10 Things To Know Before Playing Elden Ring Nightreign

10 Things to Know Before Playing Elden Ring Nightreign

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking over the facts every Tarnished should know before once again leaping into the Lands Between via this unexpected addition to Elden Ring.

No Miyazaki

To Soulsborne fans, Miyazaki is a god. He’s directed the likes of Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Sekiro and Elden Ring, all titles that would go on to define the gaming scene with their quality. The man clearly knows what he’s doing. So, the fact he’s not returning for Nightreign left a few feeling trepidatious. After all, the last time Miyazaki took a back seat to a Souls game, Dark Souls 2 was a result, which has its devoted fanbase but is far from the most beloved in the franchise. To play devil’s advocate, Nightreign is a much smaller game with all attention being put towards its new style of gameplay as opposed to an exploration of a vast, rich world. It’s also being directed by one Junya Ishizaki – who helped design levels and combat for both Bloodborne and Elden Ring. Given the kind of game Nightreign is boasting itself to be, maybe this was for the best. Besides, now Miyazaki can get to work on designing his dream poison swamp game.

Spirit Ashes (Kinda)

The spectral summons used throughout Elden Ring’s campaign often made the difference between a boss fight being impossible and a cake walk. And it seems they will be making a return to Nightreign. Sort of. Seems that one of the game's various classes is going to be relying on the Spirit Ashes to serve as its main source of attack. So, for those who can’t venture out past the Roundtable Hold without summoning their Mimic Tear, there may still be hope!

Procedurally Generated World

Welcome to Limveld. No, not Limgrave. Limveld. Allegedly, this condensed area exists in a parallel reality following the events of the Shattering. With Nightreign fully embracing the roguelite genre, your every run is guaranteed to be different, and with its limited scope in comparison to the mainline game, you can be sure that Limveld will be quick to change its scenery as you venture forth on your mission to defeat the Night Lord. The exact geography remains unknown for now, but we’re eager to see just how many locales from the Lands Between appear or at least serve as inspiration to this amalgamated world.

Runes

Speed is key in Nightreign, given that you have only so much time to gather your gear before a boss descends upon you. Which doesn’t leave much in the way of gathering runes to invest in certain stats. Rune farming has very much been streamlined, with players instead levelling up across the board instead of maximising a key aspect of their Tarnished. Thankfully, every character class can wield every weapon in the game, so nothing is off limits when undertaking a fresh run. This certainly feels like it could be a bit of a risk or at least could be seen as a step back, given how Elden Ring essentially turned every player into a Build fanatic.

Standalone

That’s right. This is not an additional DLC, nor is it a sequel, Nightreign is its own beast. A spin off that doesn’t require you to have played the original Elden Ring. Though it’ll certainly help. Honestly, we’re still shocked this is even a thing. While Soulsborne games have always experimented with various styles of gameplay, such as PVP, this is the most radical departure to date. Though if it succeeds and maintains the FromSoft brand of excellence, we’re likely going to see a lot more of these popping up!

Co-op and Single Player

Nightreign’s main selling point remains its emphasis on co-operative action. A party of three will be dropped off into Limveld, and have to hack, slash and stab their way through its trials in order to complete a run. However, it turns out that those that prefer the maidenless path aren’t out of luck yet, as the developers have confirmed that single player is indeed an option, with enemy health being adjusted accordingly. How well this works in practice remains to be seen, but here’s hoping both playstyles offer the same level of thrills and immersion!

Release Date

It’s out this year. Yeah, we’re shocked too. While we haven’t got a specific date as of the time of writing, it’s crazy to think that FromSoft were already tinkering away at yet another project. Sure, the smaller scale certainly means less manpower and shorter development time, but these guys only just released the colossal Shadow of the Erdtree DLC last year! They just refuse to stop cooking!

Eight Classes

As stated before, builds aren’t exactly a thing in this game. There is, however, variety. And they come in the form of eight distinct classes, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and ultimate abilities. These include Wylder, the jack of all trades all-rounder. The speedy and sharp Duchess. The ranged spellcaster Recluse. As well as the winged, bird-faced Guardian acting as the resident tank. Given how all weapons are available across the board, this at least offers options as well as incentive to try something new when starting another run.

Three Days, Three Nights

This is the crux of Nightreign’s gameplay. Three days of hunting, gathering runes, slicing apart enemies, all the while Limveld starts to shrink around us via deadly rain that gradually limits the field of play. All this leads to nightfall, wherein players can expect to find themselves taking on unique bosses. Survive this, and by the third cycle, you’ll be tasked with taking on one of eight possible super bosses who bear the moniker of Night Lord. It’s a simple enough gameplay loop that hopefully has enough enduring appeal to keep us hooked.

The Bosses

This is the big one. Bosses are the bread and butter by which every game that dips its toe into the Souls genre is measured. The familiar narration of Margit the Fell Omen is always welcome, but the real draw here was found in Nightreign’s trailer. A hooded figure that bares an uncanny resemblance to the Fire Keeper? The Goat himself, the Nameless King, casually flying around on his wyvern? The fact Nightreign might play host to bosses from all across the Souls franchise has us more than a little excited. Alongside a fresh host of original foes, we can’t wait to see who joins the roster.

Do you think this Elden experiment will be a win or FromSoft’s first real stumble? Let us know in the comments!