MeinMMO author Caro has already played Nightreign for 8 hours, the spin-off of Elden Ring, which will be released on May 30, 2025. During this time, she realized what distinguishes the game from Elden Ring, where their similarities lie, and that she would have loved to play Nightreign all night long.
Since the announcement at the Game Awards 2024, the question for me, as well as for many other Elden Ring fans, has been how Nightreign will differ from the main game and who might be suited for the new game. Despite the different approach of the spin-off, Nightreign is a new form of Soulslike that now makes the environment and especially time a formidable opponent alongside dangerous creatures and bosses.
Players who celebrate the world of Elden Ring will also find enjoyment in Nightreign, but one must be able to embrace a new playstyle of a beloved game.
At a playtest event from Bandai Namco, I tested a pre-release version of the session-based RPG for 8 hours.
In groups of three, we could test 4 of the 8 so-called Nightfarers in two run scenarios with different night bosses and the three-headed hellhound Gladius as one of the 8 possible Nightlords. We explored the map, collected runes and loot, defeated all enemies in all sizes and shapes, and ran for our lives.
Here you see the trailer for Nightreign:
Nightreign still has the soul of a Soulslike
The probably most obvious difference between Nightreign and Elden Ring is the use of 3 Nightfarers that can be played together in co-op. The Nightfarers are the playable heroes in Nightreign, as unlike in the main game, you no longer create your own characters. This not only changes the number of players but also the approach within the game.
Large bosses seem less intimidating, collecting runes goes faster, and three pairs of eyes see more than one. But does this hinder the challenge of a typical Soulslike? Absolutely not.
The difficulty is simply redistributed. Unpleasant surprises and numerous deaths remain a central part. Since we played with 2 different scenarios during the event, we could develop strategies together, but when faced with any random boss at release, one must be adaptable.
Even though large bosses may initially seem less threatening due to the shared teamwork, the changing environment combined with constant time pressure offers little security.
It may happen that you find yourself in a fight with a dragon, the fire ring approaching at (notably swift) speed, a teammate has been taken down, and… suddenly Margit, The Fell Omen appears to ruin your day? Yes, that happened, and yes, we were indeed stressed. A crucial lesson for me and for you is therefore that a heroic retreat can sometimes be the best strategy.
An equally heroic new feature in Nightreign, which you will encounter early and often, is crawling after being downed instead of dying outright. I crawled a lot – very, very much. It’s humiliating, it’s pathetic, and it’s great. Especially since teammates can revive you with hits, which perfectly rounds off the experience in my view.
Therefore, despite the support from my teammates, I never felt too safe, overpowered, or underchallenged, which had previously been one of my concerns.
Roles like in an MMORPG
Besides the charming way of reviving, collaboration also offers many advantages in combat. You can develop strategies together, time attacks, build on each other’s abilities, and assign roles within the groups that take care of distracting, dealing damage or supporting.
Each of the 4 Nightfarers feels different but very enriching. They each have 2 specific abilities that charge over time and can be used for damage, healing, or crowd control. Different group combinations thus always provided new approaches, allowing us to shape each run differently. And this, even though we could only select 4 of the 8 possible heroes so far.
I quickly noticed that Nightreign rewards player cooperation.
Even if you can split up to explore more, we quickly found that it’s smarter to stay within reach of each other. This way, you can defeat larger foes, which is clearly more lucrative than farming small enemies – and revive if necessary.
If you die permanently before being revived by a teammate, you can respawn again. However, you lose a level, which is already a significant disadvantage due to the lower number of possible levels. And nobody wants to be the dead weight of the group.
Nightreign rushed me through day and night and provided plenty of adrenaline
Compared to Elden Ring, where I could choose my own pace, Nightreign not only offers faster gameplay but practically demands it. A run lasts around 30 to 40 minutes depending on how successful you are, which flew by during the playtest.
Leveling your character is now significantly faster and simpler, as you increase the entire character level rather than individual aspects. This can be accomplished even in the rush by repeatedly spamming the button at a Site of Grace within seconds.
Another innovation for a quick traversal of the map is the expanded freedom of movement in the form of parkour. You can overcome ledges, climb some rocks, and due to the lack of fall damage, leap from great heights.
At some places on the map, there are also so-called Spirit Stream Jumps, which catapult the player into the air similar to Torrents Spirit Spring in Elden Ring. Another option for quick travel is the Spectral Hawk, which you could already see in the trailer and which drops players onto the map at the start of the run.
However, it’s not just about running away from the death zone, but also about quick decision-making, which provides a significant dose of adrenaline. You have to decide quickly when delaying a potential plan makes success harder with each passing second.
With a little risk-taking, you can dart back into the danger zone to quickly seek a Site of Grace just before the night boss to become 2 levels stronger and regenerate your healing potions. But the longer you delay such maneuvers, the more dangerous their execution becomes.
Nightreign is a whole new experience, but dangerously good
Here I want to highlight that my group and I had a lot of fun with the game! Already after the second run, I noticed: “Oh oh… here I could spend many, many hours.”
In my experience, Nightreign not only feels like new, expanded content, but above all, other content for Elden Ring. Therefore, it is less to be considered as a DLC like Shadow of the Erdtree that expands the original, but rather as a new gaming experience, as challenges are approached completely differently than in the Elden Ring main game.
The runs felt quite brief due to the very fast-paced gameplay and the constant urge to prove oneself. You learn quickly and want to put your new skills into action and improve as often as possible. However, the contrast of the fast pacing compared to Elden Ring might feel overwhelming and stifling for many. The tempo is present and rarely lets up.
The question remains whether it will make sense to play solo. While it is certainly possible, you really are completely on your own, which takes away many advantages of cooperation.
However, this aspect could become an exciting challenge – and we know just how much Soulslike fans love a challenge.
I am looking forward to the release on May 30, 2025, as I definitely want to meet the other 4 Nightfarers and Nightlords and still have a score to settle with Margit. Still, I continue to have respect for the random bosses that might be thrown at my feet in the nightly challenges. As long as I don’t have to deal with a certain boss who literally drove me crazy in Elden Ring, I am satisfied: The hardest boss in Elden Ring according to the community has no health bar
