A Roguelike Remix in the Lands Between?
On the face of it, whether you should be excited or not for ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is about as easy a question as you are ever going to get to answer. Of course, yes, you should be excited about ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, the upcoming FromSoftware title. There should be no doubt about that.
Recently, that FromSoftware team has pushed out a Closed Network Test for the game, and you better believe that I have been taking part in every session I can, getting to grips with the new mechanics and having a whale of a time while doing so.
So, come with me to the Lands Between once again, and I’ll attempt to explain what is looking good with ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN, and what needs a bit of work. But most all, I’ll tell you what the heck is going on. Ready?
A New Twist on a Familiar Formula
I think a bit of background is probably in order.
As you probably know, Elden Ring and its DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree were not only games that got the full 5 out 5 in review scores from this very website, but have been a big success for FromSoftware. But very soon there will be a new game set in that Elden Ring universe, and in a break from the established formula of Souls-series games, this time it is going to be mainly a multiplayer experience. I say mainly as while it will be possible to take on the hordes of enemies by yourself in Nightreign, it is much easier with a couple of friends tagging along for the ride.
But further to that, the setup of the game has also changed. In fact, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is set to be more of a roguelike experience, with separate runs being undertaken every time you die. And die you will, believe me!
Simplified Leveling and Shared Souls
Your time in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN takes place over a number of days, with the minutes and hours advancing as you run around fighting enemies. Killing foes still gives you some souls, which again can be spent at Sites of Grace in order to level up. However, the levelling mechanic has now been simplified, assigning new strengths to your character automatically.
Obviously, as you go up in the levels (the cap seemed to be level 15 in this test, but I’m not sure if that will increase in the full release) it will take more and more souls to level up, and while the getting and keeping of souls is still just as important, it is a bit easier this time as souls are shared out whenever anyone kills an enemy.
Choosing Your Playstyle in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
As ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a roguelike, the start of each run sees you set back to level 1, with only the default starting equipment for the class you have chosen. There are four classes to choose from: Wylder, a sort of jack of all trades character; and then Guardian, who looks like a chicken and more of a tanky character. There is also the Duchess, a kind of stealth, back stabby kind of character, and finally the Recluse, a magic using character who is a little bit fragile for full frontal combat.
During this CNT I usually found myself running Wylder, but obviously, with my journalistic hat on, I did take in everything and anything for a test drive. They all fight in such a different way that there should be no trouble finding a class you like and that suits the style of fighting that you enjoy. Again, having a good mixture of classes helps with the fighting, with a selection of different skills helping to keep the team alive.
Each character also has a couple of unique moves too, as an example the Wylder has a grappling hook that can be used to close the distance on enemies and a special strong attack, called an Ultimate, that has to be charged in order to be used. Each character has different moves, so again, select the one you like.
Other things that take a bit of getting used to? Well, for a kick off, there is no fall damage in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN – you can fling yourself off the top of a cliff, and land at the bottom absolutely fine. Well, I say that, but I did manage to die from falling (only me, right?) as I was being carried by the giant birds that you can summon. I managed to miss the place I was aiming at, and fell past it into a ravine, straight to my death.
Fight, Level, Loot, Repeat: ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN’s Gameplay Loop
Anyway, ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is pretty much a cycle of fight, level, grab new gear (which again seems to be randomised) and then equipping the things that will help you. You can have up to three weapons equipped on either hand, and having weapons and shields in place can certainly help. Dual wielding weapons is still here, and on one of the runs I managed to snag a set of Bloodhound claws, which were amazing to use.
It is that which if the beauty of ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN – the feel of it is pure Elden Ring, and with the multiplayer twist this adds a whole new level. If one of your multiplayer partners dies, you can whack them with your sword or whatever weapon that you have equipped to bring them back to life. Each time they fall, there is a segment of a circle that appears on the screen, and you have to keep hitting your partner until all the segments are empty, and then they will come back to life.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Promises a Thrilling New Multiplayer Adventure
So, with the time I’ve spent in the game, I am now pumped for the full release, and if you enjoy Elden Ring, you should be too.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN releases on May 30th 2025, playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and PC. I hope to see you there!
Hopefully the function to form parties will work by then too, as it wasn’t too effective this time…
Huge thanks go out to Bandai for giving us some ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Closed Network Test access.
If you’re sold as much as me, head over to the Xbox Store and drop a pre-order for the Standard Edition of the game (£34.99) or that of the Deluxe Edition (£47.99). Going with the latter chucks in some additional DLC, playable characters and bosses. You’ll also then have access to a Digital Artbook and Mini Soundtrack.
