Elden Ring: Nightreign – 10 Things You Need to Know Before You Play

It's barely a year since the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC for Elden Ring was released, and FromSoftware is already introducing another thrilling title to the community in the form of Elden Ring: Nightreign. The new game provides a new experience with changed gameplay mechanics and a new way of developing your character, all within the universe of Elden Ring. Ahead of delving into the new adventure in Nightreign, here are 10 things you should know.

Elden Ring: Nightreign Genre

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a 3-player cooperative dark fantasy action-survival game created by Bandai Namco and FromSoftware. Unlike the standard single-player model, the game emphasizes cooperative gameplay with teamwork and survival mechanics at its center.

The World of Nightreign

Located in the imagined nation of Limveld, Nightreign takes players into a world that's perpetually being besieged by dominant powers. Limveld is what's "transitory land, buffeted by the raging might of the Nightlords," which gives the world a dark tone as players try to survive and resist. 

The Night's Tide

To win at Elden Ring: Nightreign, the player must last three full days within the game, or three cycles of day and night. The game gets tougher as the player has to get through the Night's Tide, which completely shrinks the playable map and puts the players in direct confrontations with the game bosses at night.

Defeat the Nightlords to End the Reign of Night

The Nightlords are huge creatures which manifest themselves only after two consecutive nights when their commanders have been defeated. To shatter the Night's dominance, players have to defeat every Nightlord in succession after two consecutive nights. The grand battles will be instrumental in rebuilding balance within the world of Nightreign. 

Elden Ring Nightreign: Number of Players

While unlike the first Elden Ring, Nightreign is created for playing together in 3-player co-op. Playing alone is an option, but playing with other people introduces a new strategy to the battle against the Nightlords and making it through the brutal world of Limveld.

Not a DLC, But a Standalone Game

Elden Ring: Nightreign is not a DLC. It's a separate multiplayer adventure designed with co-op gameplay in mind. If you're an original game fan or just playing for the first time in the Elden Ring universe, Nightreign provides an independent experience from the original game.

No Elden Ring Required to Play

You don’t need a copy of Elden Ring to enjoy Nightreign. This is a standalone title, so there’s no need to own the original game to experience this new adventure.

No Crossplay, But Cross-Generation Support

Although Elden Ring: Nightreign does not have crossplay between various platforms (e.g., PC and consoles), it provides cross-generation support. Players on PS5 can play with PS4 players, and Xbox Series X|S players can collaborate with Xbox One players.

Elden Ring Nightreign Characters

Most other games that allow players to play with custom characters allow Nightreign to provide eight pre-created characters, referred to as Nightfarers. These are:

• Duchess
• Executer
• Guardian
• Ironeye
• Raider
• Recluse
• Revenant
• Wylder

You can't develop these characters from the ground up, so your freedom for character development is curtailed in this game. Each does have a distinct set of skills, however, and this choice will influence gameplay and strategy.