From Software has revealed Nightreign, a spin-off of Elden Ring. We will explain everything you need to know about the game.
What an announcement! Probably no one expected this title from FromSoftware. Roguelike, co-op, and a touch of Battle Royale Elden Ring: Nightreign promises a lot that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with Elden Ring, Dark Souls, and co. But that’s not a bad sign at all: we’ve already played seven hours of the action role-playing game spin-off and are very pleasantly surprised. Meanwhile, here you will find all the important facts about the game at a glance. So let’s break down what exactly Elden Ring: Night Reign is and what you can expect in the game – and what not.
Is Elden Ring: Nightreign a DLC?
Night Reign is an independent spin-off that you don’t need to own or have played Elden Ring for. The story is also not connected, as Night Reign is set in a parallel universe.
What kind of game is Nightreign?
The unusual genre mix briefly combines roguelike, co-op, and Battle Royale with the gameplay you already know from Elden Ring and other From Software games:
You choose one of eight pre-made characters.
You load into the game with up to two friends (three players in total).
You explore a map based on Limgrave from the main game during the day.
While a deadly veil shrinks the map more and more, you collect loot and level up your character.
Once only a small area in the middle of the map remains, night falls and a main boss appears, which you have to defeat.
After that, the next day begins. This is repeated three times until you defeat the final boss and successfully complete the run. If you fail, you’ll receive partial rewards – the further you get, the better the loot. These are retained for the next attempt.
Can I still take my Elden Ring character over?
No, because the eight characters available in Elden Ring have their own abilities and skill sets that differ from the main game. Each has a special attack and a kind of ultimate that you use and combine in combat. The rogue character Duchess, for example, makes your team invisible or duplicates the effect of attacks, while the knight Wylder uses a grappling hook or explosives. In general, the characters also fulfill different archetypes (tank, DPS, healer), but are still versatile due to the varying equipment.
What does Nightreign look like?
Unfortunately, we can’t show you gameplay yet. But for a first visual impression, we’ll link you to the reveal trailer from The Game Awards 2024 and some first screenshots in our gallery.
How much does the spin-off cost?
An exact price has not yet been determined. Elden Ring: Nightreign will not be sold at full price. It will also not be a Free2Play game.
Will Elden Ring: Nightreign be a service game?
Despite the multiplayer component, From Software is refraining from any form of service monetization and the associated content updates. Elden Ring: Nightreign will not get a Battle Pass or Skins. Also, additional characters, maps, or other cosmetics will not be added or sold later.
Does Nightreign have PvP?
The developers also deny this. Nightreign is designed as a pure PvE game with co-op
Can I also play solo?
Yes. Even though the spin-off then becomes an extremely challenging task, you can also try it alone. There are no AI companions to assist you.
Is there a proper matchmaking system?
Don’t worry, you don’t have to follow complicated steps, as you know it from many FromSoftware games. Nightreign lets you start at the round table from the main game, where you can either search for players via matchmaking before each run or invite your friends directly using a code
By the way, there won’t be any voice chat; you’ll either have to make do with in-game pings or use an external program like Discord. If you get kicked out of your session, you’ll have to restart it at that moment and can’t just reconnect. It remains to be seen whether will look different when it launches in 2025 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series.
There will be a network test in advance, as there was for Elden Ring. However, it is not yet known when and for which platforms it will take place.
Are you looking forward to Elden Ring: Nightreign or are you still skeptical? Let us know in the comments!
