Pixel Sundays: From Elden Ring to Nightreign – The Journey Through FromSoftware’s Dark Worlds

Today, in our weekly Pixel Sundays article, we’re talking about a game from a relatively new franchise. One that every gamer should be familiar with – Elden Ring. More specifically, we’re covering Elden Ring Nightreign today, but we’ll also briefly revisit the original Elden Ring. For a detailed look at Elden Ring’s story, I recommend this article. Elden Ring is a Soulslike known for its open world, where you can easily collect hundreds of deaths. Just a few days ago, the multiplayer game Elden Ring Nightreign was released. This article is about both titles.

Summary

With Elden Ring, FromSoftware, the studio best known for Dark Souls, created a masterpiece. You can read the Pixel Sunday article on Dark Souls here. Elden Ring revolutionized the Soulslike and action RPG genre. It offers an open world, the Lands Between, filled with dark atmosphere and complex lore. The game captivated millions of players worldwide.

Now, three years later, the franchise has expanded with Elden Ring: Nightreign. With this, FromSoftware takes a bold step into multiplayer territory. In this article, we’ll explore the franchise’s journey from its beginnings to the latest release.

The Origin of Elden Ring – A New Era of Soulslike

Elden Ring was released on February 25, 2022, marking a major evolution of FromSoftware’s Soulslike formula. The game blends challenging combat and deep gameplay, familiar from Dark Souls, with an open world inviting players to freely explore. You can roam this world with no fixed objectives, constantly discovering new secrets. When playing for the first time, you won’t see any quest markers—you’ll have to find your own path, encouraging exploration. The world is full of detail and visually stunning.

The game was developed in collaboration with acclaimed author George R.R. Martin, who was responsible for the game’s lore, giving it extra depth. Without him, the game wouldn’t have had such a rich backstory and mythology. He developed the history of gods, demigods, and the major events that form the foundation of the current world. This collaboration allowed FromSoftware to build on a rich and complex universe.

With more than 30 million copies sold, Elden Ring became one of the most successful games of all time.

Elden Ring Gameplay

Of course, we’re also taking another look at the gameplay in Elden Ring. The game combines traditional Soulslike gameplay with an open world filled with things to explore. It appeals to both newcomers and veteran players alike.

The world, known as the “Lands Between”, features six distinct main regions. Each of them has completely unique landscapes, enemies, and challenges. You can explore these regions freely without loading screens in between. Everywhere you’ll find hidden dungeons, optional bosses, and various NPCs. With your mount Torrent, you can also travel quickly across great distances, and thanks to its jumping ability, you can even reach hard-to-access areas.

The combat system, like all Souls games, relies on precise timing and stamina management. You have to dodge, strike, block, and so on, and most bosses can kill you in just a few hits. In addition to physical weapons, you can also use magic; spells can be found in the world and you need mana to cast them. This allows you to customize your playstyle however you like. With “Ashes of War” you can equip weapons with special abilities.

If a fight ever becomes too difficult, there’s a cooperative mode. You can invite others into your world and that person can then help you fight the boss. After the fight, your allies disappear. There are also some areas where you can engage in PvP battles against other players. Thanks to the summoning system, you can also call in NPCs to assist you in combat.

You also get stronger as you progress. You collect “Runes”, which you earn by defeating enemies, and use them at “Sites of Grace” to upgrade your attributes. You can also teleport to Sites of Grace at any time, and if you die, you respawn there.

Shadow of the Erdtree – The first major expansion

On June 21, 2024, the first DLC for Elden Ring was released, titled Shadow of the Erdtree. This expansion takes players to the “Land of Shadow”, a new region that can be accessed after defeating Mohg, Lord of Blood, and Starscourge Radahn. In terms of scope and complexity, this new region is comparable to the main areas of the base game.

The story of Shadow of the Erdtree focuses on Miquella, Malenia’s brother, who was only briefly mentioned in the base game. In the DLC, you follow Miquella’s trail into the Land of Shadow, which is filled with new threats and secrets.

The DLC offers a lot of new content:

• New areas: The Land of Shadow includes several expansive regions with unique landscapes, dungeons, and secrets.

• New bosses: The DLC includes a dozen new main and optional bosses. These are found both in the main story and optional areas.

• New weapons and equipment: The DLC adds 90 new weapons, including seven completely new weapon types. There are also numerous new gear and spells.

• New gameplay mechanics: To balance the DLC, “Scadutree Fragments” and “Revered Spirit Ashes” are introduced. These make you stronger in the Land of Shadow and provide specific benefits. However, they do not affect the base game.

Shadow of the Erdtree was praised by both critics and players. The expansion was applauded for its seamless integration into the base game. Players also appreciated the world design and the challenging boss battles. Some critics called the expansion one of the best DLCs of all time, especially praising its dense atmosphere and level design.

Elden Ring: Nightreign – A new chapter begins

On May 30, 2025, the new game Elden Ring Nightreign was released. This game is a standalone title set in the Elden Ring universe. The game offers a completely new experience by reinterpreting the original game’s core design.

The focus of the game is on cooperative gameplay for up to three players. In this game, you form teams of 3 players and fight together against the dangers of the night. Together, you overcome difficult challenges. Unfortunately, there is no two-player co-op mode, so you either play solo or need exactly three players.

Nightreign introduces eight unique character classes, each with individual abilities. Every class offers a distinct playstyle and special skills that promote strategic team play. You’ll learn more about the classes shortly.

The game features procedurally generated maps that change with every run. This makes the game highly replayable. It also includes several roguelike elements, ensuring that no two runs are the same and players must adapt every time.

Although Nightreign is primarily designed as a cooperative game, as mentioned, it can also be played solo. However, the difficulty level is increased in solo mode, since the game is built for three players. A patch has been announced to support solo players with changes such as auto-revive after death and increased rune rewards.

The first reviews for Elden Ring Nightreign are mixed. Some praise the innovative new gameplay, while others criticize the high difficulty for solo players. As of May 31, the game holds an average rating of 77 points on Metacritic and is rated 67% positive on Steam.

The Eight Nightfarer Classes – Diversity in Combat

As already mentioned, the game features eight different classes. Each of them has its own abilities, playstyles, and strengths. The classes are as follows:

• Duchess: A stealthy rogue with high dexterity and magic, specializing in dagger combat and support abilities.

• Executor: A cursed katana fighter who can transform into a beast.

• Guardian: A sturdy birdlike warrior with halberds and heavy shields, specializing in defense and crowd control.

• Ironeye: A precise archer who marks enemies and excels in ranged combat and loot enhancement.

• Raider: A powerful melee fighter who relies on colossal weapons and resilience.

• Recluse: A sorceress with high intelligence and faith who uses complex elemental magic from a distance.

• Revenant: A summoner with strong healing and support spells who can raise spirits and temporarily revive allies.

• Wylder: A balanced all-rounder, ideal for beginners, with strong melee and survival abilities.

New Gameplay Mechanics – Roguelike Meets Soulslike

Elden Ring Nightreign combines the Soulslike formula with innovative roguelike elements to deliver a unique gameplay experience. Each run is divided into three in-game days, each lasting about 15 minutes in real time. Each day brings increasing challenges.

• Day 1: On this day, you explore the procedurally generated world of Limveld and gather resources.
• Day 2: Stronger enemies appear and certain areas of the Wasteland begin to collapse.
• Day 3: The final battle takes place against a powerful Nightlord boss, while the environment becomes increasingly dangerous.

One of the core elements is the “Night’s Tide” – this causes the playable area to shrink, requiring players to stay on the move and work together. This feature is reminiscent of battle royale mechanics and keeps the tension high throughout the game.

The world of Limveld is regenerated each time you play, leading to unique layouts, enemies, placements, and events. This ensures high replayability, as players must constantly adapt to new situations.

The Future of Elden Ring and Nightreign

Even though Elden Ring was a huge success, just like the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, FromSoftware currently has no concrete plans for a direct sequel. In an interview, FromSoftware president Hidetaka Miyazaki said that Elden Ring 2 is not currently in development. However, this doesn’t mean the end – instead, they aim to realize future projects set in the world of Elden Ring.

FromSoftware now wants to focus more on developing smaller games within the Elden Ring universe. Miyazaki expressed a desire for young developers within the studio to bring their own projects to life.

Although Elden Ring 2 is not planned at the moment, FromSoftware is expanding the universe with spin-offs like Elden Ring: Nightreign, which we’ve already discussed in detail. The studio is also working on new IPs, including The Duskbloods, a multiplayer action RPG scheduled to release exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2 in 2026.

Additionally, there are plans for an Elden Ring movie. According to publisher Bandai Namco, the production studio A24 wants to adapt the Soulslike from FromSoftware into a film in collaboration with director Alex Garland. There’s no release date or further details yet, but we might be looking forward to an Elden Ring cinema release in a few years.

Conclusion – The Journey Continues

With Elden Ring, FromSoftware may have created the greatest success in the history of Soulslike games. Its open world and variety of bosses raised the genre to a new level. The lore, crafted by George R.R. Martin, also plays a significant role. The Shadow of the Erdtree DLC greatly expanded the experience without diluting the game’s core.

With Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware demonstrates a willingness to experiment within the universe. Even if the co-op roguelike doesn’t appeal equally to all fans, it offers fresh momentum and lays the groundwork for a broader future for the franchise – beyond classic solo Soulslikes. The new classes, the innovative three-day system, and the “Night’s Tide” mechanic are ambitious, though not without their early flaws.

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