Elden Ring Nightreignis a bit of an enigma as a follow-up to FromSoftware’s belovedElden Ring– it twists the RPG’s combat into alightning-fast roguelite– but once you get a few runs under your belt, the general gameplay loop is pretty straightforward. It’s still quite challenging, just like any other FromSoftware game in the same lineage, but it also carries the studio’s tradition of being a bit obtuse. There are some obscured mechanics you might never figure out on your own.
Despite a rather brief tutorial and only a handful of tooltips that pop up as you’re being introduced toRemembrance Questsand the other Roundtable Hold features,Nightreigndoes have a pretty robust in-game manual called the Visual Codex. It can be accessed in the western wing of the Roundtable, and has information on a wide variety of subjects. The tips and tricks below will help immensely, but if you want to cultivate a more thorough knowledge ofElden Ring Nightreign’s mechanics, spend some time reading the Visual Codex.
8Using Boluses Gives You A Permanent Buff
Use Every Bolus You Find
Boluses at first seem extremely situational inNightreign. Consuming them helps stop the build-up of corresponding ailments, and can even cure poison or Scarlet Rot, but they tend to be less useful than other consumables that could occupy one of your precious few inventory slots. WhatNightreigndoesn’t outright explain, however, is thatconsuming boluses gives you a permanent buff to their corresponding resistance.
For instance, consuming a Neutralizing Bolus will cure your poison and remove any poison build-up you might have, but it also raises your character’s poison resistance stat for the rest of that expedition. Even better, this effect stacks, so the more boluses of one type you consume, the greater that resistance will become, soevery time you find boluses, be sure to use them.
7You Can Recover All Your Lost Progress After Dying
Your Lost Level Is Converted Into Runes
Dying can be a major setback inElden Ring Nightreign. You lose precious time, but you also go down a level when you respawn. With only 15 possible levels, losing a single one can be the difference between defeating and being beaten by the Nightlord. A crucial bit of information that’s not immediately clear, however, is that those lost levels aren’t permanently stripped from you.
When you die,the level you lost is converted into the equivalent number of Runes required to reach that level again, and bundled with any other Runes you lost upon death. If you recover your Runes, by either picking them or defeating the enemy who now has them, you regain all your lost progress. All you have to do is make it to a Site of Grace to get back to exactly where you were when you died.
6You Can See A Map Of The Mining Tunnels
Only While You’re Inside
Elden Ring Nightreign’s map is of the utmost importance to every single expedition. The arrangement of each location will largely determine your pathing through Limveld, but it doesn’t appear comprehensive at first. You may have gotten all turned around a time or two while looking for a Smithing Stone [2] in the mining tunnels.
You can actually access the mining tunnel map by pressing down on the D-pad while you’re in the tunnels, making it much easier to navigate. The confusing subterranean complex can easily spell doom if the Night’s Tide comes in while you’re delving. Knowing its exact layout helps not only save your life and Runes, but precious time.
5There’s A Reward For Beating The Tutorial Boss
Replay & Defeat The Fell Omen
It’s not uncommon for soulslikes to throw a nigh unbeatable boss at you either immediately or at the end of the tutorial, andNightreignis no different. After learning the basics, you’re put face-to-face with the Fell Omen, an even deadlier version ofElden Ring’s Morgott, the Omen King (and Margit, sincethey’re the same person). Most players will take their beat-down and never give it another thought, butthere’s a reward for actually beating the tutorial Fell Omen.
Improved Throwing Knife Damage
Vigor +1
Going back to the tutorial and defeating the Fell Omen will award you the Fell Omen Fetish, a Relic, the stats of which are in the table above. The tutorial can be replayed from the Visual Codex in the Roundtable Hold. The Fell Omen Fetish is a decent Relic, but it heavily relies on finding two equally effective weapons in a single run and switching between them frequently.
4Relics Work Best On A Nightfarer’s Dump Stats
Nightreign Has Soft Level Caps
Withall eightNightreignNightfarersrepresenting a distinct character archetype, it can be easy to become laser-focused on their most important stat, but you might want to consider a different approach when equipping Relics.Nightreignhas soft level caps for its attributes, just likeElden Ring, meaning you will get diminishing returns from Relics designed to boost a Nightfarer’s primary stat.
For instance, a Relic that gives you extra Strength will provide a boost early on when playing Raider, but once you gain a couple of levels, the Strength stat doesn’t scale as quickly.It’s therefore mathematically advantageous to use Relics to boost a character’s dump stats, i.e. their worst stats. Characters with low total health will benefit much more from Relics that increase Vigor compared to those that start with higher HP scaling.
3Blocking Always Negates 100% Damage
Opposite Of FromSoftware’s Usual Design
The mechanics behind blocking are oddly one of the more consequentialdifferences betweenNightreignandElden Ring. Typically, in FromSoftware’s RPGs, shields and weapons negate a certain percentage of different types of damage when used to block. In other words, you’ll only block all incoming physical damage inElden Ringif your shield’s Physical Damage Negation stat is 100, butthis is not how it works inNightreign.
Instead,blocking always negates 100% of incoming damage, and a shield’s Guard stat determines how much stamina is lost upon blocking, not how much damage will bypass it. Knowing this helps inform Guardian’s gameplay niche. If you’re able to get Relics or equipment passives that draw enemy attention, you’ll be able to take a lot of heat off your teammates – even more effectively if you can raise your stamina significantly.
2You Are Invincible While Using Your Ultimate Art
You Can Extend The Animation Too
This one isn’t especially hard to notice, but it’s worth mentioning because it helps to always keep this in mind when timing your Ultimate Art.While using your Ultimate Art, you cannot take damage, so it doubles as a very long dodge window that can be helpful in many circumstances. If you’re out of flasks and know you’re about to get hit, you can ult to save yourself, and damage dealing ults will guarantee you stay alive while rescuing downed teammates.
Some Ultimate Arts can even be held for longer, giving you more time in the invincibility state. This can also be helpful for timing: if you start your ult too early, try holding both buttons down until more enemies are in the affected area.
1Certain Equipment Passives Require The Item To Be Actively Equipped
Look For The Red Hand Icon
One of the best pieces of advice you likely received early on inNightreignwas to pick up equipment even if you don’t plan on using it, since their passive buffs are applied even from your inventory. There is a very important caveat that’s not immediately clear, though:certain passive buffs require an item to be in an active equipment slot, delineated by a red hand icon next to it.
This means, for that passive buff to take effect, it must be actively equipped to either your right or left hand. The only requirement is that it’s in the active slot, you don’t have to use it, soif you’re two handing a weapon, put the equipment with the red hand icon in your other active slot. The red hand icon will turn a bright white when it’s used correctly. They’re usually pretty powerful, thus the equip requirement, so it can be a huge boon in anElden Ring Nightreignexpedition.
