What Is Nightreign?
Elden Ring Nightreign is the upcoming standalone title related to Elden Ring that promises to reinvent the franchise. Developers and journalists have explained the game’s innovative features following its announcement at the game awards:
Key Features
- It takes place in a parallel universe, in a diverse area called ‘Limveld‘
- It is a co-op survival experience that is designed for teams of 3 players, though solo play is an option
- It is a roguelike, challenging you to endure 3 days and nights every game cycle, exploring a randomised map for tiered loot
- The playable arena is gradually consumed by the dangerous Night’s Tide during the day, and every night there is a boss fight
- You must choose between 8 preset character classes, with abilities and ‘ultimates’ unique to them, that may synergise as a team
- The game reuses enemies and bosses from Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series
- Greater challenges offer greater rewards to prepare for boss fights, such as new weapons with passive effects
- You can upgrade your levels at Sites of Grace
- Between runs you earn ‘Murk‘ that can be spent in the Roundtable Hold to permanently upgrade and customise your Nightfarers
- Players can revive each other or die completely for the day. Runs end when you defeat one of the 8 ‘Nightlords‘
- Successful runs will help reveal the story of the world and the playable Nightfarers
Minor Features
- You navigate the map by flying in, running at high speeds and vaulting over obstacles. Torrent is not in the game
- You can matchmake with friends using passwords, or at random
- Limveld is a distorted realm that draws beings from different worlds, and contains diverse environments
- One Nightfarer seems to have Sekiro deflection mechanics, and one has Bloodborne quicksteps. The cover character wields a grappling hook
- Certain bosses can invade your world and harass you, such as the notorious Margit
- There are no weight limits or weapon stat requirements
- You can respawn yourself during day but not at night. If all players are downed, the run is lost
- You can see the phantoms of other random players and loot their corpses, but there are no messages
As you can see Elden Ring Nightreign is planned to be a multiplayer game unlike anything else FromSoftware has released. It will build on the intensity and replayability of Elden Ring’s combat with features such as Hero Abilities and Nightlord bosses. It’s a new, condensed challenge that is tuned for teams of cooperators to enjoy together. New story beats will be limited, but that’s okay. The main goal will be to defeat 8 fearsome Nightlord bosses as they become available, and learn character backstories along the way.
Comparing Network Tests
You can register now to take part in the closed beta or network test for Nightreign on the Bandai Namco website. In February, selected testers will get to play a small portion of the game to improve online systems.
Elden Ring’s network test had some key differences from the actual release, which gives us a good idea of what to expect in February:
Elden Ring Network Test (compared to release)
- Parts of the UI/HUD were still prototypes
- Starting classes were different and more equipped
- Available map was limited to Limgrave
- Item placements were very different, allowing players to gear up quickly
- Many items were named differently
- NPC dialogue and especially voice over were still prototype
- Enemy placement and combat were largely identical to release
- Music was mixed differently
Nightreign’s Network Test will naturally have some differences too. But it also stands to retain Elden Ring’s existing UI, enemy design and combat. After all, it is a spinoff of Elden Ring. The original formula and gameplay loop is receiving some genre modifications, nothing more.
New elements such as character abilities, names, dialogue, character/map design are more likely to be prototypes open to development changes. As part of the constrained demo experience, items (and possibly enemies) will be placed more abundantly, to give testers a more whole idea of the game. We’ll probably be limited to a single Nightlord to fight out of 8, absent of some enemies and environments. The biggest question is whether or not randomized roguelike elements of the game will be fully operational. If so, even the network test will be gloriously replayable. If not, it may be because testers are intended to experience the same map and challenges.
Either way, there are so many reasons to be excited about the network test. We have a chance to enjoy a fresh spin on a beloved game so soon after its announcement. But tell us what you think in the comment section below