Summary
- Elden Ring Nightreign's solo mode is unbalanced, alienating solo players with challenges designed for groups.
- Despite the solo option existing, solo expeditions function the same as multiplayer runs, making it barely playable.
- Even Souls veterans may struggle with Elden Ring Nightreign's solo mode due to time constraints and imbalance.
While multiplayer games are far from being dead, the demand for more quality single-player experiences has increased over the last five years or so, especially after the global lockdowns and social distancing measures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Since then, many gamers have expressed fatigue with games that are always online, live-service, or exclusively multiplayer, which has led to stellar single-player games like Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok. Ironically, Elden Ring Nightreign has now entered the scene with a cooperative take on the Soulslike formula, and while it does offer a solo mode, it's not currently up to snuff.
It would be understandable if Elden Ring Nightreign's solo experience was simply more difficult than playing without a team, but the challenge it offers is much more nuanced than that. Rather, in its current state, it's severely unbalanced, to the point that it isn't at all a viable way to play — even for Soulslike veterans. In turn, the challenge solo players may face in Elden Ring Nightreign has little to do with their skill level and more to do with the way the game seems to alienate solo players entirely by not shifting its mechanics to accommodate them.
Elden Ring Nightreign: Shifting Earth Events, Explained
There are four Nightreign Shifting Earth events, each of which adds a new area and special rewards to the Limveld world map.
Elden Ring Nightreign's Solo Experience Feels Like an Afterthought
Solo Mode Is Available, But It's Barely Playable at the Moment
What's so strange is that Elden Ring Nightreign lets players run solo expeditions if they choose to, and yet there is really no point in doing it at the moment. Changing the settings to play solo rather than with friends or matchmade partners is far from a headache, as it only requires a couple of clicks or button presses. This, as well as the fact that a solo option even exists, suggests Elden Ring Nightreign actually wants its players to eventually attempt solo runs.
Unfortunately, solo expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign essentially function the same way that multiplayer runs do, in that there are hardly any noticeable changes implemented to ensure balance. More or less, solo players are faced with overcoming obstacles designed for a full squad, instead of Elden Ring Nightreign dumbing things down a bit to ensure those going it alone have a fair experience.
Of course, there's always the argument that Elden Ring Nightreign was actually designed for cooperative play, but that argument is largely moot in light of the fact that the game still offers a solo mode. The "git gud" argument can't really be applied here either, because it's not about the difficulty of enemies and boss fights but about the encroaching ring that doesn't even give players time to enjoy those encounters.
Even Souls Veterans Will Likely Hit a Wall
The imbalance of Elden Ring Nightreign's solo mode is even more noticeable when considering the fact that Souls veterans might even hit a wall when playing it. Those with enough experience can certainly take down tough bosses with enough patience, but patience isn't really a worthwhile virtue when there isn't enough time to use it. That's really what this all boils down to: time.
More or less, solo players are faced with overcoming obstacles designed for a full squad, instead of Elden Ring Nightreign dumbing things down a bit to ensure those going it alone have a fair experience.
The rate at which the ring currently closes in on players during a run makes sense when playing multiplayer, as a full team can take down enemy mobs and bosses much more efficiently than someone on their own. However, for Elden Ring Nightreign's solo experience to be more balanced, it might need to consider lengthening that time. Otherwise, solo players will spend their entire session simply trying to outrun the ring. If not that, then Elden Ring Nightreign's bosses need to at least have even less health to make up for the fact that they're only being confronted by a single player.
Despite its current issues, Elden Ring Nightreign's solo mode isn't dead, and it's likely FromSoft will put out a patch for it in the near future. At the moment, it's one of the more contentious aspects of the game, and it's likely the developer has heard those complaints and will respond. Until then, however, players should just stick with multiplayer in Elden Ring Nightreign.
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
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
