While it had a rough start at first, Elden Ring Nightreign is still going strong with a massive player count, which is already making me second-guess starting up another Elden Ring playthrough. Although Nightreign has failed to reach the same staggering heights as its story-driven predecessor, it's not too surprising given how much of a departure it is from the traditions of the series. Although multiplayer has been a core part of the Dark Souls franchise since its very inception with the original Demon Souls, Elden Ring Nightreign evolved the concept to its next natural step.

Despite loving my experience in Nightreign so far, FromSoftware's first attempt at a multiplayer-only Soulslike still has its fair share of issues, with balance and a lack of voice chat hindering the experience. Thankfully, a much-needed patch is already on the way to fix many of its most prevalent issues, including a balance fix for solo play and the confirmation of a duo mode in the future. While Elden Ring Nightreign might be a little rough around the edges in its current state, the moment-to-moment gameplay features help it to rival, and even sur Elden Ring in several ways.

Nightreign's Movement System Feels Much Smoother Than Elden Ring

I Never Knew How Badly I Needed A Climbing System By Fromsoftware

One of the aspects I was immediately excited about when seeing Elden Ring Nightreign's first trailer was the revamped movement capabilities and climbing mechanics, as the additions make the world of Elden Ring feel like an even more complete sandbox to explore. On top of new climbing mechanics that allow you to traverse practically any structure on the map, the sheer speed at which you can traverse the world takes some getting used to. Given the fast-paced nature of Nightreign's day cycles, the improved movement abilities are a necessity to master if you want to survive and slay any Nightlords.

The improved movement abilities are a necessity to master if you want to survive and slay any Nightlords.

With certain characters like the Raider being able to summon giant tombstones with their Ultimate Art, on top of characters like the Wydler and Guardian being able to take to the sky with their abilities respectively, verticality has a much greater emphasis in Nightreign than ever before. From use in direct combat with targeting weak points to getting out of danger or accessing out-of-reach areas, the versatility of options provided by Nightreign's movement system allows encounters to play out differently than their Elden Ring counterparts.

Even without having access to a trusted steed, the Nightfareres are capable of leaping massive distances through the use of spirit springs, giving Elden Ring​​​​​​'s very own Torrent a run for his money. Unfortunately, the increased speed and overall pace of Nightreign means there are drastically fewer opportunities to take in the gorgeous sights of its environments, but regardless, it feels more enjoyable to traverse as a whole, even with the reduced depth of exploration and dungeon crawling.

Fewer Decisions Make Nightreign Easier To Enjoy In Short Bursts

Skipping Over Worries About Class Efficiency And Game Balance

One of the biggest barriers to my Elden Ring progression was the sheer number of options available for character progression, being paralyzed by deciding which options to choose when creating a proper build within the game. While there are plenty of guides or recommendations to help players understand these mechanics, it becomes much easier over time, and remains a core part of the unique RPG experience that Elden Ring has to offer.

The biggest problem with the fantastically complex system is that, with how long Elden Ring takes to beat, many players end up taking long breaks in between bursts of playtime, making it easy to forget what skill to level next for your character. Compared to the long-running builds and equipment paths of Elden Ring, Nightreign's fast-paced decision-making is more in line with traditional Battle Royale systems and is much more accessible for short-term gameplay.

The leveling process has been drastically simplified by removing the ability to upgrade individual skills.

Although Nightreign drastically simplifies the decision-making process for your equipment, that doesn't mean the choices are meaningless, as the right item and weapon paths can be the key difference between victory and a crushing defeat. Although the leveling process has been drastically simplified by removing the ability to upgrade individual skills, there are still plenty of nuances and tips to learn for leveling your brave Nightfarers.

Nightreign's Randomization Keeps Each Playthrough Feeling Fresh

Adding Even More Replayability To The World Of Elden Ring

If you've already beaten Elden Ring several times, there's only so much replayability to be had before each Elden Ring playthrough starts getting somewhat repetitive. Even with branching questlines, plenty of build opportunities, and secret endings to uncover, there's a massive amount of content to get through each time you want to start another journey to become the next Elden Lord. This isn't to say there's anything wrong with the amazing gameplay experience Elden Ring has to offer, but a part of its charm is experiencing everything the world has to offer for the very first time.

There's only so much replayability to be had before each Elden Ring playthrough starts getting somewhat repetitive.

Compared to Elden Ring's hand-crafted environments, the procedurally generated world of Nightreign helps mix up each run, even if the same core Nightlords and buildings remain the same. With the randomized maps combined with equally randomized loot, no two runs will play out the same in Nightreign, forcing you to think on your feet as you scavenge enough weaponry to defeat each Nightlord. Even though the world exploration of Nightreign is much shallower than Elden Ring, as a result, it still keeps the game feeling fresh from start to finish.

Despite My Complaints, Elden Ring Still Offers A Genre-Defining Experience

The First Time Playing Elden Ring Is A Hard Experience To Beat

Even though Elden Ring Nightreign feels like a much-needed breath of fresh air for the series that takes it in an exciting new direction, it's hard to beat FromSoftware's tried and true formula. I can still distinctly my first time exiting the tomb in Limgrave and taking in the sheer scale of Elden Ring's world, on top of every climactic boss fight that tests your fortitude. Compared to Nightreign, much of Elden Ring's charm is the sheer mysticism of its incredibly expansive game world and what secrets or unexpected encounters there are to uncover for the first time.

Unfortunately, this does mean that additional playthroughs of Elden Ring fail to compare to your first playthrough, but its gameplay, worldbuilding, and ambience still provide an unmatched feeling to this day. On top of Nightreign being a much shorter experience designed with multiplayer gameplay in mind rather than a solo mode playthrough, Nightreign can't fully replace Elden Ring. Despite Nightreign taking up most of my time, I can still see myself revisiting Elden Ring once again in the future, but it will have to be a long time after my obsession with Nightreign's fresh new take on the series wears off.