Summary
One of the most anticipated games of 2025,Elden Ring Nightreign, has finally arrived, taking players to an alternate version of the Lands Between for one of the most ambitious formulaic shifts FromSoftware has ever made. Specifically, not only hasElden Ring Nightreignbeen designed for online cooperative play, but its roguelike mechanics are meant to keep players on their toes at every turn. Given how innovative it sounds, one would think this might reignite a fire in those who have fallen victim to Soulslike burnout over the years. However,Elden Ring Nightreignmight have reached too far on this one — so far, in fact, that some players might never see its best moments.
Soulslike gameshave never intentionally tried to be accessible to everyone, as their identity lies in their limited appeal due to the fairly uncommon nature of their difficulty, design, and depth.Elden Ring Nightreignwas initially perceived as a more accessible formula for newcomers and casuals, with its roguelike mechanics and cooperative framework reinforcing that perception. Unfortunately, it hasn’t taken long for that to prove immensely untrue, asElden Ring Nightreign’s best aspects are locked behind first impressions that it currently has a very difficult time landing, meaning some players aren’t likely to stick around long enough to see how things unfold.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Best Moments Are Locked Behind First Impressions
Progression in Elden Ring Nightreign Is a Tedious Uphill Battle
At the moment,Elden Ring Nightreignis severely unbalanced when it comes to progression. Firstly, attempting to playElden Ring Nightreignsolois a nightmarish slog, as it’s almost impossible for lone players to accomplish anything in a session, let alone in a single day of the three-day run. Even in multiplayer, however, progression is still deeply unrewarding. In a sense,Elden Ring Nightreign’s progression is similar to when someone recommends a television series to their friend, but they encourage their friend to tolerate the unimpressive first season because it only starts getting better in the second.
Each failed run inElden Ring Nightreignsimply rewards players with minor Relics and a handful of Murk.
Players can earn rewards with each failed run, but these rewards are far too insignificant to be of any real benefit in future runs. The real rewards come when players manage to defeat aNight Lord inElden Ring Nightreignafter reaching Day 3. The only problem is that getting to Day 3 isn’t just a matter of waiting out the clock but completing a major boss encounter at the end of the first two days, and during those days, exploring Limveld and defeating bosses along the way to increase character levels and gain better equipment and items. Add to that the need for a perfect team to accomplish this, and progression inElden Ring Nightreignbecomes a tedious uphill battle.
The Need for a Perfect Team Is a Wall Some Players Won’t Climb
Again, it’s pretty much impossible for solo players to make any significant progress inElden Ring Nightreignat the moment, so they just shouldn’t attempt it at all. However, running a multiplayer expedition isn’t all that reliable either. There is novoice chat inElden Ring Nightreign, for one thing, thereby limiting the amount of coordination a team can truly have. But what it really comes down to is how heavily each run in the game relies on a team being perfect, or at least near so.
If just one player on a team is underskilled or simply gets lost, it can compromise an entireexpedition inElden Ring Nightreign. It doesn’t necessarily mean that players won’t eventually reach the session’s Night Lord, but considering the fact that being defeated by a Night Lord still doesn’t reward them with much more than they might have received had they perished on Day 1, a perfect team is absolutely necessary. No member of the team can afford someone not to do their job inElden Ring Nightreign, especially considering how painful it is to walk away with next to nothing after so much work.
In a sense,Elden Ring Nightreign’s progression is similar to when someone recommends a television series to their friend, but they encourage their friend to tolerate the unimpressive first season because it only starts getting better in the second.
In light of all this,Elden Ring Nightreignjust has some walls that many players might quickly decide are not worth climbing. Essentially,Elden Ring Nightreign’s best moments are locked behind first impressions, and it’s currently struggling to deliver in that arena. After a few hours of realizing just how unrewarding, tedious, and unbalanced the game can be, many players are likely to quit before things really start picking up.
