Elden Ring Nightreign’s map is a pretty comprehensive one, full of varied locations down to its procedurally placed points of interest. Limveld is an approximation of Limgrave; it’s green, rocky hills and forests hosting all manner of familiar sites to visit and world bosses to slay. Elden Ring Nightreign's Shifting Earth events have added some much-needed variation to the world, too, presenting new biomes with uniquely powerful rewards. But Elden Ring has far more places that could be the focus in the future, and each could be radically different from the last.
Not every location has to be from Elden Ring, and FromSoftware could also lean into its previous games to come up with reimagined maps, as well as entirely new zones. Given Elden Ring Nightreign’s nature, it would be great to see a lot of really wild ideas get thrown into the game, as FromSoftware has proven it can get incredibly creative.
In Defense of Elden Ring Nightreign's Three-Player Restriction
Elden Ring Nightreign has come under fire for only allowing solo or trio play, and this makes sense, but three players might be the way to go anyway.
Four Locations That Elden Ring Nightreign’s DLC Should Add
A Map-Sized Leyndell City
Elden Ring’s legacy dungeons pushed the boundaries in terms of large, layered areas, but it shouldn’t stop there. Many players were in awe of Leyndell when first coming across it, and it could make for an incredible map in Nightreign. With the streets expanded some more, and more room given over to large avenues, a Leyndell-style city would make for an incredible spectacle, with plenty of opportunities to climb all the buildings. The side streets could hide dangerous bosses, explorable sewers, and even the roots of a dead Erdtree in the center, full of high-level items. Most of the assets are there already, and it would be hard to deny how cool jumping from rooftop to rooftop would feel in Nightreign.
The Peaks of Mount Gelmir
Mount Gelmir provided one of the most vertical locations in Elden Ring, and its volcanic rock formations could make for a truly impressive location for a map. It wouldn’t all be basalt pillars, as there could easily be a version of Volcano Manor at the center, with plenty of space for new biomes like hot springs and rivers of lava. It would also be a great way to incorporate some more bosses into the game, and it's entirely possible that FromSoftware could find a way of retooling Praetor Rykard’s boss fight as a day two final fight, although he might need to shrink a bit first.
A Return to Archdragon Peak
Archdragon Peak was one of Dark Souls 3’s most iconic locations, presenting a unique take on a land of dragons. The hot, sun-baked, mountainous lands with ancient structures would be a perfect way to pay homage to an older game and add some new flair to Nightreign. If FromSoftware wanted to bring more enemies over from past games, this would be a good place to do it, but it shouldn’t just become a place to lean too hard into nostalgia. Due to Nameless King’s presence in Nightreign, it would be fitting to go back to where his story concluded in Dark Souls 3.
Something Totally, Unexpectedly New in Elden Ring Nightreign
Nightreign doesn’t need to be all about recycling; it can also lean more into its own identity, and there are so many opportunities to go to weird and wild places. From a land full of glowing mushrooms, to one set entirely on the corpse of an ancient titan, there are a million and one ways FromSoftware could make a new land just as interesting as anything in Elden Ring. Shadow of the Erdtree’s DLC location variety showed this so well, with each area feeling distinct and memorable from the last, and Nightreign would do well to lean into this aspect.
Elden Ring Nightreign
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 80 /100 Critics Rec: 78%
- Released
- May 30, 2025
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
WHERE TO PLAY
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Number of Players
- 1-3
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
