Elden Ring Nightreign: A New Approach to Souls Combat and Loot
As with every member of the Souls family, the agony of that painful slow dodge due to excess fat roll belongs to every Souls veteran. We have all been converting each piece of armor into weight for one reason or another. Well, throw all of that into the wind as you step into Elden Ring Nightreign. With this multiplayer spin-off that is set in the world of Elden Ring, FromSoftware seems to have changed some rules under the hood, and perhaps for good.
First of all, let go of the burden of matrix calculations on weight. This means no more having super-fast dodges or painfully slow dodges depending on how loaded one is. Evenly spread to all will be the common speed rate of the dodge. The most shocking revelation is instead about loot: Nightreign implements tiers of loot in a sort of battle royale fashion. You might be thinking, "Okay, I'll just find one or two awesome weapons for my build and ignore the rest." Wrong again.
The Real Treasure: Weapon Passives You Can't See (But Definitely Feel)
Game-changer: every single weapon in Nightreign has a passive ability. You'll see it at the bottom of the item's description. It's not a small boost in stats; it's something along the lines of:
- Jump Attack Increase.
- Put poison through your strikes.
- Heal when you hit an enemy.
These passives have the power to define your entire build, giving you the needed edge to turn the tide in what otherwise would be a hard-fought battle in your favor.
Here, let it go wild: There is a passive that is always active and stacks, but only while its weapon remains in your inventory. That common bow you passed because you got a fancier one. If it had a "boosts ranged damage" passive, you should have grabbed it. It doesn't matter if you never actually equip it or use it; its passive buffs you from your backpack.
There is one small condition: some passives regular the legendary "Nightreign" weapons that are with a little red hand icon. The red hand icon denotes that a specific passive only works when you're actually holding that weapon (though you can often just keep it in your off-hand).
Keep Everything: Your Inventory is Your Arsenal
So, new strategy. Pack all six of your weapon slots with equipment that gives passive buffs to your preferred playstyle, even if you are actively using just one or two of those weapons. For instance:
- If you're playing Ironeye, get every sword, seal, or bow that gives passive buffs to ranged damage.
- Alternatively, if you're laying low with the Duchess, keep an eye out for passives that reduce damage for subsequent hits or augment her power in dual wielding.
Does it really make a difference. Oh yeah. Take Ironeye to the final boss and beware – that would be a bad idea without all those ranged damage boosts. Now picture this fight instead with you having five different weapons, each quietly adding anywhere from 10 to 20% more damage to your ranged attacks. Victory, at last.
Each of the character classes in Nightreign known as Nightfarers is unique. Understand what they're capable of, then scour the map for every place dropping the weapon types and passives you require. The map even has an overlay showing what items are available where (camps often have bows with ranged damage passives, for example). And, sadly, it won't let you hide all that junk from your quick-select menu. If it's mid-fight and you're changing your armaments, be ready to flip through your passive potency hoard.
