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The Elder Scrolls: Blades · Preservation Project

Data Capture Setup

Help preserve Blades before the servers close on June 30, 2026. While a VPN we run is on, the server records your game's API traffic so developers can rebuild it.

Android
Read this first — Android needs a custom app

Android 7+ (API 24+) blocks normal apps from trusting user-installed certificates. That means the Play Store version of Blades will capture nothing, no matter how you set up the VPN. Android capture works through a community-built Blades APK that trusts our certificate, run through a split-tunnel VPN. It's a few extra steps beyond iOS — just follow them in order.

Safe by design — the VPN only ever carries the Blades app

Your config is app-locked: it sets WireGuard's IncludedApplications to the custom Blades app (fr.mariusdavid.blade) and nothing else. While the tunnel is on, only that one app's traffic goes through us — your browser, banking, messaging and every other app stay on your normal connection, untouched. This is WireGuard's standard per-app split tunnelling; read about it in WG Tunnel's documentation, and you can confirm it yourself in the app under Split tunnelling (it shows Include → Blades). Your dashboard at newblades.dethele.com opens in your browser as usual — it's not part of the VPN.

Before you start

You'll sign in with a Discord account at newblades.dethele.com. New accounts may need a quick admin approval — if you see “Account pending approval,” ask in Discord; the Setup wizard unlocks once you're approved. This guide mirrors that built-in wizard.

1

Sign in with Discord

Open https://newblades.dethele.com and sign in with Discord (create a free Discord account first if you don't have one). From your dashboard, open the Setup wizard and begin.

2

Choose what to capture

The wizard lists the game hosts it captures. Leave everything ticked for the fullest picture — untick anything you'd rather not store (changeable later). Tap Continue.

3

Install the certificate & the custom Blades app

Part 1 — Install the certificate
  1. Tap Download CA certificate (saves blades-capture-ca.pem).
  2. Open Settings → Security & privacy → More security settings → Encryption & credentials.
  3. Tap Install a certificateCA certificate (not “Wi-Fi certificate” — only a CA certificate is trusted by apps), accept the “network may be monitored” warning, then pick blades-capture-ca.pem from Downloads. Enter your PIN if asked; any name is fine.

Menu names vary by manufacturer (Pixel / Samsung / OnePlus / Xiaomi) — the wizard links Google's canonical Pixel guide if yours differs.

Part 2 — Install the custom Blades APK

Because Android won't let the stock app trust our certificate, install the community-built Blades APK (package fr.mariusdavid.blade) from the download link in the wizard. If prompted, allow installs from your browser or the Files app.

Heads up

It installs as a separate app — your existing Blades save won't carry over (sign into your account or start fresh). The standard Blades app keeps working untouched, but only the custom APK is captured.

4

Install WG Tunnel — not the standard WireGuard app

Install WG Tunnel from the Play Store. It's a WireGuard client with split-tunnelling, so the VPN carries only the custom Blades app's traffic and your other apps stay on your normal connection.

5

Get your VPN config & scope it to Blades

  1. In Get your VPN config, choose Arena + Bethesda (recommended) — captures the full game including live Arena PvP.
  2. Tap Generate VPN config and download blades-capture.conf.
  3. Open WG Tunnel+Import from file → pick blades-capture.conf.
  4. Verify split-tunnelling: the config already locks the tunnel to the Blades app, so after import just confirm it: tap the tunnel → Split tunneling and check it's on Include mode with only the custom Blades app (fr.mariusdavid.blade) ticked. If for any reason it isn't, switch to Include, tick Blades, and Save — that guarantees no other app ever touches the VPN.

Manage or add more devices later under Your devices on your dashboard.

6

Play & capture

  1. In WG Tunnel, toggle the imported tunnel ON.
  2. Launch the custom Blades APK (fr.mariusdavid.blade) — not the Play Store app — and play. The login screen alone is enough to test.
  3. Back in the wizard, the status panel shows “seen in last 60s” once capture is working.
While you play

Keep the VPN on while playing and turn it off when you're done. Don't use this VPN for sensitive traffic. Captured data is visible to project admins and developers, so avoid accounts you want kept private.

After setup

What gets captured

  • Character data
  • Progress & statistics
  • Arena activity & match info
  • Other game API data

Where to see it — your dashboard

  • Live view
  • Capture session history
  • Upload recording
  • Your tasks