Despite the live-service games taking a toll on developers and resulting in the closure of studios, developers are still trying to hit the sweet spot. Elden Ring: Nightreign is a continuation of that idea. Think of it as a direct response to what the fans have already been doing in Elden Ring. It provides a co-op experience without relying on summoning the player.
A randomized system has been added on top. It means that the location of bosses, enemies, and loot boxes change in each new session. It can even result in seeing an enemy from the last game. Even console players can join in without the use of mods.
It is more than just a simple Elden Ring experience. It brings all the good stuff of a souls-like game. Things like keep on trying till the boss is defeated or get that rush of joy when a difficult enemy is defeated. It is a co-op experience that offers a lot to discover and of course, finding out different ways to die. It makes you wonder, Is Elden Ring: Nightreign worth it? Let’s find out.
Premise
The story is narrated in FromSoftware style. Your character dies and is resurrected in the Shrouded Roundtable Hold where you become part of the Nightfarers. It is a group who are on a quest to slay the Night Lords. It is a straightforward premise with not many complications. The premise raises questions like who are Night Lords and why are They doing what they are doing? The motive of your characters can feel less severe but despite that, there are still engaging mysteries to be solved.
Then there are Nightfarers with each having their own unique stories that resulted in their presence in the Shrouded Roundtable Hold. Their story is spread in the fragments that you get to unlock as you progress in Elden Ring: Nightreign. Once you collect enough of it, remembrances occur. These are narrative sections that grant personal objectives. It offers a good explanation of events because walking up to the Nightfarers isn’t going to give you many details.
Progression
Progression depends upon the death of Nightlords. A single run contains two days and two nights with the third day resulting in the fight with a Night Lord. Once you pair with other players either through matchmaking or invitation, you will fly to Limveld and then grab whatever stuff is available. A run begins at level one, you can take out the roaming enemies and enemy camps to get runes that help you level up. You can also try taking out mini-bosses at a low level if you fancy quick death.
Time is important because the nighttime can decrease the game’s playable areas. Think of it as a battle royale except there are no enemy players. Gathering resources and better weapons to fight the final boss at the end of the night make up the general loop of the game. The cycle renews once more as you are whisked away to a new realm to face the new Night Lord.
Build crafting and decision-making make it a different Elden Ring game. Defeating smaller enemies and leveling up is important because it will have an impact on your stats. At the same time, taking on difficult enemies to get more runes or get flask healing, HP, and even more powerful weapons.
Runes can also be used to buy stuff from vendors that offer a lot of different stuff that will make your character better. You can even save exchangeable stuff for the next day when the rewards are better in Elden Ring: Nightreign.
General Gameplay
Visually, it looks the same as the previous Elden Ring game but there are some good moments visual-wise. The art direction, animation, and general feel of the environment remain the same. The music also does not lag behind regardless of the Night Lord or enemy you face. The music will support what’s happening on the screen.
Movements are enhanced which lets you sprint more quickly, and climb different surfaces, even if Elden Ring: Nightreign can get a little finicky at times. The map is made while considering verticality. The fast-paced movements can make you wish for more environmental storytelling akin to the Elden Ring.
Solo
Going solo might seem like a good idea but then you have to defeat bosses that you don’t stand a chance against on your own due to the large amount of time required to deplete their health. When wounded you get into a down state and allies can revive you by doing damage. Dying will result in a downgrade by one level and losing all the runes collected. It can be especially problematic if it is in a zone engulfed by Night’s Tide. If you have played Elden Ring then a lot of the things in the setting will seem familiar.
Varied Combat
As a roguelike, the game includes enough stuff to make it feel unique. Aside from general enemies and bosses, there are also curses that affect your characters. It can be a reduction in health till you reach the Night Lord or it can be an elite that will deplete your levels till killed. Even AI-controlled Nightfarer can drop in to make your life more miserable.
The Shifting Modfier can also have an impact because it goes in line with the risk-reward nature of Elden Ring: Nightreign. It can transform a part of a map into a new location, such as adding wind to the mountain top or lava in craters. The rewards it provides are good enough but your ability to overcome these challenges plays a huge part.
There are eight different classes with each having different abilities. Some classes specialize in range attacks, some summoning, some jack of all trades, and stuff like that. There are no restrictions for load out but some weapons do fare better with certain characters. All you have to worry about is a high enough level to equip them. You can run a supporting character all the while attacking with a big sword.
There are a lot of different relics at your disposal that provide passive benefits such as skill cool-down. It can even grant you unique skills on top of what you already have. Finding the best combination is part of the build craft. When it combines with the signature fluid combat of FromSoftware, it makes you want to keep on trying till succeed.
A CO-OP Experience
Working together is key to success especially when fighting the Night Lord. Bosses are good and some of them even provide the best experience but the real stars of the show are Night Lords. Even though Elden Ring: Nightreign is a co-op, it can still be played solo. The game does not scale down just because you are a single player and it results in less enjoyable scenarios compared to co-op.
Only one objective can be activated during a run but it could just be made that way to avoid collision of objectives from different players. Going solo might seem like the right call in such a scenario but if you do go solo then you will need to pray for a good drop zone. If it is not close enough, the impending night tide becomes more of a frustration. It is especially problematic if you don’t level up or get a better weapon. You can always go back to the main menu and try again but that can get frustrating.
Verdict (Is Elden Ring: Nightreign Worth It?)
If you want to play Elden Ring alongside friends then Elden Ring: Nightreign is a must-play. It is not a long run but rather a collection of sessions with each success building on top of the previous ones. Combat, build crafting, risk-reward mechanics, and rouge-like elements give it a good replayability value. For players looking for another FromSoftware single-player experience then this is not the one you should look forward to.
It will be good to see the game getting better with time and not just see the addition of new Night Lords. Raids, New World Events, Dungeons, and such additions will make it a game worth sinking your time into. It remains to be seen how the game will shape in a year or beyond if things go right. It builds upon the strength of the last game in the series which makes you want to go back for one more run. If you want to experience a multiplayer FromSoftware experience then this is the best choice available.
Buy Elden Ring: Nightreign Related
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