Elden Ring Nightreign Preview | Network Test Build

FromSoftware made a surprise announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign at The Game Awards 2024. While Elden Ring fans were still busy playing the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC, the news of a coop-based standalone Elden Ring game was quite the treat for Souls fans. FromSoftware has taken its super successful Souls formula and incorporated battle royale, hero shooter, and roguelike elements to put an entirely new, unique spin on the genre.  

Some of us were lucky enough to join the Elden Ring Nightreign network test this week, and we were utterly surprised from the very moment the game started. Nightreign is so unique that it might even change the genre, something we've never experienced before. So here's everything that I've experienced during the network test.

Some of the features of Nightreign are simply distinct from ELDEN RING. Nightreign is an entirely new standalone cooperative game that mixes the soulslike genre with a hefty dose of battle royale brilliance and just a dash of roguelike to create something approachable enough to entice the novices while remaining punishing enough for the Souls veterans to stay entertained.

Nightreign retains the core souls mechanics, while the terrain is a procedurally generated area called Limveld, modeled after the base game's Limgrave. The Sites of Grace return to allow leveling and healing; there is also a familiar-yet-different Roundtable Hold-like area from where we armored up between sessions, much like the previous selection of weaponry, shields, and talismans to choose from. And, of course, there are some very familiar enemies, including bosses.

Nightreign is session-based around a three-day cycle, meaning that every time you start a new session, you will begin again with the beginning of the cycle. Every new session – you can play in a solo form, in a team of two with his random players, or as a team of three – will be different per session with a procedurally generated, small-medium Limveld map, randomized events, varying enemies, locations and even bosses, meaning no session will not be similar to the ones you've played.

Each session starts at the new Roundtable Hold area before, from where you will be dropped into the map using a Spectral Hawk. You can decide which area to explore first and where to drop. Then it is exploring, fighting enemies, looting, and attempting to level up as fast as you can-much like a frenzy-knowing the storm starts closing in on you very quickly, but instead of gnawing at you, blue flames will consume you should you stray outside the circuit.

Just as the circle closes up into that final little area, the first boss fight begins. There are a total of eight bosses in Nightreign, including the endgame boss called Nightlord, and you have to defeat all of them to survive three days to win a session.

The biggest changes to gameplay from ELDEN RING to Nightreign come from introducing 'hero' characters like Marvel Rivals, offered to players as a choice of starting one of eight different Nightfarers at the beginning of a session, all with their unique Character Skill and Ultimate Arts capacity.

There were four playable characters during the test: Wylder, Guardian, The Duchess, and The Recluse. Wylder has a smaller shield and a greatsword, and he's more of an all-rounder. The Guardian is the typical tank, armed with a big shield and spear. The Duchess was more of a thief and was my favorite during the network test. The Recluse is the mage, but her spells are mostly random during each run.

There is no weight limit in Nightreign, so you can get as many weapons and shields in your inventory as you want. In addition, there's no fall damage. So you don't sustain any damage from falling from any height. There are significant movement changes, especially the ability to parkour (yes, parkour in Elden Ring) around the map, so you can climb up a cliff face and get into areas that you would never even try to reach in the original game. You can even climb on mechanical enemies.

You can also be 'downed' in classic Warzone-style fashion, giving other players in your party a chance to revive you before you're eliminated. However, the way you have to revive teammates is pretty ludicrous; you have to keep hitting with your weapon before the revival meter is filled. Each time you or any of your teammates are down, the revival meter gets lengthier. If you do end up getting eliminated, you'll stay eliminated until the next day – but if your whole party does get eliminated, then the session ends, and you have to return to the Roundtable.

Visually, Nightreign is identical to ELDEN RING except that there are a lot of glowing trees all around Limveld. But honestly, I barely got the time to enjoy the views since there's no respite in Nightreign. Since you're constantly moving from one place to another and leveling up, you'll hardly have a chance to sit down and check the views. There are, however, some noticeable changes, and to mention but a few, there are several Spirit Springs spread across the map that shoots you straight into the air; most often, it is over big cliffs and without Torrent. And, yes, Torrent isn't featured in Nightreign.

What felt most amazing about Nightreign is the three day/night cycles throughout a run, just as in a roguelite. Time felt like the most challenging aspect of the game as we explored different areas of the map, looting and defeating bosses. Defeating the final boss, Nightlord, is considered a victory. Death, nevertheless, does provide powerful relics that you can use to personalize your adventures in subsequent rounds.

There's, however, an issue that seemed alarming in Nightreign. While we tested the game with random players, it seemed very challenging to understand each other. The game seemed best suited for a group of friends who are familiar with the Elden Ring mechanics. Perhaps after a month or two from the game's launch, this issue won't be a major factor, but at the beginning, when most players are still getting accustomed to the gameplay, they will be clueless about their actions.

We weren't allowed to record any footage from the Network Test, but hopefully, this will change soon, and we'll be able to share our recorded gameplay. FromSoftware has officially confirmed that Nightreign will be released on 30 May 2025 on all major platforms. There's still much to learn about the game, and thus, we hope to publish a more comprehensive review after Elden Ring Nightreign releases.