I went into this weekend's Elden Ring Nightreign network test as blind as I could, opting to ignore most early details and press previews so I could be surprised by FromSoftware's latest Souls-style action RPG. All I knew going in was that Nightreign has been widely considered to be a "co-op Elden Ring roguelike," but what does that mean, really? How has the studio remixed its award-winning 2022 RPG — lauded for a colossal open world that was ultimately static, masterable, and slow to progress through — with a genre known for its dynamism and speed?
The answer, as it turns out, is with playable characters that have unique powers and predetermined level upgrade paths, randomized power-ups and weapon drops that eschew stat requirements, no armor, encumbrance, or fall damage mechanics whatsoever, an encroaching circle taken right out of a battle royale game, and mobility so fast and vertical that even Sekiro would look at the Nightfarers with envy. Indeed, Nightreign strips away all of the cautious, carefully planned exploration and buildcrafting we've come to expect from Soulsborne and transforms it into a series of quick decisions you'll make as you tear through the enemy camps and miniboss fights that litter the map by day, then think on your feet and stay on the move to keep ahead of the encroaching circle before squaring off against a major boss at night.
Put simply, it's Elden Ring distilled down to its core combat systems, with players encouraged to constantly get themselves into the thick of the action throughout Nightreign's 30-45 minute runs. It's like nothing else FromSoftware has ever made before, but for me, that's not a bad thing; on the contrary, after playing for six hours over the weekend, I've fallen in love. But depending on which elements of the studio's games you're okay with reining back, it may not be for you.
A sandbox to die for (a lot)
Nightreign may not allow for the meticulous buildcrafting Souls players are familiar with, but that doesn't mean you'll be railroaded into individual playstyles or left wanting for options. In fact, the removal of stat requirements means that you can use anything you pick up as you blast through the map, and really only have to think about each weapon's attack power and mana-powered Ash of War move. There is one other factor to consider, also: passive buffs that give your Nightfarer noteworthy boosts like, say, a small percentage of lifesteal on successive hits. These apply even if the weapon they're on isn't actively in your hands, allowing you to stack them by filling up your inventory.
That freedom means there's a crazy amount of experimentative fun to be had in Nightreign, especially since it pulls from the ridiculously large arsenal present in mainline Elden Ring. I was consistently getting weapon and magic combinations (staves and seals come with two spells on them) that simply wouldn't be effective in the original RPG without some overleveling, and together with some of the neat upgrades you can pick up from slain bosses — calling down lightning strikes every time you dodge, for example — I was able to put together some wild builds. My favorite of the lot was a tanky counter-attack setup that featured a greatshield, constant floating magical sword projectiles that flew into enemies as they approached, and a flaming sword that created holy damage explosions every time I block countered with it.
Of course, as is the case with most random drop-driven roguelikes, you're not always going to get an awesome build going where everything just clicks. Lady Luck is a fickle mistress, after all, but what's nice about Nightreign is that it's a Souls game, which means your skill is ultimately what will determine if you fail or complete a run. Players with mediocre builds can still take down bosses as long as they patiently learn and master fights and have at least a decent weapon, and conversely, having a perfect setup won't save you if you make too many fundamental mistakes like dodging at the wrong times or getting too greedy with your offense.
I should note that, at least in my runs, I was able to make any setup work with any of Nightreign's four Nightfarer classes (there will be eight in the full game). With that said, each character definitely has strengths and weaknesses that makes them conducive to using specific playstyles. Wylder — the grappling hook-wielding knight fellow in the marketing material — is a jack-of-all-trades type you can easily take in any direction, but the towering eagle man Guardian is the best tank since he starts with a greatshield and has a disruptive whirlwind ability. The dexterous Duchess is best played like a nimble rogue with her improved dodging, while the witchy Recluse's ability to siphon mana from the foes her magic hits and cast near-infinitely makes her the perfect character to play if you're into being a backline nuker.
Each Nightfarer is powerful in their own way, and regardless of the weapons and bonuses you end up with, the way you can use their abilities synergistically with your teammates is what makes Nightreign shine as a co-op experience. Wylder's explosive close-range ultimate is often a guaranteed stagger on bosses and opens up fantastic opportunities for huge damage, while Guardian's special move sees him soar into the air and then crash down back to earth, simultaneously damaging enemies, reviving downed teammates (comically, incapacitated allies can be helped by hitting them), and creating a shield that blocks incoming attacks until you run out of stamina to fuel it. The Duchess' Restage skill will re-deal all damage done to enemies recently to them again — this results in crazy high DPS if used at the right moments — and her ultimate turns your entire three-player team invisible, and lastly, the Recluse's strongest ability can tag foes with a debuff that restores HP and FP to everyone on the squad when they hit them.
All in all, between Nightreign's restriction-free approach to building your character and the awesome cooperative playmaking potential of the Nightfarers themselves, the potential of the spinoff's sandbox is sky high. Even with the relatively small collection of weapons and upgrades in the network test, I never ended up with the same build twice and was always getting that pull for "just one more run," so I can only imagine how much of a playground the full experience will feel like.
Gotta go fast, for better and worse
The breakneck pace of each session — enforced by the looming and constant threat of the creeping, health-draining circle — guarantees that you'll never go more than a minute or two without a battle to fight, and that's ultimately what will make or break this game for most. If you love the sound of constant fighting as you zip around Elden Ring's scenic environments, Nightreign will serve you up a never-ending feast of blood and carnage. But if you come to FromSoftware games for the journey — the slow, measured, and curious steps through a vast and mysterious world — you won't find one here. There's no time to stop and smell the roses, Nightfarer! Night is falling, the circle is closing in, and you only have a few precious minutes to go wallop that Crucible Knight and nab an upgrade from him before three Tree Sentinels show up and threaten to end your team's progress.
As someone who's had a blast with Nightreign so far, I have to admit that I do wish I had more time to explore Limveld, the remixed version of Elden Ring's Limgrave zone that serves as the network test's map, more thoroughly. There are still cool secrets to find like dropdowns that lead to hidden underground minibosses and mining caves that serve as useful shortcuts through towering plateaus, but often times I have to rush through these as fast as possible to maximize my loot gains and stay ahead of the circle. There's certainly something to be said about enjoying the joy of discovery in short bursts as I frantically sprint and jump to make my way towards an ally's map ping, but there's also a part of me that just wants a more traditional co-op focused Soulsborne title. In my perfect world, we'd just get something like Elden Ring's seamless co-op mod.
Even though it's not the co-op Souls game of my dreams, though, Nightreign offers plenty of action-packed fun in its own right, and I'm looking forward to diving back in with my friends once it's fully out on May 30. In addition to adding four more Nightfarers, the complete experience is also bringing more random elements to the map, more of Elden Ring's vast sandbox to play around with, and — hopefully — additional maps to play on.
Preorders for Elden Ring Nightreign are available now for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4, and it might end up being one of the best Xbox games and best PC games of 2025 if FromSoftware can stick the landing. It's got an MSRP of $39.99 — $20 less than Elden Ring itself — but thanks to some sweet deals, you can reserve your copy of the PC version for just $35.19 at Fanatical.
