The Perfect Place to Prepare For Nightreign Isn’t in Elden…

In short order, Elden Ring Nightreign will arrive as FromSoftware’s newest title, and it already looks like something special. Although the game is built on Elden Ring’s bones, reorienting toward co-op outings in smaller, randomized maps should make Elden Ring Nightreign feel like a very different game with similar controls. Many Soulslikes could be described like that, but this one is swinging a lot harder for a genre mash-up than normal, and FromSoftware itself defined that normal. Fortunately, players don't need to enter Nightreign’s take on a roguelike Soulslike unprepared.

Aside from the network test, playing FromSoftware's existing games should be a good enough preview. Nightreign is built with Elden Ring enemies, bosses, items, and architecture, so it's the clear first place to start, but it's not the only one. Bosses from all three Dark Souls titles have been seen in Nightreign’s previews, and there's no telling what else the final game and its DLC could hold. Elden Ring Nightreign is predicated upon remixing the old to make something that feels new, and PC players recently got another chance to do just that before Nightreign launches.

Elden Ring Nightreign Returning Boss Wish List

Elden Ring Nightreign is bringing back some familiar faces, and there are a handful of past FromSoftware bosses who deserve a spot on the roster.

Posts

By Cameron Swan

A Recent Mod Lines Up With Elden Ring Nightreign's Identity

FromSoftware has gone on record saying that it is aware of the most popular Elden Ring mods, and they partially inspired the framework of Elden Ring Nightreign. Item and enemy randomizers, major content additions that added new bosses and architecture, and, of course, the Seamless Co-op mod by Yui all have apparent influences on Nightreign. Combining videos of them with Elden Ring speedruns gave Nightreign its varied arcade structure, and the ability to take two friends along for the whole game. Playing with these mods can invoke a similar feeling to Nightreign, but Elden Ring isn't the only game this works in.

Dark Souls 3 Seamless Co-op Recalls Elden Ring Nightreign

Near the end of February 2025, Yui, the aforementioned Elden Ring Seamless Co-op creator, released an equivalent mod for Dark Souls 3. It's still considered to be in alpha and will likely be receiving stability updates for a long time just like its Elden Ring counterpart, but with some luck it can support a full playthrough. Up to six players can join a session, with invasions also being available as an option, allowing for a full friend group to experience Dark Souls 3 without any area barriers or kicked players after boss fights. All of a sudden, Dark Souls 3 looks like an apt warm-up for Elden Ring Nightreign.

Seamless Co-op Lets Dark Souls 3 Act As A Prelude To Elden Ring Nightreign

Bosses and Situations From Dark Souls 3 Will Be Relevant In Nightreign

The experience of playing Dark Souls 3 in Seamless Co-op won't be exactly the same as delving into an Elden Ring Nightreign run with a couple of friends or random players, but it has some advantages that Elden Ring itself lacks. For one, DS3 is fairly linear compared to Elden Ring, and Nightreign’s small open world will always narrow down into a boss arena by its conclusion. Different players can still take different routes through Dark Souls 3’s larger areas, like the Undead Settlement and the Catacombs of Carthus, before converging on a boss at the end, and the Seamless Co-op mod can be used with a DS3 randomizer, even if stability isn't guaranteed.

Where Dark Souls 3 could really make for the ideal Nightreign training ground is its foes. The Nameless King is returning in Nightreign, and he’s likely just the first from DS3. Players can gain some early experience fighting him and other bosses in unbroken co-op through its Seamless Co-op mod, as chances are that even the modified versions likely coming to Nightreign will have some transferrable tactics. Elden Ring Nightreign owes its contents to Elden Ring’s fan projects and Dark Souls, so an ideal place to prepare for it is the crossroads between each.