Over three years since FromSoftware took the gaming world by storm with Elden Ring, it’s returning with a new title in the franchise. It’s not a sequel, though – instead, Elden Ring Nightreign is a multiplayer spin-off with co-op. Launching on May 30th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, and PC, it’s an unusual direction for the company, delivering a co-op multiplayer-focused Souls-like for the first time. Check out 15 things you should know before playing it.
The Nightfarers
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The premise revolves around the Nightfarers – eight playable characters who drop into Limveld, an alternate version of Limgrave, to defeat the Nightlords. They include Wylder, Guardian, Duchess, Recluse, Ironeye, and Raider, with two more – rumored to be Executor and Revenant – to be detailed. Each has a different Skill, starting gear and Ultimate Art. Iron Eye, for example, can charge up a powerful arrow for his Ultimate, which cuts through multiple enemies. The Raider can’t be knocked down due to his passive and can knock down enemies with Retaliate, his skill, or summon a large stone platform that allies can stand on for a vantage point.
The Nightlords
Once you’ve survived the various enemies and threats of Limveld, it’s time to face a Nightlord. Thus far, we’ve seen two – Gladius, the three-headed beast players fought in the network test, and Libra, recently revealed in new gameplay. The latter uses area-of-effect magic that induces Madness, but perhaps more intriguing is how it offers a deal to players before the fight. Though you’ll receive boons like ailment resistance or even a strong weapon, these can come with a price. Other Nightlords await, some from other FromSoft franchises, including the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3.
Gameplay Loop
The basic loop of Elden Ring Nightreign is simple. Players drop into Limveld solo or in groups of three and must survive for three days and three nights to defeat the Nightlord. As the day progresses, the explorable area will fall to darkness, limiting where you can go, much like a battle royale title, before culminating in a boss fight at the end. Once the boss is defeated, you repeat this process and eventually square up against a Nightlord.
Procedurally Generated Map
Limveld offers several avenues to grow stronger, from discovering powerful items to farming Runes from enemies and leveling up. You can also fight Elites (located in forts or just wandering the world), attack bases, gather maps for more information, and much more. However, the map changes with each run, which means items, camps and enemy locations will be different each time.
Environmental Hazards
This also applies to various environmental hazards. A meteor strike can suddenly occur to disrupt your progression, and locations like volcanic craters can erupt. Some forests are also teeming with a rot-afflicting corruption, making them difficult to traverse. Interestingly, it seems that poison swamps, a Miyazaki special, won’t return.
Rogue-Like Aspects
Despite the co-op elements, Souls-like combat, and battle royale-style shrinking circle, Nightreign is rogue-like at its core. Completing runs nets you Relics, which can be equipped at the Roundtable Hold to enhance your character’s stats and abilities. These include increased Magic Attack Power, more Endurance, higher Poise, better Poison Resistance, etc. You can even increase skill duration or reduce its cooldown. One potential effect even allows healing nearby allies when drinking from the Flask of Crimson Tears.
Roundtable Hold
The Roundtable Hold is your base of operations, where you’ll prepare loadouts before heading out. However, it also offers a vendor who sells new Relic Rites – which likely open more slots for equipping them – gestures, and Relics for an in-game currency called Murk. You can also purchase Scenic Flatstones, which dole out random Relics, and access the Fitting Mirror to equip different outfits. Some of these may even look familiar to fans of From’s other titles.
Lost Memories
Through Limveld, you’ll discover Lost Memories, which provide more information on each Nightfarer’s lore. It doesn’t appear to provide any particular benefits, but if you’re curious about their backstories and motivations – and even the mysteries surrounding Limveld – they’re worth pursuing.
No Messaging System
Unfortunately, one core aspect of FromSoft’s Souls-like titles (and Bloodborne, and Sekiro post-launch) won’t be in Nightreign. Director Junya Ishizaki offered a simple explanation for why – there’s simply no time since each run lasts roughly 40 minutes. The procedural nature of the map also means it would be impossible for messages to carry over. On the bright side, at least other players’ ghosts are visible, if that’s any consolation.
No Cross-Play
As confirmed by director Junya Ishizaki, cross-platform play is not supported, which means Xbox players can’t group with PlayStation or PC players (and vice versa). Cross-generation play, meaning that Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S players or PS4 and PS5 players group together, is still possible, though.
Not Live Service
Unlike Elden Ring, this isn’t a full-priced title, costing $40 at launch. Despite the co-op and battle royale-like aspects, it’s not going the live service route. Ishizaki said the plan was always to deliver a “complete package out of the box at launch,” with everything unlocked through gameplay. Unless FromSoftware suddenly reveals battle passes, microtransactions, a rotating store and daily login rewards, expect a relatively FOMO-less experience, though it will still release balance patches and updates after launch.
Potential Duos Queue
When Elden Ring Nightreign launches, you can only play solo or with up to two others. It’s possible to queue with a friend, but the third slot will always be filled, meaning no proper Duos queue. FromSoftware is considering its addition post-launch, but there aren’t any concrete plans at the moment.
DLC in Q4 2025
Live service or not, FromSoftware will release “additional DLC” for the title by Q4 of this year, and it seems to have accidentally leaked the details a little too early. The Steam listing originally stated, “Additional DLC – Additional playable characters and bosses,” but the latter part was removed, keeping things ambiguous. Regardless, if the development team were to add onto the experience, then new Nightfarers and Nightlords seem a given – the real question is whether it will also add new spells, weapons, and other features. As always, time will tell.
PC Requirements
If you played Elden Ring on PC, then the GPU and RAM requirements for Nightreign may look a little familiar. And by “a little,” we mean exactly the same. At the very minimum, you’ll need an Intel Core i5-10600 or AMD Ryzen 5 5500, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 (3 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (4 GB), and 12 GB of RAM. Recommended requirements include a Core i5-11500 or Ryzen 5 5600, a GTX 1070 or Radeon RX Vega 56 (8 GB), and 16 GB of RAM. Overall, the CPU requirements are higher, but at least it takes up much less space, requiring only 30 GB.
Quality and Performance Modes on Current-Gen Consoles
Another element returning from Elden Ring is the Quality and Performance Modes. Based on the network test, the former runs at 4K on Xbox Series X and PS5, while the latter targets 60 FPS and features dynamic resolution scaling. The visual quality also takes a hit, which is to be expected. Both modes could improve at launch, so keep that in mind.
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