Elden Ring Nightreign: Addressing 20 Pressing Questions

FromSoftware bosses taking center stage? Now you’re speaking my language!

Absolutely. The game’s got that classic end-of-the-day boss battle twist where each victory dishes out loot, likely making survival easier. After three nights, a Nightlord steps into the spotlight. Conquering this boss lets you snag semi-permanent character boosts—more on that in a sec. One of the coolest aspects of Nightreign is that it includes bosses from several FromSoftware classics, like Elden Ring with its fearsome Margit and Demi-Human Queen, and iconic battles from the Dark Souls saga, such as the notorious Nameless King. For fans of From’s epic boss fights, this is pure bliss.

Curious about whether bosses from other FromSoftware titles make an appearance?

While it’s confirmed that we’ll see bosses from Dark Souls and Elden Ring, there’s still hope among fans for some Sekiro faces, and well, maybe another title that Xbox missed out on—you know the one. As for the Armored Core series, it’s almost certain we won’t see any of its bosses in action here.

Now, about your character—who do you actually play as?

Before starting a session, players get to choose a Nightfarer. Each Nightfarer comes with unique abilities and skills, plus an ultimate power that falls into categories like damage, defense, or utility. The real fun is in strategizing how these ultimates synchronize and managing their timing. You can play as three distinct Nightfarers or even go full throttle as two or three of the same kind. Balancing these choices is crucial, and teamwork is key.

What kinds of character types did you try out?

While the complete game, releasing in May, will offer eight different Nightfarers, the network test showcases three:

– Wylder, who offers balanced skills and an easy learning curve, making him perfect for newbies.
– Guardian, who’s like an eagle-headed tank, specializing in defense and able to knock foes back and set up barriers.
– Recluse, a seasoned magic user, the trickiest to master but incredibly rewarding for those who do.

Veterans of Elden Ring and Souls might find Wylder and Guardian’s weapon and shield dynamics familiar. But Recluse definitely shakes things up compared to the magical characters you’ve seen before.

So, does Recluse just cast spells and get her FP back whenever it runs low?

Not quite. Recluse can cast spells and unleash magic attacks, but refilling your FP isn’t as simple as downing a potion. Instead, you’ll have to gather attribute marks from foes that pop up when struck with magic, fire, lightning, or holy attacks. Collecting four allows you to unleash a powerful move, and the nature of this attack depends on the marks. The “Song of the Blood Soul” ultimate also comes in handy, marking enemies so that your teammates can recover HP and FP when attacking. High-level Recluse players will be indispensable, as they can significantly boost the entire squad’s performance.

How does a typical match kick off?

Before diving into action, you’ll spend some time hanging out at the revamped Roundtable Hold. It now has a sparring area with dummies for practicing your skills. Here, you can tweak parameters like character level, stamina, damage, and more, offering a great warm-up outside actual sessions. Once you’re all set, you head into matchmaking for an expedition. The game matches you with two other players, gives you a quick 10-second window to pick your Nightfarer, and then you’re off to Limveld.