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Elden Ring Nightreign Review
Elden Ring Nightreign is a weird one. It takes the foundation of one of the best open-world RPGs of a generation and turns it into not just a roguelite where death is even more of a big deal, but a three-person, co-op-focused roguelite. And in many ways, that strange experimental concoction is a success. Under the right conditions, Nightreign's 45-ish minute runs are positively thrilling. They are packed with surprising encounters, challenging decisions, satisfying opportunities for teamwork, and some of the best boss battles FromSoftware has ever come up with – and that's a very high bar. The big problem, however, is that those right conditions are far more difficult to create than they should be. You really need to have a consistent squad of similarly skilled players that are able to devote hours at a time in order to see what makes Nightreign special – and when you don't, the flaws of its design are magnified tenfold. There is excellence in this Elden Ring spin off, but it's excellence that is just a little bit tarnished. Let's get the most important caveat out of the way first: If you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn't for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn't patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of understand why, we first need to go over what Nightreign even is. On a very basic level, this is a roguelite that takes place on an island called Limveld, which is kind of like a melting pot of Elden Ring's environments, enemies, bosses, and structures. The general flow of a run is split up into a three-day cycle: On days one and two, it's all about farming gear, defeating bosses, and leveling up so that you're as prepared as possible when you face off against one of the eight extremely difficult Nightlord bosses on day three. It's a great formula, and while you might think that the mostly static map would get old after a while, there's a good amount of procedural generation every run that mixes up the locations of every point of interest, requiring you to plan out a unique route on each new attempt. On top of that, there are also random events like boss raids, summoning portals, and other occurrences that inject a heavy level of chaos every once in a while. Efficiency is key because you are on a very strict time limit, with a battle royale-esque circle that constricts at set points throughout the day, eventually shrinking to the size of a small battlefield and setting the stage for the boss battle that ends the night. It is immediately obvious that Nightreign was designed with a three-player squad in mind. Enemy encampments that don't require you to fight a single boss will instead have you spread out to takedown three tough enemies; basic encounters against five or more enemies that would be trivial with three players become costly time wasters when you're on your own; and the new Nightlord bosses all seem explicitly designed with having allies in mind, and I'm not sure how I'd approach several of them by myself. Nightreign at least scales up your damage when you're alone, but it doesn't change any of these fundamental design decisions in any way that would make solo play more reasonable. But the biggest issue is that co-op partners are able to revive each other when someone goes down, but you've only got one life to live when you're on your own. That's generally the case in roguelites, but usually there's some sort of safety net that you can fall back on. For example: Hades has Death Defiances, and part of the progression of that game allows you to work toward unlocking more of them with every run; Returnal has artifacts you can find that give you extra lives, rewarding you for being more thorough in your exploration; Spelunky has shortcuts that allow you to skip the early stages and get practice on the enemies, traps, and bosses you only have limited experience with. What We Said About Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree FromSoftware says Shadow of the Erdtree is the only expansion Elden Ring will get, so it's fortunate that it's hard to imagine a better DLC than this – as long as you're not hoping for it to do anything radically outside the box. Everything I loved about the original has been condensed into an incredibly tight package – one that's the size of many standalone games all on its own, and can only be considered 'small' in comparison to the absolutely massive world of Elden Ring itself. Erdtree's absolutely jam-packed with secrets, valuable treasures, challenging boss battles, and horrific monstrosities to face off against, as well as cool new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ashes, talismans, and more to play around with and use to find even more novel ways to tackle its memorably brutal battles. Add on some very interesting lore revelations, not to mention the same spectacular visual design and stellar music that accompanies its larger-than-life bosses, and you've got what is certainly one of the best DLC expansions I've ever played. – Mitchell Saltzman, June 25, 2024 Read the full Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Review The list goes on and on, but Nightreign has virtually nothing to make up for the fact that solo players lose access to that crucial revival option. There is an item that will resurrect you once with half of your life, but it's limited to the highest rarity tier, meaning you have to choose it over a legendary weapon if one does appear as a reward – similarly, you may find them in a shop, but they cost a substantial amount of runes that you could instead use to level up. Either way, it's just not a solution that makes up for the crippling detriment of not having someone to revive you if you go down. None of this is to say that solo play is outright impossible, and I have had a few successful runs on my own. Just that the balancing of solo play feels like a job half finished, and as a result, the frustration of playing alone wasn't worth the triumph for me to have any desire to play more without a squad. It Takes Three Nightreign's saving grace is that when you do have a squad of three people who all know what they're doing, communicate well, and are generally pretty skilled at Elden Ring, it really is a lot of fun. The central idea of taking an entire game's worth of progression and condensing it into a 40-minute run is a strong one. Going from cutting down rats with a basic weapon to culling Elden Ring's most fearsome bosses with a badass armament that you may or may not have gotten to use in the main game is one of the coolest and most satisfying parts. It's 80+ hours of character growth condensed into less than an hour and shot straight into your into a run the first couple of times is certainly overwhelming, mostly because of the amount of information on the minimap you have to process, but at least FromSoft keeps the inventory and stat management very simple. Level ups are automatic, letting you press a button at a Site of Grace to automatically level your class's preferred stats. And as far as weapon stats go, all you have to worry about here is the damage number, the elemental affinity, the passive bonus you get simply for having the weapon in your inventory, and the weapon skill that comes along with it. This meant when I had a choice between three rewards, I was able to very quickly make a judgment on what I needed at that moment and continue on my way. Eventually, I started to understand what rewards were offered at which camps, which ones were quick and could be cleared before the circle closed in, which ones I should only do if I had a lot of extra time, what level I should attempt certain roaming bosses, and which bosses I should absolutely avoid unless my team was really confident in our builds. Exploring these areas can be more frustrating than it needs to be thanks to a new wall climbing ability that feels straight up bad, especially when it takes three attempts to jump over what looks like it should be an easily scalable wall as you're trying to escape the encroaching circle. But learning the ins and outs of the map helped my efficiency and led to a very satisfying feeling of skill progression that wasn't tied to the actual progression system that offers persistent improvements between attempts. That system is tied to relics that can be won after completing a run. Whether you win or lose, you still get relics, but the better you perform, the better the quality and quantity of relics you earn. These can be equipped before a run and impart stat bonuses, starting skills or elemental affinities for your initial weapon, buffs for performing certain actions, and in some cases, they can even improve the skills of a specific class. When you're just starting out, these bonuses are hardly noticeable and too random to really make any sort of compelling build from. Eventually though, with enough runs under your belt, you'll get some powerful relics that can really start to have an effect on your power level in a run. That said, there really should be more of an element of choice with regards to the meta progression, or at least a way to control some of the randomness. There are a small selection of relics that you can buy at the Jar Shop inside your base before runs, and there are set relic rewards for beating Nightlord bosses and completing class-specific objectives called remembrances – but other than that, you're completely at the mercy of the RNG gods when it comes to what relics you get. It can be really annoying when you're looking to strengthen your preferred class and you keep getting relics that don't do anything for you. Select Your Nightfarer One of the biggest departures compared to what we're used to from Elden Ring is that the classes are now actual classes, with unique skills and gameplay styles as opposed to soft classes that just determine your starting stats and weapons. They're called Nightfarers, and the eight options are varied and well defined, with even the more basic archetypes having some interesting twists to them. The Wylder, for instance, is the general jack of all trades, but also has access to a nifty grappling hook that can be used to pull weak enemies towards you, zip you toward larger enemies, or simply zoom you around the field at high speeds if you aim it at the ground. In addition to the basic fighter, mage, and ranger archetypes, you also have a few completely unique choices that don't fit into any pre-existing mold. One of the most interesting classes is the Executor, whose main skill has you pulling out a unique sword with a Sekiro-like parrying mechanic tied to it. Basically, by blocking attacks with proper timing, you completely negate damage, don't lose any stamina, and reduce the enemy's own stamina, potentially opening them up for a critical hit. It's a very risky class, especially in a game where missing a parry can mean almost certain death, and it feels like the offensive power of the Sekiro sword is too weak to justify the risk of the parries, but I appreciate this inclusion nonetheless as both a nod to Sekiro, and as a completely different way to approach combat. As mentioned, each of the classes has a remembrance tied to them, which is essentially a collection of journal entries that chronicle the story of how they wound up in Limveld and their purpose for being there. It's a far cry from the rich lore that we're used to in FromSoft games, but at least each remembrance has a handful of playable chapters that have you completing specific objectives in order to earn powerful relics, as well as a healthy amount of runes to help you level up during the actual run itself. Almost all of Nightreign is made up of existing Elden Ring parts, but there are a few surprise bosses that are pulled from the Dark Souls series as well. But the eight Nightlords are brand new, and hoo boy, they're almost all unlike any boss FromSoft has designed before. Many of them are clearly inspired by MMO boss battles, with a number of party-wiping attacks that must be stopped or interrupted before they get a chance to finish their preparation. Others are designed to split the party up into roles to either hold aggro or press the assault, and some are just designed to be all out wars against absurdly aggressive foes. They're almost all bangers, with only one of them being a dud due to the best strategy simply being hanging back and pelting them with arrows for what felt like an hour. Still, seven out of eight is pretty great, especially when those seven are among the very best FromSoftware has ever crafted, with excellent accompanying soundtracks to match. I don't want to spoil them too much, but the fight against the Fissure in the Fog boss in particular is so good it gave me goosebumps all throughout. But the creativity of those bosses once again shines a light on the eldritch elephant in the room: they only really work with a team, and by far the two biggest issues facing Nightreign right now are, one, the shocking lack of crossplay and two, the absence of a duos playlist (you will be forced to fill the third player with matchmaking). It is simply a lot to ask of a group of three people who all must have purchased the $40 game, play on the same platform, be of a similarly matched skill to be able to handle the extreme challenge of the day 3 bosses, have the time to devote at least 45 minutes per run, and also can all agree on fighting the same boss that they may or may not all need to beat for their own individual progression. There is a decent pinging system that at least makes it possible for light communication with a group of randos, but there's no built-in voice chat, which makes nuance like trying to communicate that your group should hit the basement of the castle instead of the front or side entrance virtually impossible. It's just a night and day difference when you're able to group up with a squad that communicates well and knows what they're doing versus when you've got one that doesn't listen to you or just constantly makes bad decisions, especially with no way to vote to cancel or quit out of a run without a penalty. That makes the prospect of random matchmaking on the live servers pretty unappealing.
CNET
a day ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Elden Ring Nightreign: How to Find More Healing Flasks Fast
Elden Ring Nightreign is not a walk in the park by yourself or with a team. It takes quick reflexes and fast strategizing to survive each night in order to defeat the Nightlord. What can hamper any run in Nightreign is the lack of flasks for healing, which are -- thankfully -- so easy to acquire in the game. In Elden Ring Nightreign, each player starts with three healing flask charges. The only way to get more is to find them, and if you're new to the game, this should be the first thing you do in a run. Where do I find healing flasks in Elden Ring Nightreign? Healing flask charges are found in broken-down churches where a Statue of Marika is located. They can be found on the map with these orange icons. The bright orange icons mark the Statue of Marika locations. Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET There are multiple churches scattered on the map, but they tend to be far away from each other unless you get lucky. Still, these churches should be among the first stops when starting a run in Elden Ring Nightreign. On a pedestal in front of the Statue of Marika is a healing flask. Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET While these are the easiest healing flasks to find, there is another way to get more charges: defeat a night boss. Elden Ring Nightreign runs consist of three in-game days, with each day lasting about 14 minutes. Throughout the day, a storm circle will close in on a location where players fight the night boss. Some of these bosses may look familiar to fans of the Dark Souls games, while others come from Elden Ring and a few are brand new to the game. When the night boss is defeated, players will receive a large amount of runes to help level them up, a powerful weapon or buff and an extra healing flask charge. One of many bosses waiting for players at the end of a day cycle. Bandai Namco Is there a way to make flasks heal more in Elden Ring Nightreign? Yes. In a run, players will come across a lot of weapons that have various passive traits, from making attacks stronger to recovering a bit of health when defeating enemies. There is some equipment that comes with the trait of enabling a flask do more healing, but these will be completely random. Read more: Elden Ring Nightreign Beginner's Guide: How to Not Get Wrecked in the First 5 Minutes What are other ways to heal myself in Elden Ring Nightreign? As previously mentioned, certain weapons will heal you either by defeating enemies or just doing damage with the weapon. There are seals used for incantations, and they can come equipped with a healing spell. There are also healing items you can buy or find during a run. The warming stone is an orange rock that players can drop on the ground, and anyone near it can be healed slowly. Flasks of Wondrous Physick are single-use items that have a variety of effects, such as increasing stamina, boosting damage effects and healing yourself. Sites of Grace will also heal players as well as refill their healing flasks, even if you crawl to it after being knocked down when your health reaches zero. Also scattered on the map is a unique bed of red flowers that can provide some healing when approached. Elden Ring Nightreign is available now for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Series S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game. Read more: How to Unlock the Secret Nightfarer Characters in Elden Ring Nightreign
CNET
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Can the Steam Deck Run Elden Ring Nightreign?
Elden Ring Nightreign is the new multiplayer title from developer FromSoftware. It features the same combat as Elden Ring, but is a unique type of game. Players can adventure solo or in groups of three to try and defeat the Nightlord in short online matches, which could make it a perfect game for the Steam Deck. Portable gaming devices like the Steam Deck continue to gain in popularity as gamers want to take their favorite PC games on the go. A game like Elden Ring Nightreign is intended for short runs, meaning it won't be a big drain on the battery while playing. However, with all new games, there is a question of whether it will run on the Steam Deck. Is Elden Ring Nightreign Steam Deck verified? As of right now, Elden Ring Nightreign is not Steam Deck verified, but it very likely will be when it launches. Being Steam Deck verified means the game has controller support, works with the default resolution of the Steam Deck, has no compatibility issues, and supports the Steam Deck Proton system. However, being verified doesn't necessarily mean the game will run well. There are some games that are not Steam Deck verified that can still be played on the handheld, but they aren't a seamless experience. What are the Elden Ring Nightreign specs? Here are the minimum and recommended specs for Elden Ring Nightreign: Elden Ring Nightreign Minimum Recommended CPU Intel Core i5-10600 or AMD RYZEN 5 5500 Intel Core i5-11500 or AMD RYZEN 5 5600 GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 8GB or AMD Radeon RX Vega-56 8GB RAM 12GB 16GB Storage 30GB 30GB Windows Windows 10 Windows 11 And here are the specs for the Steam Deck: Steam Deck Specs CPU Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4–3.5GHz RAM 16GB LPDDR5 GPU 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.6GHz Storage Up to 2TB Can the Steam Deck Run Elden Ring Nightreign? Yes, and quite easily. I was able to do a few runs of Nightreign with the Steam Deck and didn't experience any slowdowns or other graphical issues while playing. It makes sense that it was able to handle the game, as it uses the original Elden Ring engine, which didn't strain most computers when it came out in 2022. There is, however, a catch. Nightreign servers require a certain level of system performance for multiplayer, and if that isn't met, you'll be locked into single-player mode. This requirement is likely due to the game's anticheat tech. Back in February, developer FromSoftware updated the Nightreign SteamDB page, confirming that the game would include anticheat software. This could mean that portable gaming devices not running Windows, like the Steam Deck or computers using Linux, may have an issue participating in multiplayer matches. Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game.
CNET
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
Elden Ring Nightreign: What Is the Scenic Flatstone?
Elden Ring Nightreign is a roguelike action RPG where squads of players take on massive bosses in randomized runs, but there's ways to get stronger between expeditions, too. If you're poking around the game's Roundtable Hold hub, you'll quickly find the Jar Bazaar -- a shop helmed by the cutest living jar there is. This little guy sells meta-progression items and cosmetics in exchange for Murk. This is a currency you bring back from your expeditions, regardless of whether or not you and your allies beat the Nightlord waiting at the end of your run. The Jar Bazaar sells different types of relics that you can use to make your Nightfarers more powerful, tilting the odds in your favor for your next expedition. He also sells key items, vessels that change the types of relics you can equip on your Nightfarer (as the game calls your adventurer) and gestures and voicelines that allow you to communicate with your allies on the field. Some items only appear once you've successfully completed a certain amount of expeditions. But one mysterious item is available at the bottom of the shop from the very beginning of the game -- the Scenic Flatstone. The Scenic Flatstone costs 600 Murk a pop, but you can buy them in bulk. Screenshot by Tyler Graham/CNET What is the Scenic Flatstone? The Scenic Flatstone isn't a specific item. Instead, it's easier to think of this Jar Bazaar offering as a relic lootbox. When you spend your Murk on a Scenic Flatstone, it resolves into a random relic that you can equip onto your Nightfarers. The relics generated by the Scenic Flatstone can come in any of the available colors (red, yellow, blue and green) and range in size. Small relics impart one passive buff on your Nightfarer, medium relics impart two buffs and the largest relics impart three buffs. There are a wide number of potential relic buffs, so you'll be hard-pressed to stumble upon what you might consider the perfect roll for your playstyle. Relics can provide numerical upgrades to stats like vitality and endurance, grant you resistances to ailments like frostbite and Scarlet Rot, add an elemental effect to your starting weapon and more. Some relics even have Nightfarer-specific buffs -- one relic might add an additional charge to Ironeye's dagger slash ability, while another might add an elemental effect to Wylder's ultimate ability. The Scenic Flatstone can't create certain unique relics, such as the Old Pocketwatch or boss-themed buffs that unlock when you successfully defeat an aspect of the Nightlord for the first time. Other than those special buffs, you have an equal chance to draw any randomized relics from this lootbox. You can generate up to 10 relics at once, if you're a big spender. Screenshot by Tyler Graham/CNET When is it worth spending my Murk on the Scenic Flatstone? Every time you buy a Scenic Flatstone, you're rolling the dice on whether or not you'll get something you find personally useful. If you only use a small handful of Nightfarers, it's likely that the relic generated will be a color that you can't slot into your build or has a specific bonus your main class can't take advantage of. Even still, there are plenty of reasons you might choose to dump your extra Murk into Scenic Flatstones. The Jar Bazaar offers a pitiful collection of relics to buy at the start of the game, and the shop only expands as you successfully complete new expeditions. If you can't find something worthwhile in the regular offerings, the Scenic Flatstone can generate completely new relics for you to use. Other than relics and vessels, most of the items you can spend Murk on are cosmetic in nature. Emotes, Prattling Pate voicelines and additional costumes for your Nightfarers might not be important to you, and if that's the case, you'll quickly accumulate the meta-progression currency. The Scenic Flatstone gives you a way to dump some of that extra Murk into earning something that could be useful to you -- and if you generate relics that don't fit any build you're working on, you can sell them to recoup some of the Murk you spent and try again.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Do you trust your friends to tackle Elden Ring: Nightreign together?
Imagine being a solo game designer facing the challenge of crafting a satisfying experience for a single player. Now multiply that challenge by the unpredictability of coordinating multiple people—each with their own play style and impulses. FromSoftware's latest, Elden Ring: Nightreign, dares to take on that very challenge, transforming the famously solitary Elden Ring into a squad-based, battle-royale-style adventure. At first glance, Nightreign's premise is deceptively simple: teams of three sprint across a shrinking map, scavenging weapons and gear before battling a climactic boss. But calling it 'battle royale' only scratches the surface. An Expedition unfolds over three tense 'days,' each lasting ten to fifteen minutes. Days one and two mirror familiar battle-royale conventions—a fiery barrier closes in, herding you and your allies into tighter quarters. At the end of each day, you face a powerful boss, but that's not yet the final target. Only after surviving two such encounters does a portal open to the third and final day, where you confront the true threat: the Nightlord. Along the way, you're incentivized to seek out extra bosses for superior loot—loot you'll desperately need for that final confrontation. It's a relentless gauntlet: bosses beget better equipment, which begets more bosses, in an endless cascade of combat and progression. All the strategic nuances—character upgrades, boss weaknesses, ring mechanics—are tucked away in the in-game 'Visual Codex.' Beyond a brief tutorial highlighting how Nightreign diverges from classic Elden Ring mechanics, you're largely on your own to discover the rules. There are only brief respites: a moment of calm as the map resets between days one and two, and a quiet staging area before the Nightlord fight. Outside of those pauses, every second of the 30–45 minute expedition demands your full, unrelenting focus. This is a hefty commitment for any battle-royale fan, let alone one accustomed to the punishing difficulty that FromSoftware is renowned for. The ever-shrinking map clock ticks down, pressuring you to balance exploration, resource gathering, and boss fights—all while fearing that a single misstep could abruptly end your run. Yet defeat isn't crushing; even failed attempts reward materials used to bolster one of eight distinct characters for the next expedition. Ultimately, Nightreign is a bold but challenging experiment: an Elden Ring experience built for friendship, teamwork, and shared triumphs. But make no mistake—playing it with friends demands serious dedication. It may be a game you enjoy together, but its relentless pace and high stakes make it anything but a casual hangout.
