Summary
- Elden Ring: Nightreign is a standalone co-op multiplayer game announced at The Game Awards 2024.
- Spirit Ashes will return in Nightreign with a different gameplay mechanic involving one of eight playable characters.
- The companions' return has been described as a "spiritual buddy" to one of the characters by the game's director Junya Ishizaki.
Elden Ring: Nightreign was a fantastic reveal for Soulslike fans at this year’s The Game Awards, and the spin-off’s director Junya Ishizaki recently revealed Spirit Ashes will exist in the next title within a different gameplay mechanic. Standalone Elden Ring projects were previously teased by Hidetaka Miyazaki when the director confirmed FromSoftware was not working on a direct sequel, and many fans were betting on a multiplayer title being one of them.
The Soulslike community was treated to Elden Ring when the base game was first released in 2022, followed by the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion in 2024, which added new locations and bosses to contest. Elden Ring: Nightreign was announced at The Game Awards 2024, revealed to be a new co-op multiplayer game boasting a standalone story parallel to the base game’s narrative. Luckily, fans won’t have long to wait before jumping into this new dark fantasy experience, as Nightreign was confirmed to be released in 2025.
Bed Of Chaos Should Be A Boss In Elden Ring: Nightreign – Which Other FromSoftware Bosses Should Come Back?
I cannot overstate how excited I am for Elden Ring: Nightreign, and a lot of that hype comes from what appears to be bosses and characters from previous FromSoftware games in the trailer for the new co-op multiplayer action game coming from FromSoftware. For example, you can see the Nameless King and the Fire Keeper from Dark Souls 3 in a few shots, which opens up the idea of which other bosses could be included in Elden Ring: Nightreign. If I could bring back any boss from FromSoftware's history for Elden Ring: Nightreign, as bad of an idea as it might be, I would bring back the Bed of Chaos The original boss fight is one of the most frustrating bosses in Dark Souls, but the lore behind this abomination and its design are worth re-visiting. But even if FromSoftware includes this infamous boss in Elden Ring: Nightreign, and doesn't rework its infamously awful mechanics, it would still be hilariously fun to experience it with a group of players in a co-op frenzy.
In an interview with IGN, Ishizaki poured over basic details relating to Nightreign’s gameplay, and the director confirmed the return of the Spirit Ashes companions, but the multiplayer will offer a different take on them. Shadow of the Erdtree lets the Tarnished use Torrent as a battle companion, proving to be a popular addition to the expansion, and Nightreign will include a similar ally using Spirit Ashes but operate differently to how they appeared in the base game. Ishizaki revealed that one of the eight playable characters in the spin-off would use a Spirit Ash, comparing the gameplay mechanic to a “spiritual buddy.”
Elden Ring: Nightreign Director Confirms Spirit Ashes Return
The optional Elden Ring boss Commander Niall demonstrated the importance of Spirit Ashes in combat, and they became a go-to mechanic for players enduring the game’s punishing boss battles. Since Nightreign will feature other players to assist in defeating the eight boss types confirmed to be in the multiplayer, it was previously thought Spirit Ashes would have less importance in the spin-off, but it’s exciting to hear the popular asset will return as a character’s mechanic.
Elden Ring’s Spirit Ashes are companions to be used in battle, and they can be summoned by using the Spirit Calling Bell. The spirits mimic enemies found in the Lands Between and are useful allies against the game’s hardest foes. Shadow of the Erdtree added 20 new Spirit Ashes, joining the 64 existing ones from the base game, and the additional item Revered Spirit Ash could be used to make the summons more powerful.
Elden Ring
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 95 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment, From Software
WHERE TO PLAY
ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. And BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.
George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
- Engine
- Proprietary
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- Cross Save
- no
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
