Elden Ring: Nightreign has done the impossible by making me a Souls enjoyer

If you had asked me this time last year if I had any plans to play a Souls game, my answer would have been a scoff followed by a resounding “no”.

I don’t have anything against FromSoftware or the Souls franchise but the problem lies within myself because I absolutely suck at them.

Well, I assume that I will be bad at them and so I won’t even try as I was born with very limited patience and extreme self-doubt which is not a combination of characteristics you want if you are about to tackle a Souls game.

I have been known to turn down the difficulty in games if I am struggling, I feel no shame in doing so and I would much rather enjoy the narrative, world, and gameplay without having to stare back at my horrified expression during every death scene.

That is why upon watching some friends play Elden Ring, the fear of not being able to play it greatly outweighed any FOMO I experienced back when it was first released in 2022. I heard horror stories about Malenia and her Waterfall Dance that were enough to keep me away even when fans started claiming it was one of the “best video games of all time” and even when its DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree, dropped to equal praise.

I simply watched on from the safety of my less-scary games but deep down, I was still sad to be missing out, especially as so much of Elden Ring’s world-building was created by one of my favourite authors George R.R. Martin.

FromSoftware

I wanted to experience the world and maybe part of me wanted to experience the accomplishment that came with beating that boss you have been stuck on for days. However, my fear of simply failing outweighed all of that and I silently accepted the fact that Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and the Dark Souls trilogy were not the games for me.

Then came Elden Ring: Nightreign.

Upon the announcement of Elden Ring: Nightreign back in 2024, Elden Ring fans were over the moon to be getting more content set in FromSoftware’s iconic world. However, there was slight trepidation considering that this would be unlike anything that it had done before.

Elden Ring: Nightreign, which was released less than a week ago, would task three players (or solo players if they are feeling brave enough) to enter condensed areas of Elden Ring’s map to work together to take down a series of familiar bosses over the course of three nights. On the third night, they would need to work together to take down a Nightlord and bag a hell of a lot of runes.

Upon launch, Nightreign would have eight characters to choose from with each offering their own unique set of skills and stats.

As a standalone and prequel to Elden Ring, I immediately counted myself out when Nightreign was announced and fully expected to watch from the shadows as my friends dove into the multiplayer action.

But then the FOMO hit and it wasn’t long before I was purchasing the game for myself and praying to the lord and saviour Hidetaka Miyazaki that I wasn’t absolutely useless.

As the game downloaded, I saw many people suggest not to play Nightreign unless you had “at least some knowledge of Elden Ring”, and it was hard not to already regret my decision as I had exactly zero knowledge of Elden Ring.

However, I was lucky enough to play it alongside a friend who has expertly completed most Soulslike games and was happy enough to metaphorically carry my arse over the finish line.

FromSoftware

After getting to grips with the characters, their skills, their weapons, and their relics in the “hub” which consists of Elden Ring’s iconic roundtable, I was transported into my first match after being deposited in the middle of a foreboding map filled with castles, churches, camps, caves, and more. A lot of C’s apparently.

When it comes to Elden Ring: Nightreign, I don’t think anything can prepare you. Sure you can read up on some guides or watch some Youtuber’s attempt to explain everything to you but what I found best, as a complete Soulslike noob, is to quite literally dive in feet first and work it out as you go along.

At the time of writing this, I have almost 20-hours in Elden Ring: Nightreign and am slowly making my way through the list of incredibly designed bosses (bar one. I hate you, Augur. I hate that you never land so I can get hits in). I have also found my favourite Nightfarer known as Revenant and have completed her Remembrance quest, which allows you to find out more about each character as well as unlocking extra cosmetics for them.

I am on a mission to beat every boss, complete every Remembrance quest and be up to my eyes in relics as this game has quite literally taken a hold of my life. Runs have become second nature to me: I know where to head for the weapons I need, I know which mini-boss will arrive before it materialises, and I am feeling more and more confident in my ability to hold my own.

It is still difficult at times and I still make the mistake of forgetting that the game features a Fortnite-like ring which will gradually close on you (I have died to it many times) but above all else, Elden Ring: Nightreign has done the impossible.

It has made me interested in potentially checking out previous Soulslike entries.

As of right now, I am 15 hours into my first Elden Ring run but as the loot goblin and explorer that I am, I am still in the starting area and have only beaten Margit so far. I also stumbled into a Crucible Knight in the evergaol that hurt more than the Fell Omen but you know what? I am having so much fun.

I never thought that anybody or anything could convince me to get over my fear of failure by playing a Souls game but it seems as though Elden Ring: Nightreign did just that.

So here’s to my very long and very punishing journey across the franchise and beyond.