
Elden Ring NightReign review covering combat, multiplayer gameplay, relic system, boss fights and our full 7.5/10 verdict.
I have 150 hours in Elden Ring NightReign.
That alone should tell you something.
This is not a bad game. But it is not a simple recommendation either.
Let’s get this out immediately.
I do not think I could confidently recommend NightReign unless you have at least one other person to play it with.

Solo players can still have fun. But this game clearly wants a squad.
NightReign does not feel like a traditional Souls game.
It feels like someone took Elden Ring combat, compressed it into 40-minute runs, added fixed characters, sprinkled in rogue-like structure, and then said, “Good luck.”
The average run is around 40 minutes.

It is fast.
It is intense.
It feels like bite-sized Souls.
And once you understand routing and pacing, it actually flows beautifully.
When everything clicks, it is a genuine flow state game.
##The Combat Is the Star
Let’s be clear. The combat feels fantastic.
In some ways, it feels even tighter than Elden Ring.

Character abilities fit the core gameplay surprisingly well. Movement feels smooth. Boss encounters are often excellent.
Some of the bosses are genuinely stellar. They carry that classic FromSoftware design philosophy of punishing but learnable.
When you are in a good run with friends, NightReign absolutely sings.
Which means.
Obtuse mechanics are back.
Only now they are attached to a multiplayer rogue-like structure.

There are eight characters, but you are not really crafting builds. You are selecting templates. Each character has defined strengths. Over a run, you refine them down one of three directions. That is it.
There is very little experimentation compared to mainline Elden Ring.
You are not building from scratch. You are optimising a preset.
This is where things get frustrating. Relics are meant to customise your character between runs.
In theory, they allow creative builds.
In practice, weapons during runs are random.

So if you lean heavily into a specific relic synergy and never get the weapon type that supports it, your entire plan collapses. This pushes most players toward safe, generically strong relics.
Which means you end up playing similar builds repeatedly. Relics feel mediocre at best. At worst, they feel actively bad. The game desperately needs stronger meta progression.
With friends, NightReign is genuinely a great time. Coordinating routes. Optimising boss timings. Learning tricks. Sharing knowledge.
It becomes a competitive PvE rhythm game where efficiency matters.

Without friends, it feels closer to traditional Souls co-op but with far more urgency. You have to move constantly. If you do not, you risk being underleveled at bosses.
There is pressure in every minute of a run.
You would expect huge variation between runs. There is some, but not as much as you might think. And strangely, that works in its favour.

NightReign is about route optimisation.
Learning where to go.
What to skip.
When to fight.
It is less about chaos and more about refinement. Still, failed runs can feel punishing. When you lose after 30 minutes, it does not always feel rewarding. It feels like time lost.
That hurts.
In true FromSoftware fashion, many abilities and interactions are not explained clearly. You will absolutely find yourself checking community discussions or a wiki to understand:
“Oh. That is actually broken with this character.”

Discovery is fun.
Confusion for 20 hours is less fun.
Waiting 30 minutes between meaningful boss attempts. That is rough.
Especially when the bosses are some of the best content in the game.

You want more reps. The structure limits that.
Elden Ring NightReign is a bold experiment.
It delivers:
But it also struggles with:

If you have friends and love Elden Ring combat, you will likely get your money’s worth. I did.
If you are playing solo, it is still good, but much harder to recommend without hesitation.
Outstanding combat and bosses carry NightReign, but shallow meta systems and multiplayer dependence hold it back from true greatness.



