windows when you have bash environment installed(Gitbash or WSL). (Till now Sekiro is not natively supported in GNU/Linux, but who knows, maybe one day...)

In the bash scripts I use map/table which is only available in bash v4.0 above, so make sure you have that. Git for windows normally gives you GNU bash v4.4 so there is no problem. You can check with bash -version.

Some notes:

• The cmd batch can be run in cmd.exe
• The bash scripts should be run in gitbash, or WSL applications "Ubuntu for Windows".
• When you back up save file with a name, Unicode characters(CJK ones, for example) are supported as long as your OS supports it. But to correctly show them in cmd screen, remember that you still need proper CJK font installed for cmd. For Chinese I use "Yahei Mono" or "Simsun".

2022/4/10 Add Elden Ring scripts. Update license to GPLv3.

2025/1 Restructure dirs to distinguish game specific files. Add bash scripts for Elden Ring.