Analysis of Elden Ring: Nightreign for Xbox Series – Cooperative Action of Another Level

We analyzed for Xbox one of the most anticipated games of the month of May, Elden Ring: Nightreign.

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After a few hours of play and many expeditions in Elden Ring: Nightreign, it has become clear that FromSoftware did not want to simply make another expansion. Here, it’s not about adding a new map with powerful bosses and that’s it. The Japanese studio has completely redesigned the way to progress, introducing a structured system in “Expeditions” that gives the game a much more tactical feel, nearly roguelike, but without losing its DNA.

This new journey through Limveld, a region corroded by the chaos of the night, forces you to adapt to a cycle of free exploration by day and forced survival by night, with increasingly difficult confrontations against the avatars of the Nightlord. Time is running out, the map is closing, and there’s no going back. Each expedition has its own rhythm, each decision counts, and mistakes are paid with runes… or with an entire level, do you know what I mean?

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Technical Section

Visually, Nightreign maintains the already high standard of the base version of Elden Ring, although the new scenario presents a more oppressive artistic direction, with perpetually turbid skies, distorted structures, and a constant feeling that the world is crumbling around you. The new zones are loaded with visual details and well-executed environmental transitions, especially when night falls and the “Night’s Tide” threat begins to close the map.

On Xbox Series X, the performance has been very fluid during all our matches, solo or accompanied, with 60 FPS stable even in the most demanding battles against the Nightlords. Global illumination, activated by default, adds realistic reflections on wet surfaces and more complex shadows, although its visual impact is not always striking or equal in all environments and textures. In our matches, we have only been able to play the Xbox Series X version, soon we will give you our impressions of its operation on Xbox Series S.

One of the greatest successes is the design of the interface to manage the expeditions. The information is well distributed: the dynamic map becomes essential to plan safe routes and avoid dying in poorly positioned areas. The game draws from the scenarios of Elden Ring, but they are not the same, there are many modifications and changes between them, so you should not rely on thinking that you have already passed through there. Neither the locations, nor the enemies of the zone will be the same, something that gives the game a sense of discovery and constant surprise with a good rhythm. In cooperative expeditions, you can save your teammates (or that they save you) before dying, in this way you can have more opportunities to complete the mission, cooperation is essential, just like going together through the map.

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Gameplay

The base remains Elden Ring, but the structure changes everything. Here, there is no persistent open world: each mission, or Expedition, develops in cycles of three days. The first two allow you to explore freely, obtain weapons, talismans, and consumables, while at night, the safe area of the map is progressively reduced, forcing you to face a boss. The third day culminates in a mandatory fight against a Nightlord enemy, each with unique patterns and mechanics.

In addition, Nightreign allows you to face expeditions both solo and in cooperative mode for three players. The game’s design clearly favors coordinated play, enabling each member to assume a complementary role during fights and map management. However, solo play remains perfectly viable (although, in my opinion, less fun): bosses and enemies adapt to individual contexts, and tension remains intact. For now, there is no option to play in pairs (two players), although the developers have confirmed that they are studying the possibility of adding this in future updates.

This dynamic converts each Expedition into a hidden countdown. You can farm, explore, or look for shortcuts… but always with an eye on the map. Leaving the safe area means entering the cursed rain of the Night’s Tide, which quickly consumes your life and punishes you with the loss of a level if you die within it. This changes the way to play completely: it’s no longer enough to be well-equipped, you have to know when to advance and when to retreat, as well as not stop leveling up your character during the expedition.

And the best part: nothing feels unnecessary. Each weapon and object has a use, and learning to combine them makes a difference between completing a mission or being left at the door.

The class system in Nightreign also adds variety from the start. You can start each Expedition with one of the seven available archetypes: Executor, Revenant, Duchess, Guardian, Recluse, Raider, or Ironeye Wylder. Each one has its own strengths, combat style, and affinity for certain types of equipment. Some classes bet on defense and terrain control, while others are purely offensive or specialized in magical abilities. Choosing well what to bring to each mission – and with whom – makes a difference in the night phases, especially when the map shrinks and pressure increases. All characters are well differentiated and agile, but not all offer the same, you will have to choose well each one of them depending on the mission you are about to start.

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Duration

Nightreign is not measured in hours, but in Expeditions/Missions. Each one can last between 30 and 50 minutes, depending on the level, the final boss, and what you explore. You will start from less to more and although not all are available from the beginning: unlocking new ones implies completing challenges, defeating Nightlords, or finding hidden routes, it will open new expeditions. (Remember that you can play them solo or in cooperative mode for 3 players).

The day-night cycle, the random rotation of the Night’s Tide, and the possibility of getting unique objects in each run, make re-playability high, especially if you want to take the characters and their builds to the limit. Each completed Expedition gives you permanent improvements and a currency called Murk, which you can spend at the Round Table Inn to unlock advantages or equipment.

Important: Additionally, each new boss defeated for the first time unlocks a unique Relic, while subsequent repetitions offer random versions with different statistics, adding depth to progression.

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Conclusion

Elden Ring: Nightreign is more than an expansion or a new game: it’s a brave reinterpretation of what a Soulslike game can be in a structured key. The idea of dividing the game into Expeditions, forcing night encounters, and rewarding planning and map reading changes the way to play, without touching what already worked at the level of combat or exploration.

The tighter rhythm, the constant threat, and the countdown by days, combined with the variety of enemies and bosses, convert each mission into a closed, well-designed, and highly re-playable challenge. If you were looking for simply more Elden Ring, here there is much more than that: there is risk, time management, difficult decisions, and a constant sense of threat that remains until the last second.

FromSoftware has created a new format within its universe, and it has done so without betraying its essence. Nightreign not only expands the map, but also expands the possibilities of the genre and will surely create a school. 

We thank Bandai Namco for the material provided to carry out this analysis.