My Biggest Disappointment With Elden Ring Nightreign Has Nothing To Do With Multiplayer

Published May 31, 2025

Followed

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

While there are many differences between the original Elden Ring and Nightreign, the thing I'm having the most difficult time adjusting to has nothing to do with the multiplayer experience. In fact, I spent quite some time suffering through solo runs when the servers were down, and I realized what's missing for me is that same sense of awe that I got when I first played Elden Ring. Exploring the Lands Between was an expansive and majestic experience, and it gave you a feeling that the world was bigger than anything you could have imagined.

Caelid or the Altus Plateu, though there are elements of these locations that can randomly populate into a run. Further, the time limitations inherent to Nightreign's design make exploration a stressful process, and it's simply not a priority to stop and ire the scenery.

Nightreign Doesn't Come Close To Capturing Elden Ring's Scale

Every New Region In Elden Ring Instills A Sense Of Wonder

While Nightreign is beautifully designed with immersive environments, it doesn't come anywhere close to capturing the scale of Elden Ring. This is largely by design, as there's only so much area you can cover with time limits placed on each day cycle. Limveld is a large area with a lot to explore, but it's also somewhat static in the sense that you're going to see variations of the same forts, camps, enemies, and castles each playthrough. Once you've taken down a handful of Nightlords, each experience starts to become very familiar.

Elden Ring Nightreign Guardian holding a large halberd.

Elden Ring Nightreign's Metacritic Score Is FromSoft's Lowest-Rated Soulsborne Ever

Elden Ring Nightreign has proven to be slightly divisive among critics, resulting in the lowest score FromSoftware’s gotten for a Soulsborne game.

Posts

Time is of the essence in Nightreign, and as such, you aren't incentivized to explore too thoroughly before moving on to the next set of enemies. For example, there's a cave that I think would be good to explore, but the Night's Tide is going to start closing in soon, and I don't want to get trapped, so I end up just moving on. Part of the excitement of Nightreign comes from these risks, but it gives the impression that exploration isn't encouraged.

"The sense of curiosity, discovery, and awe that comes with seeing a new environment for the first time simply aren't there in Nightreign to the same degree."

In Elden Ring, I would typically explore every corner of the map and clear any dungeons or castles completely before moving on to the next location. The sense of curiosity, discovery, and awe that comes with seeing a new environment for the first time simply isn't there in Nightreign to the same degree.

Nightreign's Setting Makes Me Nostalgic For Elden Ring

I Don't Feel Like I'm Experiencing Anything New With Nightreign's Setting

While Nightreign is obviously not attempting to do the same thing as Elden Ring, it being set in the same universe (including mostly recycled assets) further takes away from a sense of discovery and wonder. There are many new enemies and bosses in the Nightreign universe, of course, but these are mostly sprinkled on top of an otherwise familiar experience. More than anything, I get a feeling of nostalgia for Elden Ring each time I play through Nightreign, wishing that I could take more time to stop and look at the environments, item descriptions, or smaller details around Limveld.

Elden Ring Nightreign Raider holding a great axe in front of a crescent moon.

“You’ll Need To Adapt”: Elden Ring Nightreign Director Explains Boss Weaknesses & Changes From The Network Test

Elden Ring Nightreign’s director has shed some light on how players will need to strategize against bosses, which have changed since the network test.

Posts

It's wishful thinking, but I hope Nightreign releases alternative maps at some point in the future that aren't set in Limveld, possibly in a future DLC or expansion. There's no indication this is going to happen, but it would do wonders in giving players at least a slightly more diverse experience in of exploration and discovery. In my view, Limveld doesn't change or shift enough to justify only having one map type, even with randomized elements populating in each run. While Nightreign's setting is beautiful, it doesn't do Elden Ring's Lands Between justice.