Elden Ring Nightreignis quite the departure from FromSoftware’s usual single-player-focused affair. And when looking to delve into a new genre for the first time, it’s only natural to borrow from the best. ThoughElden Ring Nightreign’s combatand enemy design are all wholly FromSoftware’s, its roguelike elements are world design take a good deal of inspiration fromRisk of Rain,Hades, and a plethora of other popular roguelikes.
But that doesn’t meanElden Ring Nightreignis devoid of original ideas. There are plenty of unique mechanics inNightreign, one of which deserves to not only appear in FromSoft’s future, but become a staple of the wider roguelike genre.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Events Should Become a Roguelike Staple
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Events Explained
After defeatingElden Ring Nightreign’s first Night Lord, Gladius, players will return to the Roundtable Hold, with all of their shiny new Relics in hand. Players will then have a brief conversation with the Priestess/Duchess, who informs them that the lands of Limveld are changing in the wake of the Night Lord’s defeat. This is an in-game event known as ‘Shifting Earth.’
DuringElden Ring Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Events, a large portion of the game’s map will be replaced by one of four distinct biomes: the volcanic Crater, the snowy Mountaintop, the infectious Rotted Woods, and the hauntingly beautifulNoklateo, the Shrouded City. Each of these biomes has distinct points of interest, unique enemies, and its own set of bosses. Each biome also comes with a secret reward that’s located at the heart of their hazardous environment.
These Shifting Earth Events are given to the player at random, but if players continue to pass time in the Roundtable Hold’s Waiting Room, they’ll eventually be given their desired biome.
How Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Events Shake Up Gameplay
Generally speaking,Elden Ring Nightreign’s Shifting Earth Eventsare a major boon for the game’s world design. Every time an event begins, it brings an entirely new area to the map, one that shakes up the moment-to-moment gameplay massively. This wealth of new content adds a great deal of variety toNightreign, as players are presented with new enemy designs, new bosses to fight, and new environmental hazards to overcome.
Each Shifting Earth Event also adds a new layer of strategy toElden Ring Nightreign’s team gameplay. Whenever an event is in play, teams need to decide if they’re going for the biome’s unique reward and are willing to get lost in its hazardous level design, or if they’d rather play things safe and stick with the usual points of interest. Though not all of the Shifting Earth rewards are worth the effort, some are, and the desperate mission to retrieve them can lead to some of the most memorable moments inElden Ring Nightreign.
These Shifting Earth Events are also very welcome additions asElden Ring Nightreignhas just one map. And while encounters and loot are randomized, the location of certain points of interest aren’t. These Shifting Earth Events really help to keep things from getting too stale. It would be great to seeNightreign’s map-altering mechanic inspire future roguelikes.
