Bump in the Night - Elden Ring: Nightreign Review
Pros
- Has that "one more run" feeling
- Fantastic soundtrack
- Some of the best bosses FromSoftware have created
- Characters all have unique playstyles
Cons
- Lack of crossplay
- Potential longevity issues
When Elden Ring Nightreign was first announced during The Game Awards in 2024, I admit I was a bit skeptical. My first thought was that this was a quick cash grab to capitalize on Elden Ring’s massive (and deserved) popularity, and it was something that I’d have very little interest in. Fortunately, I had the chance to check out the Network Test that alleviated some of my concerns, but at the same time, introduced more in its place. How much variation would there be in the title? How quickly would the formula get a bit stale? All these and more were swimming around in my head by the time I sat down to play the release version of Nightreign. For the most part, I was wrong to be worried.
The Nightlords are coming, and only the Nightfarers can stand against them. As rain falls on Limveld, ready your blade and take to the sky as I deliver the verdict on Elden Ring Nightreign.
Take on the role of the Nightfarers in Elden Ring Nightreign.
The Nightlords are Coming
Following the Shattering, a great war in the Lands Between gave rise to the Night and the Nightlords that terrorize them. With heavy rain signaling the coming night and washing away everything in its path, only a few would stand against the coming cataclysm, the Nightfarers.
While at a glance, the story may seem incredibly thin and created just for a reason for Nightreign to exist, dig a little deeper and there is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The various Nightfarers who permit the Roundtable Hold all have tales to tell whenever you speak to them, there is a clear plot to follow through to its conclusion, and when all is said and done, an interesting ending that makes the journey all the more worth it.
To add further interest in Nightreign’s story are Remembrances and each Nightfarer’s personal storyline. Accessed at the Roundtable Hold between matches is a Journal where you will find pages on each story that eventually lead to Remembrances, special moments that allow you to play out more of that Nightfarer’s story (more on this later). Admittedly, for those of you expecting a deep story, you’re not going to get it in what is a multiplayer-focused title, but there is enough there to keep your interest piqued and to pursue, with an ending well worth witnessing.
While at a glance, the story may seem incredibly thin and created just for a reason for Nightreign to exist, dig a little deeper and there is a lot more to it than meets the eye.
The Nightfarers
The Nightfarers are the characters you take control of in Nightreign, and while you may be used to selecting a class at the start of a new FromSoftware Souls experience, you’ll know that their primary purpose is to determine your starting stats and equipment. This couldn’t be further from the truth when it comes to the Nightfarers and Nightreign, where instead you can consider them more of a true class, all with unique playstyles and skills. Your choice of Nightfarer for an expedition will come into play every time you leave the Roundtable Hold once you learn more about your adversary. Up against an enemy that takes to the skies often? Well, a Raider may not be the best choice; instead, consider bringing an Ironeye to the party and using their bows to snipe from range. This is just one example of how the game is designed to make all of the Nightfarers feel worthy and exciting to take control of.
From the start, you’ll have access to six Nightfarers, with two more unlockable as soon as you complete the first expedition. These are the Wylder, Guardian, Ironeye, Recluse, Raider, Executor, Duchess, and the Revenant. Each one of these eight Nightfarers has a completely different playstyle, and, while you’re free to pursue any type of build when in the midst of an Expedition, you’ll have a better time if you play to the strengths of your chosen Nightfarer.
(1 of 2) The Wylder’s Ultimate Art sees him charge a fiery explosion.
The Wylder’s Ultimate Art sees him charge a fiery explosion. (left), You can use the Relics earned from runs to further customize your Nightfarers. (right)
Take the Wylder, for example, who starts an expedition with a Buckler and a Greatsword and has skills that allow him to zip around the battlefield with his Grappling Claw. While you can choose to pursue Sorceries and Incantations, his natural stat growth and special traits with Greatswords mean you’re better off seeking those out. Likewise, the Ironeye, a marksman, will favor you being on the search for all manner of Bows to make use of his special skills that include creating Weakpoints and firing a devastating, piercing arrow.
Each of the eight Nightfarers has a specific stat growth, which you can see when selecting them, and when you level up at a Site of Grace using earned Runes, they’ll advance toward those stats, furthering the call to focus on what suits your Nightfarer the best. Once you take into account each Nightfarer’s personal storyline, too, there’s even more incentive to take the time to try each one out. FromSoftware has done an excellent job of creating intriguing classes here, and although ranged weapons (and thus, the Ironeye) feel particularly strong during the review period, none of them feel undertuned, especially in the hands of a skilled player.
The Laws of the Realm
So, how exactly does Nightreign work, and how does it vary from Elden Ring itself? From the Roundtable Hold, you’ll choose an expedition target, queue via matchmaking or join a group by using a password, and then select your Nightfarer before flying off to Limveld to begin the “match”. While you can choose to play the game offline as a solo player (and the game will adjust to a singular player), Nightreign is undoubtedly at its best when you’re in a group of three that has some form of communication.
Once your expedition starts in earnest, you’ll find yourself flying over a random part of the area and will then land. During this time, it’s a good opportunity to take a look at the map, see what is in play, and maybe ping a destination for when you land. This system means that even if you’re playing without comms, it’s still easy to guide your team around the area, and other players can respond to your ping by pinging it too, letting you know they’re on board with the plan. You’ll then find yourself in the day portion of Day 1, where the goal is to power yourself up as much as possible before the coming night.
Seeking out loot from defeated bosses, leveling up with Runes earned, and increasing your Flasks are just some of the activities during the day.
There are many things you can do here, you can seek out churches, which, when examining the altar, will award you with an additional Flask to heal yourself with. You may decide to head to some of the camps that have a specific element attuned to it in the search for weapons that may benefit your current build or expedition target. Or perhaps you want to head into the mines in search of Smithing Stones that allow you to upgrade your weapons; there’s plenty of choice, and once you get some familiarity with the game’s systems, you’ll already know what you want to do at the start of a “match”.
Making sure to increase your level is also an important piece to factor into your exploration. Level 15 is the cap for any match, and the higher you are, will make a massive difference at the end of an expedition. You level as you would in the original Elden Ring, seek out enemies and bosses, defeat them for their Runes, and then visit one of the many Sites of Grace to level up. Of course, you may want to consider holding on to some of those Runes for a merchant you may come across. There’s a lot to take into consideration, and should you die during the day phase, you’ll lose one of your levels and have to retrieve any Runes you had on you.
…you’ll see not only bosses from Elden Ring, but from other FromSoftware games such as the Smelter Demon from Dark Souls 2…
Throughout the day, the circle will begin closing, eventually pointing you to the boss arena where the Night boss will occur, stray out of the circle, and you’ll take continuous damage until you die, at which point you’ll respawn inside the circle but down a level. Fortunately, even if you don’t look at your map, once the boss arena has been determined, you can look at the sky to see an Erdtree that sits above said arena, making it easier to make your way around there.
Once night rolls around, you’ll face off against a tougher boss than those found in the day, and should the whole group be wiped out here, it’s curtains for that expedition. This adds an extra degree of jeopardy and makes it all the more important that you gear up properly during the day portion of your run. All manner of bosses can spawn here from a pool of bosses related to that expedition, and you’ll see not only bosses from Elden Ring, but from other FromSoftware games such as the Smelter Demon from Dark Souls 2 and the terrifying Nameless King from Dark Souls 3, to name just a few. Once you’re victorious, you can continue your exploration for Day 2, after which you’ll fight another boss at night. This time, however, if you’re victorious, you’ll be able to travel into the Spirit Shelter and face off against the Nightlords, the true target of your expeditions.
Denizens of the Night
It wouldn’t be a FromSoftware title without their showpiece bosses, and I am pleased to say that all of the available Nightlords (of which there are eight at launch) are fantastic battles and rival some of the best from the developer. Unlike the other bosses lifted from past titles that you fight at the end of each night, the Nightlords are new bosses designed completely around multiplayer. This means you can expect attacks that target a larger area, and the way aggro works in general makes it not as easy to just gang up on your foe.
Better yet, each Nightlord has a specific theme and weakness to it that can be seen when selecting it as a target from the Roundtable Hold. This means you can focus your exploration around trying to find armaments that may have a specific elemental attunement to them. One of the Nightlords, for example, Caligo, uses deadly Frost-based attacks against you, so seeking protection against it during your exploration will prove to be a powerful boon when it comes to the encounter.
(1 of 2) The Nightlords all have massive area of effect attacks, which means you’ll need to be on your toes at all times.
The Nightlords all have massive area of effect attacks, which means you’ll need to be on your toes at all times. (left), Each Nightlord is unique and offers different threats. (right)
Fortunately, you have a large arena to fight the Nightlords in, and it’s a good job too, as the way that most of them cover the ground means you’ll need to be dashing around and getting out of harm’s way often. You’ll also need to pay attention to what consumables you bring into battle; they can often be the difference between victory and defeat. They’re a genuine threat too, which will often see you needing multiple runs to get the victory that you seek.
One downside to the available Nightlords at launch is that, for the most part, taking ranged characters into battle often seems like a way to make it a little easier. A group of three Ironeyes can allow you to take down a lot of the bosses without having to get into deadly melee range, and much like Elden Ring itself, Bleed builds seem particularly strong as always, so seeking out weapons and armaments trending toward that is often the play. That’s not to diminish melee characters, I defeated every boss for the first time as the Wylder, a melee-based character.
You’ll initially only have the Tricephalos expedition available to run, after which, if you’re victorious, you’ll be able to choose from any of the other expeditions outside of the final one, this contains the game’s final boss, which becomes available after successfully beating four different expeditions. We won’t spoil you on what you can expect with Nightreign’s final encounter, but it’s a fantastic battle that, for me at least, has become an instant favorite.
The Shifting Earth and Raids
To add to the randomization you find in your expeditions, you will also encounter some variation in Limveld on certain runs. After beating a Nightlord for the first time, you’ll often unlock a new Shifting Earth state. These add entirely new areas to explore on your expedition and come with a secret to complete that are well worth doing, as you’ll be rewarded with a special bonus that will make your expedition easier to complete.
Take the Mountaintop, for example, this will add a frosty mountain to one corner of Limveld where you’ll find the Mountaintop Ice Dragon at the summit. Defeat this challenging boss, and you’ll unlock resistance to Frostbite and increased damage against Dragons, perfect if you’re currently challenging the Caligo Nightlord. There are four of these events at launch, and they all add an interesting take on Limveld that is well worth exploring when they’re available.
(1 of 2) Completing the Mountaintop Shifting Earth will make the Caligo expedition much easier.
Completing the Mountaintop Shifting Earth will make the Caligo expedition much easier. (left), While the Undead City may be perhaps the best designed Shifting Earth area. (right)
There is a slight issue with this mechanic, however, as it will limit your Matchmaking options if you have one active (as seen on the expedition menu). You can only match up with players that have unlocked this Shifting Earth themselves, so if you’re trying to play with a friend that hasn’t, you may run into issues. Fortunately, you can visit one of the beds in the Roundtable Hold to “pass time” and cause the event to end there and then.
Beyond the Shifting Earth, you can also run into World Events and Raids, which are completely random and can be anything from having Nightlords themselves infiltrate the area (with a limited moveset compared to their expedition encounter), to having a deadly plague of Locusts attempt to steal your levels, there are many to find and they will reward a Nightfarer with fantastic rewards if you’re able to complete them.
Relics and Remembrances
So, while much of Elden Ring Nightreign relies on its randomization of each run, there is some permanent progression there in the vein of Relics and Remembrances. Starting with Relics, each character will have a vessel that features three colors on it; this changes based on the character you select and determines what color Relic you can equip. Relics are earned from completing runs, whether you’re successful or not (you’ll get more and stronger Relics for winning, however) or by purchasing them from the Small Jar Bazaar with your Murk, a currency you earn for taking part in expeditions.
Equipping Relics will activate effects on your character at the start of an expedition, these can vary from increasing your stats, to adding passives increasing the speed and damage of your Character Skills and Ultimate Arts. Additionally, some relics have exclusive effects for specific characters, such as the Slate Whetstone from the Wylder’s Remembrance quest that alters their Character Skills when using Greatswords. With that equipped, now when you use your Grappling Claw and attack at the end, it will see you use a sweeping fiery strike that imbues your weapon with Fire for a short while.
(1 of 2) You can purchase new vessels from the shop at the Roundtable Hold.
You can purchase new vessels from the shop at the Roundtable Hold. (left), Some of the Remembrances will task you with finding an item in Limveld. (right)
If you’re feeling somewhat limited based on the colors a character may have on their vessel, you can purchase additional ones from the shop mentioned above to give them different ones, although you can only equip one at a time. Additionally, when you’re finally victorious against a Nightlord, you’ll get their Relic, which often contains powerful effects that can’t be found elsewhere.
Additionally, as touched on briefly above, each character has a Remembrance quest by visiting the Journal in the Roundtable Hold. There are eight pages to complete, and they can be progressed in different ways based on the character you’re playing, such as defeating a specific Nightlord, duels against other characters, or tracking down an item somewhere in Limveld. To make these even more enticing, you’ll get to see an additional ending to each character provided you’ve completed their Journal and then go on to defeat the final boss.
There is one downside to this, however: if you have an objective that takes place on an expedition, only one player’s objective will be active at any given time on a run. For that reason alone, I often went into solo Offline mode to complete these, otherwise, you may find them difficult to complete in a group of random players.
Closing Thoughts
If you’ve not grasped it already, you can determine that Elden Ring Nightreign won me over almost instantly, and once it had me, it never pulled me away. That’s not to say, however, that it’s without some issues that drag it down a little. As mentioned above, you can get by a lot by running ranged characters for most of the Nightlords, and Bleed builds remain incredibly strong.
I did have a smooth experience, however, and experienced no real issues on a 4090. Matchmaking was relatively quick, given the smaller pool of players available right now, and I never had any glitches or massive frame drops, something that was incredibly welcome as, by its nature, Nightreign is a fast-paced game, and any slowdown would massively harm it. The decision, however, to have no crossplay is a massive letdown for me; it unnecessarily segregates the community.
From a game that I thought very little about when it was announced, to one that I can’t stop thinking about when I’m not playing it
I also find myself desperately hoping that this is going to be a title that FromSoftware continues to support for some time, as I’m already eagerly awaiting potential new maps, Nightfarers, and Nightlords. If they nail that, then they have me locked in for a long time. If, on the other hand, this is all we get for now, it’ll become a fantastic, but fleeting experience, as I don’t feel there’s enough content to last longer than six months or more. Still, it’s hard to complain about the launch offering given the lower price point of Nightreign.
When all is said and done, Elden Ring Nightreign fulfills that number one priority when developing a multiplayer game, giving me that “one more” feeling. From a game that I thought very little about when it was announced, to one that I can’t stop thinking about when I’m not playing it, FromSoftware has created a fantastic companion to Elden Ring that hopefully has content for years to come.
Revel in the Night
Elden Ring Nightreign gripped me from start to finish and constantly fills my every waking thought. This is a game that will have me glued to my chair for many nights to come.
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