Elden Ring Nightreignbucked a big trend in FromSoftware’s design philosophy by designing the game around individual classes. In prior titles, players were given complete freedom, with each starting origin being a template to build a playstyle off, but there was nothing stopping players from adapting it partway through. Instead, theNightfarers ofElden Ring Nightreignoffer a clear vision of individual playstyles, working with unique abilities and scaling off certain weapons that make each one feel distinct.
Some of these classes, such as Wylder, offer a fairly comprehensive and surprisingly strong approach to class identity. It’s immediately obvious what Wylder does: everything is tuned around getting in the fight fast, adapting to different weapons, and escaping difficult circumstances. This is one that most players will find easier to pick up, but that doesn’t go for all ofElden RingNightreign’s classes, and one undeniably stylish and powerful Nightfarer might not appeal to everyone.
The Duchess Brings a Deadly Playstyle to Elden Ring Nightreign that Requires Some Extra Finesse
It’s pretty clear, from her aesthetic to her dodge, which game the Duchess was inspired by, yet for many players trying her for the first time, it can feel like this class is missing themost important piece ofBloodborneenergy. With a kit focused on short-range daggers, lots of reactivity, and an ultimate based around stealth, she actually has quite a large toolkit of options at her disposal, but it can often feel like a mixed bag.
This is becausethe Duchess is not quite the jack of all tradeslike Wylder, nor the master of a craft like Executor. She sits in a strange medium, with a B scaling in Dexterity and Faith, and A in Intelligence, meaning her damage will never be as high as some other characters. It also reduces her viable weapon options, as many reliable weapons like Greatswords will not be very efficient for her.
The Duchess specializes in Daggers, and has a unique moveset for them, but she can also wield other Dexterity and Intelligence-scaling weapons reasonably.
Additionally, she has a lot of timings and abilities to manage, with lots of her damage reliant on status effects and careful timing of theDuchess’ ability Restage. Her dodge has quite the learning curve, too, and most Nightfarers share the same roll, but her quickstep can prove to be difficult to time. With such a small health pool for a melee-oriented character, the Duchess can be too much to handle for a lot of players who need reliability and a health pool that doesn’t see them melt in a heartbeat.
When Unlocked, the Duchess’ Hidden Potential Is Formidable
Although she can be tough to master, the first step on that road is incredibly satisfying. When learninghow to time the Restage abilitywith status effects, the Duchess can be wielded with the finesse of a needle, inflicting bleed or frostbite and timing Restage to proc the damage all over again. But this is just the first part, and many players who have tried her for a little bit have fallen in love with her dodge, as it allows a player to get out of situations other characters couldn’t. There’s a lot to manage here, and it can be easy to fall victim to overcommitting, but once a player has a better read on her, the Duchess can bring an incredibly rewarding playstyle.
The Duchess needs to pick her battles, but those battles can be easier with certain relics. Some of thebest relics for the Duchesscombine frostbite and Caligo’s Night of the Miasma, where she can chain invisibility and boost her damage during a fight. Her A scaling in Intelligence should not be ignored, and equipping a staff or two in her off-hand is ideal for finishing dangerous enemies off from a distance, giving her a formidable ranged option. Everything about the Duchess’ design relies on lots of interplay between abilities, and for some players, it might be too overwhelming, but those who stick by her might find she quickly becomes a firm favorite.
