Summary
- Elden Ring Nightreign features revived iconic bosses from Dark Souls, offering challenging encounters for solo players and multiplayer groups alike.
- Consideration for additional bosses like Abyss Watchers, The Pursuer, and Belfry Gargoyles could enhance the Nightreign experience with speed, difficulty, and multiple foes.
- Bosses like Shadow Of Yharnam, Lady Maria, and Ornstein & Smough would bring fresh, engaging encounters to Nightreign, catering to fans of the Souls series.
FromSoftware has done it again and graced the world with yet another exceptional game that takes the Elden Ring universe in a multiplayer direction that fuses genres and brings back a few familiar faces. When the trailer was released back in 2024, much of the hype centered on the bosses that were teased, such as The Nameless King, being revived for one last fight in a brand new world full of mystery and wonder.
Elden Ring Nightreign: Tips for Solo Players
Elden Ring Nightreign presents its own challenge to solo players. Here are a few tips and tricks to help players looking to tackle the game alone.
As it stands, aside from returning bosses from Elden Ring itself, there are currently two bosses taken from each Dark Souls game. Still, with a catalog that spans over 100 mighty foes and a DLC that is already slated to contain new bosses, it seems like a no-brainer to bring back even more iconic enemies for players to challenge both out in the open plains and as a Nightlord on the final night.
1 Abyss Watchers
Fighting Until The Very End
Dark Souls 3
- Released
- March 24, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Abyss Watchers are by far one of the best bosses in Dark Souls 3, serving as the first real challenge that players encounter on their journey and a fight remembered fondly by so many. It's a fast, action-packed battle where corpses are resurrected to both fight and aid the player in a dance of blades and flames. Something that makes the encounter so iconic is the parallels to Artorias, bringing back another classic fight in a spiritual manner rather than directly.
The Biggest Differences Between Elden Ring and Nightreign
Nightrein offers a lot of changes from the original Elden Ring experience, but many of them make the game even more engaging.
The fight itself is pretty manageable as a solo player, but Nightreign could pump up the difficulty by having more copies spawn in or having the fight take place in a much more tight arena. With so many amazing fights to choose from, the Abyss Watchers feel like a natural fit in terms of speed, difficulty, and accessibility, both for multiplayer groups and solo players alike.
2 The Pursuer
Borderline Comedic But A Perfect Fit For The Invasions
Dark Souls 2
- Released
- March 11, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
The Pursuer is, for many people, a fond memory in a game that is one of the most divisive in the series. First encountered as a boss toward the start of Dark Souls 2, he later shows up several times as an invader, first as a surprise, then more as a funny break from the intensity. He might not be the flashiest or most challenging fight out there, but he would fit perfectly as a Fort boss or opponent to challenge at the end of a night.
Another alternative that has already been shown with another boss in Nightreign would be to follow the invasion trend as seen with the Fell Omen and have the Pursuer act as another random encounter that players can take down for some extra rewards, as opposed to having the esteem as a final boss.
3 Belfry Gargoyles
The Classic Gank Battle
- Game(s): Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2
The Gargoyles are a set of foes that pop up a few times in the Souls series, always on rooftops and always bringing a few friends to the fight. In the early days of the series, these gank fights were considered to be incredibly difficult, and even now, they can feel unfair for players who are not ready or trained at dealing with multiple foes at once.
Nightreign has no problem with throwing several enemies into the fight at once, as a way of accounting for the extra players, so having these Gargoyles show up again on top of a castle like before, could be a fun little challenge for new players to take on, and serve as some much needed revenge for those who suffered their wrath all those years ago, rather than as a mighty Nightlord.
4 Shadow Of Yharnam
The Perfect 3-On-3 Encounter
Bloodborne
- Released
- March 24, 2015
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 4
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Bloodborne is a fan favorite in the catalog of FromSoftware and has all but been forgotten by the very company that created it. Within the game, there are plenty of iconic bosses to choose from, like Gehrman or the Orphan of Kos, but those fights always felt more like poetic finishes that fed into the gameplay mechanics and beauty of the game, so it would feel unjust to bring them back for a more mini-game style experience.
But other bosses like the Shadows would be a great addition to the roster, a three-man fight that brings multiple different weapon types and styles of aggression that would be an amazing battle to take on with a party on even footing. Not every boss has to be a showstopper, and the Shadows would slot in perfectly both as a night boss and potentially an Evergaol encounter to test players' skills later into a run.
5 Guardian/Headless Ape
Evening The Playing Field
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
- Released
- March 22, 2019
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Sekiro is somewhat of an outsider in the Souls series as it certainly has all the right ingredients and mechanics to fit the bill, but is distinct enough to keep it in its own category at times due to the parry complexity and more rhythmic gameplay. But if FromSoftware wanted to please their fans, bridging the gaps between universes could be a great way to do exactly that.
Many of the fights only really function as 1v1 encounters, with a few exceptions that could fit the Nightreign style pretty well. One of these fights is the Guardian Ape, a two-phase fight that brought more than a few scares when players first took it down. Taking things a step further, the Headless Ape with the extra primate to fight would work great in a multiplayer setting and would still function all the same, thanks to classes like the Executor and his parry mechanic.
6 Demon In Pain & Demon From Below
A Spectacle Fit For A Lord Arena
- Game(s): Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 has some of the best bosses in the entire series, and the DLC is where things really start to get intense. Sister Friede, Gael, and more, each fight feels like a mountain to climb, and one of the toughest and most brutal of them all is the Twin Princes, who are found after a long leap of faith into the void below.
Now, for a boss to be great for Nightreign, it doesn't necessarily have to have multiple enemies to fight at once. But for the most part, it feels like the game leans into the idea of aggro-juggling and revives, so having several targets to focus on at once in one of the most cinematic and absurd fights in the genre would be an amazing addition that would please more than a few fans.
7 Gwyn/Soul Of Cinder
The Final Bosses That Defined A Series
- Game(s): Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3
It is almost impossible to choose just one, and many fans would say it is fair to put both Gwyn and The Soul of Cinder on the same level in terms of lore, enjoyment, and overall boss perfection. Gwen brings players back to a simpler time before Spirit Springs and gun-based parries, while The Soul is a homage to the entire franchise, condensed into a single boss that is beyond godlike.
Everything about the fights just screams amazing, and if FromSoftware were to bring back a final boss encounter, whether as a night fight or even a Nightlord, these two would be the perfect candidates to fill that slot. The fight could be multistaged and have The Souls transform into Gwyn, or maybe even throw both in at once for maximum cinema. No matter what, it would be a battle for the ages and a Souls fan's dream.
8 Lady Maria
Everyone's Favorite Hunter
- Game(s): Bloodborne
There are many great options to choose from in Bloodborne that would still function in a modernized game like Nightreign. There are arguments for Ludwig or Amygdala, but one fight that could fit in a specific way is Lady Maria, a DLC that isn't remembered for her difficulty or outlandish design, but her story and beauty in a game with so much horror.
It would be interesting to see a specific location on the map, like a gothic cathedral or even a clock tower, if they want to lean heavily into the fan service, where players can encounter enemies of all kinds from Bloodborne, with Maria waiting patiently at the top for one final fight. And she would put up a decent challenge with the right tuning and damage numbers, requiring the whole party to work together to take down the tragic lady once again.
9 Patches
Love Him Or Hate Him, He's Seen It All
- Game(s): Almost every FromSoftware Soulslike in one way or another
Patches is, by almost every player's definition, annoying. Whenever he shows up, fully-armored or not, he is always up to something, whether trying to scrape together a few extra coins or putting the player directly into harm's way at the flick of a switch. He has shown his face in pretty much every title in the series, with all the same cunning and scheming as players have come to know him for.
Elden Ring Nightreign Reaches Impressive Milestone
FromSoftware surprises players by announcing that Elden Ring Nightreign has crossed another impressive milestone shortly after release.
He pops up once again in Elden Ring, where players get to choose between sparing him or killing him as a boss battle deep inside a cave. It would be hilarious to see him return for yet another set of witty encounters, perhaps as a secret boss tucked away in the corner of the map for players to get one last shot at revenge. Even if he doesn't come back as a boss, his face would still bring more than a few smiles.
10 Ornstein & Smough
The Best A Gank Fight Can Be
- Game(s): Dark Souls
It is almost offensive that FromSoftware didn't add them to begin with, but if there is a single boss fight that needs to come in a DLC drop, it's Ornstein and Smough. It is the gank fight that serves as a defining battle not only in the original Dark Souls but in the series as a whole. It's a serious challenge that has so much skill, expression, and care in every aspect of the gameplay, something that is incredibly impressive given how old the game is.
It's fair to say that most players wouldn't even be upset if they were placed as a beefed-up Nightlord, maybe having both of them in their supercharged form right from the start for maximum intensity. There are plenty of options and spaces for them in the game, but wherever they end up, they need to be added more than any other boss in the entire series.
Elden Ring Nightreign
- Released
- May 30, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC