No matter which platform you prefer, there’s an excellent variety of video game deals to check out right now. Especially with Presidents’ Day sales kicking off, you can enjoy nice savings on some big releases, including IGN’s 2024 Game of the Year Metaphor: ReFantazio. There’s plenty more to enjoy outside of Presidents’ Day sales, too.
Whether you’re gaming on PS5, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or PC, we’ve rounded up the best offers to help you get more for your money. And while not a deal, we’ve also included where you can preorder Elden Ring Nightreign, in case you’re itching to return to The Lands Between. Best Buy’s also offering a free $10 gift card with your purchase. What can be better than that?
Preorder Elden Ring Nightreign
FromSoftware isn’t done with Elden Ring yet. Elden Ring Nightreign is now available to preorder, and as a nice little treat Best Buy’s also offering a free $10 gift card with your purchase. By preordering any version of the game you’ll also get the “It’s Raining” gesture, which you can show off with your co-op buddies on your adventure in The Lands Between.
Best Buy’s Presidents’ Day Sale – Gaming Deals
Presidents’ Day sales have kicked off, and Best Buy’s offering an excellent selection of gaming deals. Whether you’re looking to buy physical games or want to save on accessories, there’s quite a bit to look through. You can even score a discount on the Lenovo Legion Go gaming handheld, which is definitely worth taking advantage of.
Best PC Game Deals
There are plenty of excellent deals for PC players to enjoy right now, including a nice little discount on a preorder of Monster Hunter Wilds at Fanatical. Metaphor: ReFantazio is also discounted right now and you can even build your own Capcom bundle over at Fanatical. You can check out even more of our favorite PC game deals below.
Woot’s offering discounts on quite a few Nintendo Switch titles. From The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom to Donkey Kong Country Returns HD to Super Mario RPG, you can stock up on some great games at lower prices. Alongside the games previously mentioned, we’ve included even more below so you can expand your Switch library even further.
Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 RTX 4080 Super Gaming PC
Do you prefer to play on a dedicated PC tower? Navigating the options online can be quite the ordeal. Desk space, portability, and price point are often factors in the decision. However, there are some great PC deals that pop up every now and again that are worth jumping on. With Presidents’ Day sales kicking off right now as well, you can score some especially nice discounts on gaming desktops. One of our favorite deals at the moment is on this Lenovo Legion Tower 7i Gen 8 RTX 4080 Super Gaming PC. To see even more PC deals, check out our roundup of the best gaming PC deals.
More PC Deals:
Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.
Tracking down an RTX 5090 has become an exercise in patience, luck, and frustration. With standalone cards constantly out of stock, prebuilt systems are quickly becoming the most reliable way to secure Nvidia’s flagship GPU.
Civilization 7 is out and developer Firaxis is already working to address its ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam. But modders are also on the case, adding what they can to expand and iterate on the base experience.
Hosted on the Civ Fanatics site, mods are already starting to pop up for Civilization 7. Many build on the base game or put extra modifiers on world effects. More Natural Wonders, for example, does exactly what it says, doubling the amount of Natural Wonders that spawn on each map size. Or, for those who don’t want to meet the requirements to unlock certain civilizations, the Unlock all Civs mod undoes that particular constraint. While not exactly in the spirit of balance, the mods are nice tools to have if you’re looking to tinker with the game.
The most popular mod, judging by downloads, is Sukritact’s Simple UI Adjustments, which makes “[quality of life] and aesthetic adjustments to the game’s UI.” The mod lets Diplomacy be initiated through the city banner, adjusts Plot Yield icons to be smaller on unimproved or unworked tiles, and adjusts the tooltips as well.
The official Patch 1.01 for Civilization 7 has already begun to address some of these issues, taking aim at the user interface, AI, map variety, and other community complaints. It’s the first in a “series of upcoming patches” from Firaxis, intent on addressing feedback from Civilization 7’s advanced access period.
Yet modders are still honing in on everything from AI to fonts and lenses, and even the pause menu. While early quality-of-life updates are prominent, some mods are looking to future possibilites, like one that adds massive map sizes. It’s still early days, but considering Civ’s long history of eager mod support, it’s likely we’ll see more and more outside adjustments pop up alongside Firaxis’ own efforts to fine-tune Civilization 7.
In a recent interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the negative reviews, but said the “legacy Civ audience” will come around.
“We think that as people play the game longer, the sentiment improves because with every launch of a new Civ, the team pushes the envelope a little bit and our legacy Civ audience is a little bit nervous about what they initially see and then they realize, wow, this is actually really incredible, and they dive in,” Zelnick said.
Hunt: Showdown and Crysis developers Crytek are dismissing an estimated 15 percent of their workforce – around 60 people out of 400 – in the face of “the complex, unfavourable market dynamics that have hit our industry these past several years”. This comes after they paused development of mechsuit FPS sequel Crysis 4 last year, with staff shifting over to Hunt Showdown’s live service reboot Hunt: Showdown 1896. Crytek now say they need to cut back in order to remain “financially sustainable”.
Elden Ring Nightreign is set to release for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC on May 30. A new standalone game set in the world of Elden Ring, Nightreign lets you team up with two other players to slice your way through an oppressive fantasy world. It’s kind of like a faster-paced remix of the original game. It’s available for preorder in a number of editions (see it at Best Buy, where you get a free $10 gift card with purchase), so read on for the details about what comes in each one.
From the store listing, here’s what comes in the Bandai Namco Store-exclusive collector’s edition of the game:
Additional DLC – Additional DLC that will be available after the release of the main game
Statue of Wylder – A perfect replica of the nomadic warrior, Wylder, a lone swordman in pursuit of the Night Lord. Crafted by Pure Arts. Size : 25cm
SteelBook – Premium metal case with a full-color illustration of Wylder. The perfect protection and display for your game disc
Nightfarer Cards – A set of eight high-quality tarot cards featuring detailed illustrations of the Nightfarers. These glossy, full color cards are the perfect way to predict your future in Limveld
Exclusive Hardcover Artbook – An exclusive 40-page artbook tracing the development of ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN through previously unseen concept art, sketches, and full color illustrations. Size: 24 x 21 cm Language: English
Digital Soundtrack Download Code – The unforgettable original soundtrack is included in this Collector’s Edition. Return to Limveld again and again with fully orchestrated tracks from ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN.
Collector’s Box – A beautiful case to store or display your statue and artbook.
Elden Ring Nightreign Preorder Bonus
Preorder any version of the game, and you’ll receive the following digital extra:
“It’s Raining” Gesture
Additionally, if you preorder any edition at Best Buy, you’ll receive a free $10 gift card when the game releases.
If you want a physical Helmet of Wylder statue to go with the game, you can pick one up at exclusively the Bandai Namco Store for $189.99.
What Is Elden Ring Nightreign?
Elden Ring Nightreign is a standalone game, which means you don’t need the original Elden Ring to play it. It’s a co-op adventure that the game’s director Junya Ishizaki describe as a “condensed RPG experience.” It lets you build your character as you explore the world and fight tough enemies and bosses, all in shorter, tighter gameplay sessions.
In each run, you and two friends are dropped into the game world as level one characters, but the locations of the enemies and castles is randomized. That means you can’t simply memorize where everything is like you can in the original game. It sounds like a pretty cool new twist on the established template. For more info, check out our hands-on preview, plus our impressions of the network test build.
Other Preorder Guides
Chris Reed is a deals expert and commerce editor for IGN. You can follow him on Bluesky @chrislreed.com.
Sharkmob have punched the green light, cracked open the hangar doors and launched a public playtest for their windblown open world extraction shooter Exoborne, which I would gingerly summarise as Anthem meets Just Cause with a touch of PUBG. From today till 17th February at 1pm GMT, 2pm CET, or 5am PST, you’ll be able to get your fill of mech-o-looting via Steam. Here’s a trailer’s worth of wiggly whooshes, big bangs and exowotsits to celebrate. Mmm, exowotsits. They used to be 25p a bag in the 1990s.
You really don’t need us to tell you that a new Jeff Minter game is coming. You know a Jeff Minter game when you see a Jeff Minter game. That said, yes, a new Jeff Minter game is coming.
I, Robot is a new psychedelic reimagining of the 1984 arcade classic of the same name, with Llamasoft and Atari partnering up once again after their previous efforts on Akka Arrh and Tempest 4000. Due for launch in Spring 2025, it’ll be gracing the Nintendo Switch as a digital download (though given Atari’s strong history with physical releases, we can probably expect a boxed version later down the line – make sure your wishes are heard!).
Elden Ring Nightreign: Answering 20 Burning Questions
Will Tuttle, Editor in Chief, Microsoft Game Dev
When it was announced a few months ago at The Video Game Awards, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring Nightreignimmediately set the internet aflame with burning questions about what sort of experience it would offer. The trailer showed off plenty of Elden Ring-style action that we know and love, as well as some surprising cameos from bosses featured in other FromSoftware titles. Still, a lot of fans still had plenty of questions. Now, I’m able to help answer some of them.
Ahead of this weekend’s Closed Network Test on Xbox Series X|S, I had a chance to spend a couple of hours playing Elden Ring Nightreign and I can safely say that this is a wholly unique experience, one that seamlessly blends a surprising variety of gameplay mechanics, while remaining true to the core FromSoftware style. Directed by Junya Ishizaki, Battle Director on Elden Ring, Nightreign is sure to delight new and old fans alike when it releases on May 30, 2025, for Xbox Series X|S.
So, without further ado, let’s dive in and start answering some of the questions that I (and many other fans) had going in.
Is Elden Ring Nightreign a sequel to Elden Ring, an expansion, or something completely different?
It’s something completely different! While there’s clearly plenty of overlap with the beloved 2021 action/RPG hybrid (I mean, Elden Ring is right there in the name), Nightreign does not continue Elden Ring’s story and won’t feature any of the same characters or locations. The best way to describe it is that it’s a parallel experience, simultaneously feeling familiar and completely new.
What sort of game is Nightreign?
Hooooo boy, here’s where things get interesting. Officially, Nightreign is a “session-based RPG” that will be different every time you play it. But it’s not an RPG in the traditional sense of the term. You won’t create a character and build up that character’s stats, there aren’t dialogue trees or anything, and there really isn’t much of a narrative outside some general character and world lore. It’s truly a unique animal that borrows gameplay mechanics from a wide variety of genres, including hero shooters, battle royales, and, yes, RPGs.
OK, so it’s an RPG but it’s not an RPG? I’m already confused.
That’s alright, it’s a lot to take in! I’ll admit that it took me a little time to wrap my head around it. Here’s the gist of the core gameplay loop: You and two other players (it’s always a three-person game and you can’t play solo) are dropped onto a map called Limveld, where you’ll need to survive for three days against the forces of night, leveling up your character and finding better and better loot. Your ultimate goal is to be powerful enough to take on bosses that you encounter.
FromSoftware bosses? Now we’re talking!
Exactly. At the end of every day, you’ll battle a boss that will reward you with loot that will (presumably) make it easier to survive. At the end of the third night, you’ll face off against a Nightlord. Beat that boss to earn semi-permanent character boosts (more on those later). One of the coolest things about Nightreign is that it features bosses from several FromSoftware’s games, including Elden Ring (including Margit and Demi-Human Queen) and the Dark Souls series (hello, Nameless King!). If you’re a fan of From’s boss fights, you’ll be in heaven.
Are there bosses from any of FromSoftware’s other game?
Unfortunately, From has only confirmed bosses from the Dark Souls games and Elden Ring, but I think we’re all really hoping to see some bosses from Sekiro and maybe another game that isn’t on Xbox (I think you know which one). I will say that I feel confident that we won’t see any bosses from the Armored Core series.
So, if you’re not making your own character, who are you playing as?
Before each session, players will choose a Nightfarer, each of which has their own abilities and own set of skills. Each Nightfarer also has an ultimate power that could be categorized as damage, defense, or utility. Figuring out how ultimates work together and timing them is one of the most rewarding parts of the game. What’s more, players can choose to be three different Nightfarers or go with two or even three of the same ones. As you might imagine, there are benefits and drawbacks to each, so it pays to work together and communicate.
What sort of character types did you play with?
While there will be eight different Nightfarers in the final game when it releases in May, the network test will feature three:
Wylder, whose well-balanced abilities and straightforward playstyle make him the most accessible Nightfarer for new players.
Guardian, an eagle-headed warrior that’s a defensive specialist and can knock enemies back and deploy a barrier.
Recluse, a highly skilled magic user that is the most challenging to use but by far the most rewarding once you get good.
Wylder and Guardian will feel familiar to Elden Ring and Souls fan, especially because they use weapons and shields. Recluse on the other hand, breaks the mold set by magic-wielding characters in those games.
So, Recluse can’t just cast spells and refill her FP whenever it gets low?
See, that’s where things get interesting. While Recluse can indeed cast spells and launch magic attacks, refilling your FP isn’t that easy. Rather than simply popping a potion, you’ll need to collect attribute marks from enemies that appear whenever they are hit with magic, fire, lightning, or holy attacks. Once you collect four marks, you can unleash a powerful attack that’s different depending on the types of marks. She can also use the “Song of the Blood Soul” ultimate to mark enemies, allowing her squad mates to recover HP and FP by attacking. I can see high-level Recluse players being a hot commodity since she can make the whole team better.
So how does an average match start?
Before you even dive into a session, you’ll find yourself hanging out in the Roundtable Hold, which has gotten some renovations since last we saw it. The biggest addition is a sparring area featuring dummies you can practice on. You’ll be able to change a variety of parameters like your character level, amount of stamina, damage dealt, etc. It’s a nice way to practice outside of a session. Anyway, once you’re ready to dive in, you’ll launch an expedition and be placed into matchmaking. After the game has found you two other players, you’ll each be given 10 seconds to choose your Nightfarer. From there, you’ll be deployed into Limveld.
Deployed? What does that even mean?
Here’s where some of those borrowed gameplay mechanics I mentioned above come into play: as you might recognize from games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, and PUBG, the beginning of every Nightreign session sees the player swooping and gliding over the map while holding onto the talons of a giant Spectral Hawk. While in air, you and your teammates can drop pins to decide where to go. It’s not required but trust me when I say that you should stick together.
Alright, so once you’re on the ground, what’s next?
After you and the squad have landed, it’s time to start what From is calling the “field exploration” phase, in which you’ll run around the map killing enemies, looting chests, and smashing every box in sight. Not only can you find gear that will give you a better chance of survival, but defeating enemies will give you and your team runes that can be used to level up.
Wait, level up? I thought you said this wasn’t an RPG?
No, I said it’s not a traditional RPG. Yes, as you make your way around the map, you’ll gain experience that can then be used at a Site of Grace to level your character up. You won’t put points into strength or intelligence or any of that, you’ll simple move from level 1 to 2 to 3 and so on. This will, among other things, dictate how much damage you do and how much damage you can take. It always pays to level up whenever you are able, since it seems like there’s a pretty noticeable difference between levels. For instance, fighting the first night’s boss at level 1 is close to impossible, but fighting it at level 6 is fairly easy.
So why can’t you just level up a bunch of times to make it trivial?
See, that is where the real fun comes in. As you’re exploring the map, leveling up and finding new gear, there’s a Circle of Flame closing around you (yes, like Fortnite, PUBG, and Apex Legends). If you’re outside of the circle, you’re constantly taking damage, so it’s always pays to be aware of where it is. As the day progresses and the circle becomes smaller, you’ll be able to tell where the center of it is. At that center is the night’s boss that you need to defeat to move on to the next day. You’ll need to move around the map quite quickly if you want to stay safe.
Just how large is the map and how hard is it to get around? Can you just call your trusty steed like in Elden Ring?
The map is big, but not nearly as big as Elden Ring’s full map. My gut feeling is that it’s probably close to the same size as two of Elden Ring’s regions combined. Sadly, Torrent does not make an appearance in Nightreign, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of options when it comes to navigating the environment. First off, you can now break into a full sprint by clicking the analog stick while dashing, and I was surprised at just how fast you can move. There are also some new parkour-like traversal options, including mantling and wall jumps, allowing you to make your way up cliffsides (bonus: no fall damage!) relatively quickly. There are also some spots where you can launch yourself up into the air with a Spiritspring and glide down on your Spectral Hawk. The speed at which I was able to traverse the world was a surprising amount of fun.
What is there to do in the world beside sprinting around and killing enemies?
A lot! You’ll want to take the time (but not too much time) to explore, as you can increase the number of health flask charges at churches, take part in battles in which you need to take out every enemy in a camp for a good reward, and even deal with dynamic events that guarantee no two matches will be the same. In one of my sessions, I had to deal with a dozen large ants erupting from the ground during the middle of a mini boss fight which, as you might imagine, did not go well.
Will you run into tougher enemies out in the field or is that reserved for the boss fight?
Oh yes, you’ll definitely come into contact with plenty of mini bosses. During my runs, I saw Godskin Nobles, Golems, Depraved Perfumers, and many more. In addition to providing a bunch of runes to level up with, these mini bosses also drop better gear than regular enemies. The one catch here is that you’ll be forced to choose between a couple of options, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
Why wouldn’t you just take the most powerful weapon?
While the amount of damage you can output is certainly something you want to consider, it’s the passive bonuses that often make more of a difference. You see, when you equip a weapon, you gain a passive bonus regardless of whether you’re using it. So, for example, that low level greatsword might not do much damage, but it’ll add lightning to the attacks you perform with your higher-level broadsword. There’s a bit of give and take you’ll need to contend with, but that’s part of the experience. Also part of the experience: dying.
Ah yes, the good old “You Died” screen. Do you leave the game when you die as in Elden Ring multiplayer?
Not only do you not leave the game, but the method of reviving also adds a fun little twist to combat. You see, if you fall in battle, you won’t die but will enter a critical state in which you can still crawl around while begging your teammates for help. If they’re able to get to you before you die, they’ll be able to revive you by… attacking you! Yes, you read that correctly. When you rush to a downed ally, just spam the attack button to bring them back to life. The one wrinkle to all of this is that it’ll take longer to revive them if your attacks are weaker, and it’ll take longer to revive them if they’ve been felled before. This led to some wonderfully hectic moments during boss fights, as you’ll be attacking the boss and reviving your teammate at the same time. Madness!
OK, so let’s say I make it to the end of the night and take down the boss. What’s my reward?
Remember when I mentioned above that there are semi-permanent character boosts? This is where those come into play. When defeating bosses each night and the Night Lord at the end of the three-night cycle, you’ll get a relic which you can apply to your character before heading into battle. Relics come in red, yellow, and green, and each character has a certain number of slots corresponding with those color. One might have two reds and a green or one of each color. Each of these relics provides a power-up that you’ll have for the entire session and all future sessions, and you can swap them out as you see fit. It’s a neat system and it feels like it will lead to some powerful combinations once people get their hands on Nightreign.
Alright, I’m sold. When can I start playing Elden Ring Nightreign?
Pre-order now and get the following bonus content:
– Bonus Gesture
This is a Gesture that can be used in-game.
*The player can also obtain this later in the game.
The Deluxe Edition Includes:
• ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN
• Additional DLC
– Additional playable characters and bosses
• Digital Artbook & Mini Soundtrack
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.
RISE TOGETHER
Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.
BECOME A HERO
Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair. While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.
TAKE ON THE NIGHT
Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!
*There is also a Standard Edition product available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice.
*Additional DLC will be available by Q4 2025.
Pre-order now and get the following bonus content:
– Bonus Gesture
This is a Gesture that can be used in-game.
*The player can also obtain this later in the game.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.
RISE TOGETHER
Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.
BECOME A HERO
Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair. While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.
TAKE ON THE NIGHT
Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!
*There is also a Deluxe Edition product available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice.
Elden Ring Nightreign, a new co-op adventure set within the Elden Ring universe, comes to PS5 and PS4 on May 30. Elden Ring Nightreign is an all-new standalone adventure by FromSoftware that thrusts players into co-op multiplayer PvE combat to take on the creeping night and the dangers within.
We recently got the chance to participate in the upcoming network test* ahead of its public release on February 14, so read on for our first impressions of our journey into the perilous realm of Limveld.
*The network test is based on a build still under development. Various elements of the game, such as specs, names, and parameters, may differ from the final product.
Experience fast-paced gameplay that encapsulates the best elements of RPGs
Elden Ring was mainly a single player experience, allowing you to explore at your own pace. Take your time, and, provided you’ve tucked yourself away in a safe location, you’re able to put the controller down to leave your room.
By contrast, Elden Ring Nightreign’s focus on three-player co-op survival action means you must always be alert and aware of your squad’s movements, regardless of whether you’re working together or strike out to explore separately.
This is because of Nightreign’s Night’s Tide mechanic, which steadily contracts your explorable play area over time, with every session concluding with you coming face to face with a powerful boss. It is crucial then to strengthen and upgrade your characters and party by nightfall to prepare for the boss fight, so you’ll need to get used to the fast-paced gameplay and split-second decision-making.
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Upgraded movesets to match intense co-op gameplay
While the basic move sets of Elden Ring Nightreign are akin to Elden Ring, Nightreign introduces new actions and movements. Examples include wall jumping and traversing the air by holding onto Spectral Hawks. You also won’t take any fall damage no matter how far you fall or jump.
Furthermore, you can sprint by holding down L3, in addition to the regular dash. The sprint is comparable in speed to Torrent, the spectral steed from Elden Ring. It almost felt like I was speed-running the game when I was wall-jumping and lunging off cliffs without worrying about fall damage. Overall, the game delivers a fresh new experience reminiscent of the original Elden Ring, while feeling unique.
Attack your fellow Nightfarers to revive them
If you are near death during battle, your teammates can rescue you by attacking you. You can also lock-on to a downed player, so you can rescue them from a safe distance with a long-range attack. A rescue is complete when the dying player’s meter is reduced. If a player goes down repeatedly, the meter will get longer, making it harder to complete the rescue. During the day, if players aren’t rescued in time, they die and respawn afterward. At night, players do not die. Instead, they remain incapacitated/”near death” until they are rescued.The meter resets when you visit a Site of Grace. The sting of death hits differently in Elden Ring Nightreign compared to the original game, as it means you’ll be putting your co-op partners at risk.
Challenging foes make for satisfying battles and triumphs
While there are a number of differences between Elden Ring and Elden Ring Nightreign, the palpable sense of accomplishment that comes from overcoming a boss is still potent. The game is undeniably challenging, like Dark Souls and Elden Ring, but learning from trial and error will help you progress through each challenge.
We failed the first four of our five attempted runs. After each loss, we ventured out further to explore more of the map, and spent time strategizing and studying the bosses’ moves until we finally managed to take it down in the final session. One run (a three day-and-night cycle) takes about 35-40 minutes to complete, and we were able to complete five runs during our four-hour hands-on, and we defeated the Nightlord on the third day of our final session. I couldn’t help myself from doing a small fist pump when it was over.
The thrill of joining forces to overcome challenges
It took some time to get the hang of co-op, but rescuing a near-death teammate is an easy way to contribute to the team, and you can help strengthen other players by offering them a weapon you acquired if it is better suited for them. Though each Nightfarer can venture out on their own, exploring and facing challenges is best as a team.
My team found success when we dropped pins on the map to make sure we were all headed towards the same direction, tackled major overworld enemies together, and made sure to upgrade our flasks at the churches. This strategy set us up for a better Nightlord fight on the third day. As we progressed, my squad mates got a better hang of their characters so they could leverage their unique abilities and Ultimates more effectively. I enjoyed the sense of solidarity that came from working as a team, and that feeling is one of the best parts about playing a co-op game.
Elden Ring Nightreign launches May 30 on PS5 and PS4.
Elden Ring Nightreign is not a battle royale. Not that you ever thought it was, but as a former battle royale enjoyer, I can’t help but compare the white-knuckle moments I get when the Storm closes in on me in those last gripping moments of a half-hour-long session of a Fortnite match to the nail-biting bits where I’m desperately trying to outrun the encroaching circle and make it to a life-saving site of grace in Nightreign. PVP elements are completely absent in Nightreign, though not missed one bit. Still, you’ll drop onto a map with a squad, start from nothing, and spend your time ransacking the map to hopefully power yourself up for a final battle.
From the risk-reward moments of looting a church for one more flask charges as the circle closes in, to the wave of sadness you feel when experiencing a devastating loss after taking so much time building yourself up – it’s hard not to see the battle royale influences. But after four hours of playing the upcoming Stress Test build, I’m ecstatic to report that Nightreign will probably not tarnish the Elden Ring name.
Nightreign will probably not tarnish the Elden Ring name.
When beginning a match, you’ll be given a choice to pick one of four available classes, though there will be a total of eight when Nightreign launches. The current options will be the all-arounder Wylder, the speedy glass-cannon Duchess, the tanky Guardian, and the magic-wielding Recluse. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, of course, but in my time with this build, I found that the most fun class to play was the Duchess, thanks to her powerful abilities and swift and nimble dodges. I also spent some time with the Recluse, which was incredibly powerful, but ran out of FP quite often, and with no FP flasks (they aren’t in this Elden Ring), she’ll definitely be one of the harder classes to play effectively.
Each class comes equipped with a leveling path which I’ll talk about more in a moment, but more importantly, they all have a unique skill and ultimate abilities. The Duchess, for example, has an incredibly powerful skill that repeats the last 1.5 seconds of damage an enemy has just taken, and it has a short cooldown to boot. And it’s not just your damage, it’s everyone’s damage. So while you’re flipping around the battlefield landing attacks, you’re also waiting for huge health spikes to try and capitalize on doubling that damage. It’s great stuff.
Other skills also match the class’ predetermined role. The Wylder can do a blast attack to try and land big damage, the Guardian can create a large shield, both negating damage and reviving fallen allies, while the Recluse can curse an enemy, granting all attackers HP and FP bonuses. So while players can double up classes in a run, it’s always a good idea to talk about team strengths and weaknesses to diversify your group.
When starting completely fresh, players will find themselves in Nightreign’s Roundtable Hold. After matchmaking with two other random players or using a multiplayer password to play directly with your friends, a small cutscene will play, and everyone will soar over Limveil (not Limgrave) before landing and beginning their run.
A full run of Nightreign lasts around 30-45 minutes, depending on how fast you take down the ending bosses.
A full run of Nightreign lasts around 30-45 minutes, depending on how fast you take down the ending bosses. While it’s presented as a three-day cycle, it really boils down to five separate phases – day one, night one, day two, night two, and the final boss. When day one begins, the map is fully open, and that’s when you’ll begin exploring and leveling up. Every round begins with players at level one with basic starting gear, save for relics that you’re rewarded with at the end of every round that grant you persistent buffs between matches, with better relics being offered for better performances. When you land, my team always beelined for the first enemy camp we could find to get a quick boost of experience to begin leveling up, which was key to defeating stronger does. From there, you’ll then decide what your team wants to do by looking at the surrounding area on your map, as it will be littered with points of interest for you to explore.
Each point of interest typically comes with predictable rewards: Churches will house a flask charge to increase your overall health potion uses; Castles will feature a mini-boss that drops more powerful gear; and Rises, similar to Ranni’s Rise found in the Lands Between, will present a simple puzzle to solve before entering to find even more gear; just to name a few of many. Where to go in Limveil feels overwhelming at first, but the threat of the ever-closing circle will eventually train your brain to keep on the move.
Speed is the name of the game during the day cycle, and luckily, everything seems to be built around that. For starters, leveling up is as quick as a button press. As I mentioned, each of the four network test classes has a predetermined stat upgrade path. So when you run up to a Site of Grace to refill your health, FP, and flask charges, you’ll also be presented with the leveling menu, which only requires you to press Confirm to increase your level. Heck, you might even have enough runes to level up three or four times, and with three or four button presses, you’re all done and substantially more powerful.
If you have experience in Souls games, the day phases should be a breeze. While searching the map for loot upgrades, I ran into recognizable Elden Ring mobs. My team and I decided to take down a camp, but first, we had to fight three scattered fire chariots before getting our loot reward. Another time, we climbed to the top of a castle to fight a Godskin Noble boss. That should be scary, but with two other Tarnished by your side, these mobs and bosses go down pretty fast.
Moving around is way faster than in the original Elden Ring.
Moving around is also way faster than in the original Elden Ring. You won’t be clawing the controller anymore, since sprinting is moved from Circle (or B) to simply clicking the left stick. Sprinting is also about twice as fast as regular Elden Ring. Fall damage? Nope, none here. Getting down a cliff is easy, and you can even run up walls parkour-style or use Spiritsprings to get around.
Besides just rune hunting to raise your level, you’ll also be trying to build a character to take on the night bosses. There is no armor (save for shields) in Nightreign, only six weapon slots and two amulet slots. How it works is: in typical Elden Ring fashion, you can switch between your left- and right-handed weapons and shields on the fly, but everything on your person will give you buffs. For example, let’s say you found a Reduvia Dagger with high bleed; if you so choose, this could be the start of a bleed build. Now let’s say you take down a boss, and you’re presented with a few other weapons to choose from, and you spot a spear that increases your status effect build-ups. You’re not going to use that spear, as you’ll want to stick with your dagger, but you’ll still benefit from the status effect build-up the spear provides just by having it on you. Think of it almost like a roguelike – sometimes the synergy of weapon effects and stat upgrades you’ll get will build off each other so well that you’ll eventually start melting mobs left and right. Other times you’ll want something like a poison build, only to keep getting weapons that increase your FP regeneration. Bummer.
Weapons aren’t the only rewards either. Oftentimes when looting a boss, you’ll get to choose a stat upgrade or modifier. Some of these are less exciting than others, such as a 10% increase in physical damage. Useful, yes, but exciting, not so much. Other times you’ll get something really cool like a passive power-up that drops a big, poise-breaking lightning strike every time you dodge. Or an enemy-slowing frost nova every time you begin to sprint. You can work these into your build for powerful combinations.
While the day phases can feel like a walk in the park, it’s the night bosses that serve as a real skill check. After the circle has closed enough to end a day phase, a minor Erdtree will appear, signaling that it’s time to take on the night boss. Over the hours I played, my team ranged from completely decimating the night-one boss to barely scraping by. If someone goes down, you’ll revive that person by simply attacking their downed body, with ever-increasing attacks needed the more often they drop. Regardless, the way the night one ends will usually inform you how the rest of the run could go. I’ve seen teams come back from barely scraping by the night-one boss, but if that boss was tough, you’re likely behind in your leveling and you’ll have an uphill battle ahead of you to have a chance against night two.
While the day phases can feel like a walk in the park, it’s the night bosses that serve as a real skill check.
Day two begins the same way day one did. You’ll once again have the full map to explore to level and find better equipment. Occasionally, you’ll be invaded by a random Margit, The Fell Omen who will chase you until he dies or he wipes your party. If your team wipes during the day, you’ll drop your runes and respawn at the nearest Site of Grace. You can recover your runes, but the main thing lost here is time – which was wasted fighting an enemy you didn’t get a reward from and wasted having to recover your lost runes. If your team wipes during a night boss, it’s game over, and you’ll need to begin a new run.
By the time night two rears its ugly head, it’ll be time for the final skill check. During our playtest, we were met with two different night bosses. You’ll either be faced with The Centipede Demon, who is tough but feels somewhat manageable or three Sentinel Knights that really, really suck. Not only are they just plain difficult to take down, but they require extreme coordination with your team to make sure you’re all focused on firing on one of them. Things begin to get easier as they each go down, but it’s a battle of attrition. Eventually, you’ll all run out of flasks and will be left trying to revive teammates who become increasingly more difficult to pick up. In my six or seven full runs of Nightreign, my team was only able to get past night two just once.
Finally, day three is incredibly straightforward – there isn’t one. Instead, you’ll be able to spend your last bit of runes either leveling up or buying consumable items from a vendor, and then you and your team will take on the final boss of the run.
As I mentioned before, depending on how far you got on your run, each player will be rewarded with a relic that provides a persistent upgrade for your characters. These can range from simple stat increases to modifiers that will set you on a build path right from the jump. For our test, this seems to be the only meaningful progression Nightreign has to offer, though I imagine the full game may have more in store for us.
Elden Ring Nightreign is a lot of fun. Pulling off victories by the skin of your teeth provides the same sense of accomplishment you’ve felt when taking down some of Elden Ring’s toughest bosses. The moment a round ended, I couldn’t wait to jump back in to see what kind of build I’d get the next time around. And the cheer my team let out when finally taking down that blasted day three boss reminds me why I love the souls-like genre so much. In its current form, Nightreign could be seen as a little content-lite, so I’m incredibly interested to see how it shakes out when it releases sometime in 2025. But for now, it’s been a few days since I’ve played Nightreign, and still, it’s all I think about. I absolutely cannot wait to jump back in for more.
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