The Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay reveal and announcement truly rocked the gaming world because right when we thought Hidetaka Miyazaki was done with the game, FromSoftware dropped this big bombshell no one expected.
The gaming landscape has some mixed feelings about Elden Ring Nightreign, despite it being one of the most anticipated games of 2025. But overall, gamers seem to be excited about it. From what I’ve read online, people are mainly looking forward to how wacky, chaotic, and fun the game will be.
With that said, allow me to present the things that we know so far with regard to Elden Ring Nightreign‘s gameplay, as well as how it’s actually going to work.
Prepare for a Unique Elden Ring Nightreign Roguelike Co-Op Experience
Although it is a multiplayer game, Nightreign is strictly PvE and is only intended to be played in short bursts of 30 minutes each. As a part of a three-player cooperative team, you explore a recognizable yet distinct version of Elden Ring‘s initial zone, Limgrave.
The overall layout of the map is unchanging, complete with:
- castles
- cliffs
- caves
- and more
But gamers won’t be treated to anything stale because the game has randomized the placements and encounters of almost everything. You’ll encounter bosses in random areas, ruins in various combinations, and other surprises you won’t see coming.
There are a total of eight final bosses, and you’ll be picking one of them to fight before starting each run. Prior to facing them, you must make it through two “days” of combat and exploration, each of which concludes with a major boss battle.
On the third day, you will be transported to a magical arena known as the Spirit Shelter, where you will engage the run’s main monster. The battle will take place on a vast battlefield that is similar to the location of the fight against Radahn.
Similar to Elden Ring, you can party with pals by using a multiplayer password or be paired with random players.
Elden Ring Nightreign Co-Op Uses Multiplayer Passwords?!
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay has passwords for its multiplayer aspect. Passwords are quite useful to have, especially if you just want to play with your friends and have fun. This removes any possibility or anxiety of having a rando enter the server room/lobby you and your friends are in.
Playing with friends appears to function mostly in the same manner as it would in Elden Ring. In fact, players won’t even be present in multiplayer lobby areas. Instead of lobbies, gamers are sent to a different Roundtable Hold hub version till they start a session. At that point, they’ll then connect with two other players (whether random or a buddy), pick the characters they like, and start playing.
Honestly, I wish they added PvE multiplayer elements during the Elden Ring Patch 1.13.2 update, instead of just summoning someone to fight the boss with you. This information clears up a lot about what the heck is Elden Ring Nightreign, especially its multiplayer feature.
Can Players Create Their Own Characters and Choose From Elden Ring Nightreign Classes?
For better or for worse, Elden Ring Nightreign doesn’t offer any form of character creation. You can’t make your own character in Nightreign as you can in FromSoft’s RPGs, but you can acquire different skins for the eight pre-made characters.
Yes, Nightreign is using pre-made characters in the “hero” role. It’s a deviation from their usual formula, for sure. But personally, I’m kind of excited about how this new direction will pan out for the game.
Here are the character classes that we currently have information about:
• The Parryer (name is unknown for now)
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree‘s “Deflecting Hard Tear” parry mechanism, which effectively replicated Sekiro-style deflecting in the expansion, will serve as the basis for one character’s moveset. Is anybody willing to wager that the character will be armed with a katana?
• Wylder
With a heavy longsword by default, this armored knight looks like the standard box art figure for the majority of Souls games. Since Wylder’s primary ability has a very short cooldown, he is more agile than players might initially think.
Ability: Claw Shot – Wylder’s grappling hook is a multipurpose mobility aid that can be utilized approximately every ten seconds. To avoid an impending onslaught, you can either grab onto the ground or pull yourself in the direction of your adversaries. To provide you with some breathing room, it also disrupts lighter assaults and delivers damage.
Ultimate Skill: Wedge of Invasion – For significant damage, Wylder builds up an explosive assault and then lets it loose at close range (like imagine something within melee distance). The attack becomes more powerful the longer it is held down.
• Archer (name is unknown for now)
Some sort of “expanded targeting system” will enable the archer character in the trailer to use bows somewhat more like in a third-person shooter. It might be a pleasant change from FromSoftware’s traditionally awkward bow fighting. Perhaps they’ve improved upon this within the title’s Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay.
• Duchess
A quick scout-like figure with a magic dagger wearing an off-brand Nier Automata costume. Instead of rolling, the duchess evades attacks using a graceful sidestep.
Ability: Restage – Redirects the final seconds of damage the enemies dealt to you and your friends to a nearby adversary. This skill is incredibly good if players are able to effectively coordinate with the squad.
Ultimate Skill: Finale – Cloaks you and your allies within close proximity, making you momentarily invisible and releasing opponent aggression.
• Recluse
A fragile mage (basically a glass canon) with a passive skill that allows them to absorb magic that costs FP (Focus Points) to cast from enemies, who also sort of look like Ranni. Recluse is the most complicated character of the group for sure, but will undoubtedly be extremely potent in the hands of talented players.
Ability: Magic Cocktail – Your strikes will “collect” any attribute that foes are hit with, such as poison, fire, ice, etc. After a player has accumulated three, this skill will unleash a special attack that changes based on the attributes a player has absorbed.
Ultimate Skill: Song of the Blood Soul – The attack targets all adversaries in the area so that your team can recover while striking them, and it might also deal some extra damage.
• Guardian
With a feature that allows them to raise their shield for better damage reduction, this character is the most durable out of all the playable characters. Guardian is essential for reviving teammates who got knocked out and sustaining boss aggro, as they continue to do tons of damage with their Ult.
Ability: Whirlwind – Deliver a devastating ranged AoE (Area of Effect) air swirl that disrupts and harms foes inside it. Talk about being like Aang from The Last Airbender!
Ultimate Skill: Wings of Salvation – In order to deliver damage across a large area and boost the defense of companions in the vicinity, Guardian launches himself into the air and then returns to the ground via a divebomb assault. To remain moored in place and withstand oncoming attacks, simply hold down the button right after landing.
• Two Unknown Characters
As of writing this, there are currently two characters (respectively the seventh and eighth characters) that we absolutely have no information about.
Is It Safe to Say that Elden Ring Nightreign is Elden Ring 2?
You know, as much as we’d like to convince ourselves this is true, Elden Ring Nightreign is not Elden Ring 2. Nightreign is a spin-off, effectively a stand-alone expansion, even if it does have new, distinct bosses, systems, and characters not seen in Elden Ring. The “legacy dungeons” that characterize FromSoftware’s RPGs are absent from Nightreign, as is the singleplayer quest.
Does the Game Play Like Elden Ring Since It Looks Like the Base Game?
The answer isn’t as clear-cut as we’d like it to be, so it’s both a yes and a no. Nightreign‘s presentation and movement are a lot like Elden Ring‘s. The movesets of basic opponents and weapons are identical to those of the standard game.
There are a few additions, but the controls remain the same. Backstabs, shield parries, two-handed weapons, and other Elden Ring battle techniques are all present.
As you’d expect, the Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay feels very different in other ways. Sprinting and movement speed are significantly increased. You may now jump up ledges and climb most cliffs within the game, even if you don’t have a Spectral Steed mount.
Most importantly, THERE IS NO FALL DAMAGE. Yes, you read that right. Elden Ring Nightreign is free from the knee-buckling, shin-cracking, and leg-breaking dangers that we mortals, as well as the Elden Ring base game player character, have to worry about.
Why Did FromSoftware Decide to Remove Fall Damage?
Players are urged to play at a fast pace, sprinting from one spot to another to gather more loot and defeating as many foes as they can to level up since each run has a pretty severe time constraint.
Combat feels extremely different when compared to Souls games. Every new environment or area is likely going to bring some new peril that puts gamers in constant fear. But with three players and a great deal of enhanced power scaling, most basic opponents quickly turn into trash mobs.
Weapons and the special character skills that define your playstyle are more important in the Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay. Elden Ring‘s RPG mechanics and long-term character development don’t shine in this game at all, so it’s best to play the game differently.
Elden Ring Nightreign Isn't Considered a "Live Service Game" by FromSoftware
Director Junya Ishizaki confirmed in an interview with PCGamer that FromSoftware has no plans of turning Nightreign into a live service game. This means that battle passes or season passes are all out of the equation.
However, Ishizaki did say that there will be bug fixes, balance updates, etc., like with the other games. But post-release content updates are still up in the air and are currently TBD (To Be Decided).
Elden Ring Nightreign Is Going to Be a Standalone and a Premium Game
When I say premium, I’m simply referring to the fact that players are going to have to pay some money to buy the game. Nightreign won’t be a free game and players will need to pay for it in advance. But, as opposed to Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring ownership is not necessary for this expansion. It will be a completely independent game.
What Is Going to Be the Likely Pricing for Elden Ring Nightreign?
Looks like Bandai Namco is planning to put a price that is close to Shadow of the Erdtree. Since Shadow of the Erdtree costs around $40 on Steam, we can expect the pricing for the game to also be around $40 or cheaper.
Contrary to Popular Belief Elden Ring Nightreign Is Not Going to Be a Battle Royal
Nightreign initially looks like a PvP game since it uses the well-liked battle royale idea of a “danger zone” ring getting smaller and smaller until it arrives at a focal point in the world. But no!
Compared to Dark Souls or Elden Ring, it is even less of a PvP game. Nightreign does not have an invasion mechanism. You cannot engage in combat with other players.
Instead, the ‘battle royale’ ring limits the period of time players can level up by battling foes and forces you to face a boss fight at the end of each day, which takes about ten minutes from sunrise to sunset. The circle gradually closes again at the conclusion of day two after surviving the boss encounter on day one.
When Will Elden Ring Nightreign Launch?
What we currently know about Nightreign‘s release date is that its Network Test is going to take place on January 10, 2025.
Is Elden Ring Nightreign's Map Truly Randomly Generated?
Nightreign‘s map has a rather unchanging layout. FromSoftware claims that the general geography and location of structures will remain the same, despite the fact that it appears to be a jumbled remix of Limgrave.
It’s riddled with familiar caverns, ruins, gaols, wizard towers, and forts, all of which are found in different locations than in the original game. However, the developers continue to be evasive about how much it can alter between runs.
Maybe they’re trying to be careful not to spoil the Elden Ring Nightreign gameplay too much. Perhaps they just want this part of the game to remain unpredictable. No one truly knows.
FromSoftware obviously wants to keep the fight interesting and surprising over many sessions, which is why the bosses and opponents you face at each location of interest will change from session to session.
Does Elden Ring Nightreign Feature Other Maps Aside From Limgrave?
Thus far, FromSoftware has only mentioned Limgrave. There is no proof that Nightreign also has mixed versions of areas like Caelid, Liurnia, and so forth. It appears that the unpredictability and environmental surprises are intended to keep the game engaging enough for repeated play.
However, in many of their other games, FromSoftware has concealed entire zones behind hidden walls. Is there a significant aspect of Nightreign that it is currently concealing? I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if there were hidden areas in the game.
How Does Elden Ring Nightreign's Level Up System Work?
In Nightreign, leveling up happens quickly. Although you will swiftly accumulate runes, you are still required to level up by spending them at a location of grace, like in Elden Ring.
Each rune you spend will give you one general level and improve all of your stats, rather than leveling up a single stat. Every character’s stat growth is unique. For instance, Guardian will always have more HP and durable than the Duchess and Recluse.
The other players have a limited amount of time to resurrect you before you eventually die if you are taken down by an adversary. Players will revive close by if you happen to bleed out, but you will lose all of the runes you had on you and delevel by one level.
Should you perish, it’s possible to return to the location of your death to retrieve your runes, just like in Elden Ring. You start each run at level one because your character does not possess a meta-level. However, there are certain components of meta-progression.
Meta Progression in Elden Ring Nigthreign Is Integrated Via Permanent Loot and Character Stories
You will be able to converse with every character (apart from the one you are currently playing), practice your skills in a training area, and utilize an upgrade system that wasn’t available to anyone. When you come back to the alternative iteration of Elden Ring‘s Roundtable Hold.
It’s possible to equip randomized end-of-run gifts to each character’s color-coded relic slots in Nightreign. These provide a number of significant advantages. Here are some of the things they offer:
- Reports of a +2 vigor from one relic, which also causes a player’s flask to heal teammates, along with being awarded extra runes for critical hits.
- Another one of improved the Duchess’s skills, in particular, increased magic attacks, and marked wealth for on the map.
In certain builds, each character has three of these slots, but judging by the user interface, I’m going to guess that as you spend more time playing Nightreign, you’ll really unlock a greater quantity of these slots to further enhance your character.
Oh, and Nightreign is said to have a narrative progression, too.
Freedom for Builds Is Still Very Much Alive Thanks to the Loots and Relics
You may be able to improve a specific playstyle by equipping your character with relics prior to a run. But you will primarily need to create a build on the spot in every Nightreign match until you’ve gathered the required amount of items that allow you to concentrate on the build you want.
Players are now limited to only carrying a total of six weapons (and shields), three can be placed in the right-hand slot, and three in the left-hand slot. This replaces Elden Ring’s previous inventory structure. As long as the weapons you acquire are in your inventory, their passive abilities will continue to function.
This implies that anyone might acquire a greatsword and end up not wanting to use it. But they still keep it in their inventory because it gives a good stat boost to poise, for example.
There are level prerequisites on weapons, so you may uncover a rare drop that you want to hold onto until you are able to use it. Once more, any passives on that particular weapon will continue to provide advantages.
When your inventory is full—which you will most likely want to do—you may dispose of items or swap them out for new treasure. It makes sense to start with anything you discover for passive bonuses, then gradually hone your “build” with weapons that work well together.
How Does the Random Loot Mechanic Work?
Random treasure will be dropped by regular foes and bosses around the battlefield. Similar to other action RPGs, it may consist of active effects, affinities such as fire, bleed, poison, ice, etc., and passive talents like stat buffs.
In addition to the abundance of loot, the environment is filled with breakable objects and chests. They contain weapons and consumables such as daggers for ranged damage and oils for coating your sword for additional damage.
You often have three options for loot after killing a monster. One of them is a character enhancement instead of a weapon (for instance, a 15% bonus for damage reduction throughout the remainder of the run).
Does the Narrative In Elden Ring Nightreign Connect to Elden Ring's Story?
Not directly, no. The game is an “alternate reality” similar to Limgrave that FromSoftware previously explored. However, because this is FromSoftware, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nightreign hinted that this is all happening in Miquella’s dreams or that Rennala has created a magical other universe, or anything similar.
That's All for Showcasing the Elden Ring Nightreign Gameplay and Other Stuff
Phew! That was quite a long read and it was even a longer task to write this. But I do think it’s worth it because talking about this stuff requires an in-depth look into the subject.
So now that you’re done reading, let me ask you this: Are you excited for the coming Network Test in 2025? Let us know in the comments!
Be sure to read our other feature articles to keep up with what’s hot and what’s not in the gaming world. Stay tuned and catch the gaming current with GameEels!
