While it features a solid gameplay loop that's attracted a wide audience, Elden Ring Nightreign has received some nearly unanimous criticism from players who both like and loathe the game. The title is missing some of the important multiplayer functions that would make it feel like a complete experience, a frustrating situation that nonetheless makes sense given FromSoftware's odd approach to multiplayer in its games thus far. These issues are more glaring in Nightreign specifically, as it focuses on the multiplayer experience, and two missing features have received the most attention.

One common criticism is the game's allowance of only solo runs and three-player parties. The lack of duo runs has hampered the experience for many, as it's common to venture into Limveld with one friend and then be forced to play with a random to fill out the party. This is obviously annoying, but the lack of a voice chat feature that allows for fast communication makes it worse, as communication is vital for the chaotic runs that the Nightfarers are often forced into. These features are vital, but another should also be added in future updates.

Elden Ring Nightreign Should Get Players To See Each Other In The Roundtable Hold

Similar To Monster Hunter's Gathering Hub

Despite being a multiplayer game that allows players to be in a group with friends before matchmaking and runs begin, Elden Ring Nightreign doesn't offer a way to see what other Nightfarers are doing while waiting. Players feel disconnected before a run, and an easy fix for this would be to have the Roundtable Hold act like Monster Hunter World's Gathering Hub. Then, players could see each other and interact before a run, making everything feel more cohesive than it currently does.

The Roundtable Hold is used for both Elden Ring and Nightreign, although the Nightreign version allows players to explore the surrounding areas, including cliffs, beaches, and a forest.

While the gameplay loop is challenging and certainly a lot of fun, it is meant to be a mulitplayer experience, and preparing for a run can get a lot more lonely than it should. Of course, loneliness has been a core part of Soulsborne titles, since many feel like it pits the player against a brutal world, but connection is important for a multiplayer game. More than that, there is a practical use for having players interact with each other in the Roundtable Hold.

Players Could Practice Combos Together In The Training Grounds

Rather Than Work Them Out During A Chaotic Run

The Roundtable Hold gives players access to the Training Grounds, where they can test out all the abilities of the Nightfarers and get used to what they can do before heading into Limveld. This is important for beginners, especially because many of the abilities Nightfarers have don't have a transferable example in Elden Ring. If players could see each other in the Roundtable Hold, they could all use the Training Grounds together to help practice and coordinate their abilities.

Trying to use abilities in the field can be tough when players are new to a character or the game in general. With the Training Grounds open to several players at once, they can work on combos to make runs more efficient in the future without having to deal with the chaos and failure of being hunted in Limveld. For instance, players could use this as a chance to practice coordinating attacks with the Duchess's Restage ability to maximize its damage before taking these skills to the deadly grounds of Limveld.

Nightreign Needs A Stronger Sense Of Multiplayer Togetherness

It Suffers From FromSoftware's Multiplayer Growing Pains

Nightreign currently lacks a sense of multiplayer togetherness to make it really click. It's still a lot of fun, especially if getting three friends together is an option. That isn't feasible for many players, however, and allowing duos to queue should be vital to the game's future, along with adding voice chat. Crossplay should be another priority too, and while allowing players to use the Roundtable Hold together isn't vital, it would be a nice touch to make the game feel like players are getting together.

Runs in Elden Ring Nightreign are brutal, usually ending in defeat, and often require quite a bit of prep, from understanding how characters work to sorting out their loadouts. Being able to prepare together would be a great way of encouraging this multiplayer-heavy future FromSoftware has planned and bolster the community. Practicing together would be a great way to improve coordination as well, something that players have stated is a problem, largely due to the lack of communication built into Elden Ring Nightreign.