FromSoftware recently held their Network Test where a select few could play Elden Ring Nightreign early. I got my hands on it, and today I’m going to get into what Nightreign is, the gameplay, different classes, and ultimately what my first impressions are of this brand new multiplayer spin off that’s set to release on 30th May 2025. This is Elden Ring Nightreign.

While you can play multiplayer co-op in Dark Souls and Elden Ring, From Software are experimenting with something brand new here, taking inspiration from battle royale and roguelike games to create something that feels like Elden Ring, but is structured in a very different way. Roguelikes have exploded in popularity over the last few years with Hades, Dead Cells, Vampire Survivors and Balatro. We’ve seen AAA games experiment before with God of War Valhalla, and now From Software are experimenting themselves.

Nightreign’s gameplay loop is fast and fun action. Rather than build you own character and assign stats like we did in the main Elden Ring here we’re picking from pre-determined classes. That was a risky move, but it makes sense given the fast-paced nature of Nightreign.

In the Network Test we had access to only 4 of the character classes, there will be 8 when the full game releases on 30th May. Bosses are limited too, plus we didn’t see the dynamic effects with the environment, they are clearly saving some surprises for the full release later in the year. This was all about load testing and network performance for From Software so they can tune their systems to ensure the best play experience.

Gameplay loop

Elden Ring Nightreign runs are three in-game days, which each day lasting about 15 mins or so. On the third day you get sent to a new location with a blackmith, allowing you to make any adjustments you want before going into the final boss battle.

You start much like you would in Fortnite, dropping in with a glider and deciding to land with your team. Teams are made up of 3 people, or you can go in solo. When you land a fire circle surrounds the map and then quickly starts to shrink. Once the circle finishes shrinking, then it’s time to take on the first boss at the end of day one. Defeat the boss and the circle starts again on day two. From what I could see the map is static, however, the enemies, loot, events and bosses change each run, making sure you get that variety each time.

It’s important to level up quickly and this is done in a similar manner to Elden Ring; kill enemies, clear camps and get runes. Leveling up early is super important as that doubles your health pool, and ideally you want to be aiming for level 12 when entering day 3. Compared to Elden Ring it’s a frantic rush. In Elden Ring you have the time to be much more methodical, here in Nightreign you are sprinting, jumping up walls and finding loot at speed, aiming to level up as quickly as possible. When you level up the allocation of stats is automatic based on your class, so it’s different to the main game where you can control your stats.

Once you have taken down a few camps and levelled up at a Site of Grace, then it maybe time to take on a larger encampment or a field boss for more runes. There are Churches of Marika around the map, allowing you to get more flask charges and it’s a good idea to get these before the circle closes in and makes these unavailable. From Software have implemented a ping system to allow for comms, even if you don’t want to get on the mic, similar to Apex Legends.

Every time you and your team come across a destination on the map, there are quick decisions to be made. Do you jump in and try and get as many runes as possible, or is the fight too much of a risk because the circle is closing in. There are castles, gaols, camps, towers, everything you remember from Elden Ring, it’s all here, just with a little more risk added.

Loot and progression

The loot system is interesting in Nightreign. Each piece of gear comes with passive effects, which build up throughout your run. If you’ve played any roguelike, then you’ll be familiar. You don’t have to worry about load weight and gear doesn’t have a stats requirement to use, once again breaking down the barriers and focusing on speed. That means throughout a run you can pick up a massive variety of weapons, which would be near impossible in the Elden Ring due to stats restrictions. Bows have infinite ammo and magic users can easily top up their FP.

When you defeat bosses you can select perks. For example, you can have partyw-de healing on flasks, or fire can come up from the ground when you walk. These perks provide major incentives to defeat bosses, but it’s all about weighing up the risk and reward. Completing world events also give you perks, plus you may have an invasion from a major boss to spice things up.

If you or one of your teammates die, then you have to damage them with a weapon to revive. The more you die, the longer is takes to revive, meaning as the clock runs down reviving can become frantic. If players aren’t saved in time then you will lose levels, but you can pick up the lost runes. As you make your way through the days you don’t want to be losing levels, some gear passives only open up after certain thresholds have been met e.g. reach level 10 for X perk.

At the Roundtable Hold there is something called a Relic Rites Holder where combinations of relics you’ve picked up can be equipped for each character. These have decent bonuses for example Scarlett Rot build up or decreasing the cast time for spells. We have much more to learn about the relics as it looks like there is a currency requirement and different color codings which may refer to the rarity or compatibility with different character classes. From Software have been pretty quiet about this so far, so it may be saved for the release.

Nightreign characters

Rather than build your own character, here in Elden Ring Nightreign you are picking a character. They have predetermined stats and also allow you to lean into specific styles of play.

The Wylder

This is the all-rounder. The Wylder starts out with a greatsword and buckler, and this is a great starting character if you aren’t used to Elden Ring. His passive ability includes taking a free hit, which can be very useful in a pinch. His active ability is a hookshot which can pull him towards an enemy or pull smaller enemies to him. This can also be used on the environment to climb quickly. The Wylder’s Ultimate is a big hit that can break poise on bosses and enable a critical strike.

The Guardian

This is the tank character with a greatshield and a spear. His passive allows him to take a fortified stance and his shield absorbs big damage from enemies. His active ability create a whirlwind that can fire smaller enemies into the air and deal damage to bosses. His ultimate allows him to fly high in the sky and then dive bomb down to cause damage.

The Dutchess

This is the rogue character with a dagger and their passive allows for dodging twice in quick succession. Her active ability replays two seconds of damage, which can be very strong, plus this can be coordinated with other’s ultimates. Her ultimate is casting a veil over herself and the team, allowing them to become neartly invisible.

The Recluse

This is the most complex character, but also very rewarding. This is your typical magic user and you start out with a staff, her main mechanic is to absorb elements inflicted on enemies. Each time she does, she also recovers FP. When three have been absorbed this ability becomes a new spell for her to cast based on the combination. Her ultimate marks an enemy, and when they are damaged it heals the attackers.

We didn’t get a look at all the characters. Here we have 4 but in the main game we’re going to get 8. The ones we do have feel balanced, and a good variety of playstyles.

Nightreign impressions

• I liked the variety of the character classes. I normally play Sword and Shield in Souls games, so it was good to try out the Rogue and Mage characters, I look forward to what other character classes will be coming.
• I enjoyed the combination of no fall damage, high jumping pads and mantling on the rocks. It felt like you could easily get across the environment with little getting in your way.
• It’s very fast. I understand you have to make the character fast as a replacement for no Torrent (horse), but the whole thing feels very quick. I do wonder if the player speed and the day length could do with some tuning.
• Talking about the day length, it does feel fast, to the point where I don’t really get to take it all in. There is such a rush to the end, I don’t have time to really look at my build. I don’t know if the days need to be longer, or there needs to be a timeout where I can look at my build.
• The rarities of the weapons didn’t feel obvious and upgrading weapoins should be easier and quicker. I looked at the damage numbers to understand if a weapon was better or not. Perhaps something could be done in the UI to make the weapon rarities more obvious. For example, I want to quickly know a weapon I find is better than the one I have.
• I liked the map, it was varied and had good verticality.
• I wonder if the game would benefit from a 3rd day before the big boss fight. I would be able to handle 1 hour full playthroughs. During the Network Test I only did one complete cycle with random players, I got to the day two boss a couple of times. I did enjoy the structure, but it did feel fast and rushed.
• Overall, I really enjoyed my time with Nightreign. There is definitely something here which feels great. It feels like Elden Ring, just charged up to the max, almost like Elden Ring was filled with super heroes, or it’s Elden Ring turned up to 10. Games like this live and die by their player count, so it would be good take on board feebdack from players. The main points of feedback for me was the speed, and that leading to feeling rushed… that’s probably not going to feel good over time. Also, the loot rarities not being that obvious. Otherwise, it was a lot of fun and I appreciated having an early loot in the Network Test.

Elden Ring Nightreign is due for release on 30th May 2025 on PlayStation, PC and Xbox.