Really intrigued by the game's vibes!
It nails that moody Soulslike atmosphere in a tabletop format, which is no small feat. (We shall not talk about that darksouls d20 """game""")
There's so much potential here, and it feels like the game wants to be this singular, grand, glorious campaign with a deep lore and a final god-tier antagonist (which is awesome!).
That said, I feel like there is a future intention to frame the game to have a singular, grand campaign with all the lore/plot/clmax typical to soulslike (like your future intention to explicitly playtest boss battles);
I think the pacing could really benefit from being broken into smaller narrative arcs, something like distinct "hunts" or focused dungeon/area explorations (similar to how CAIN does exorcism missions or Vaesen handles investigations). Clearer arcs (like one dungeon, one mystery, one cursed beast, etc etc) could make sessions feel tighter and more satisfying while still feeding into the bigger story and the oppressive mood.
... OK, that might lean a bit closer to Bloodborne’s mood than Dark Souls.. but it's still very much in the Soulslike family, no?
i can suggest maybe a dedicated section in the rules for what happens during one “hunt” or journey, alongside stuff about bonding with NPCs, other PCs, preparing to the next mission or even building up your base/Nexus, would add some nice rhythm to the overall experience.
Really excited to see where this goes!
P.S.: for the love of God please add bookmarks to your quickstart's PDF. I can even do that for you, if you prefer XD