Info about ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN: Official game description: Deluxe Edition ============== The Deluxe Edition Includes: • ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN • Additional DLC \- Additional playable characters and bosses • Digital Artbook & Mini Soundtrack \*There is also a Standard Edition product available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice. \*Additional DLC will be available by Q4 2025. About the Game ============== ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design. RISE TOGETHER ------------- Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op. BECOME A HERO ------------- Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair. While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team. TAKE ON THE NIGHT ----------------- Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night! \*There is also a Deluxe Edition product available. Please be careful not to purchase the same content twice. Release date: 29 May, 2025 Categories: Cooperative Multiplayer, Soulslike Combat, Roguelike, Boss Fights, Character Management, Item Management, Procedural Generation, Time-based Mechanics - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: No data - Playtime Metrics: No data - Time-to-fun: No data - Player Archetypes: No data Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Exceptional Boss Design & Fights (weight 0.58): The bosses are a major highlight, described as well-designed, challenging, and cinematic. Players find immense satisfaction in learning patterns, improving skills, and ultimately defeating formidable enemies, especially in cooperative play. The variety, unique mechanics, and visual/audio presentation of boss fights are frequently lauded. - Highly Addictive & Enjoyable Gameplay (weight 0.52): Players consistently praise the game's core gameplay loop as incredibly fun, addictive, and highly replayable. Many report losing track of time, playing for hundreds of hours, and feeling a strong desire to return even after defeats. The game offers a strong sense of accomplishment and a positive feedback loop. - Engaging Multiplayer & Balanced Difficulty (weight 0.49): The game provides a unique and highly enjoyable multiplayer experience, particularly with friends, fostering camaraderie and shared challenges. The difficulty is generally considered high but fair, offering a good challenge for solo players, random teams, and organized groups alike. Matchmaking is often smooth, and the community is largely collaborative. - Fresh Take on Souls-like Formula (weight 0.4): The game successfully blends the challenging combat of the Souls series (especially Elden Ring) with roguelike and cooperative elements. It offers a faster-paced, more accessible, and multiplayer-focused experience that appeals to both Souls veterans and newcomers, while retaining the core combat and atmosphere. - Diverse & Fun Characters/Classes (weight 0.31): The game features a roster of unique and well-designed characters/classes, each offering distinct playstyles, abilities, and story quests. This diversity encourages experimentation and contributes significantly to the game's replayability, ensuring players can find a character that fits their preferred combat style. - Effective Roguelike/lite Elements (weight 0.26): The integration of roguelike/lite mechanics, such as random loot, varied enemies, and the relic system, significantly enhances replayability and keeps each run feeling fresh. Players enjoy experimenting with different builds and strategies, finding the randomization engaging rather than frustrating. - FromSoftware's Quality & Innovation (weight 0.23): Players appreciate FromSoftware's willingness to experiment with a new genre, delivering a high-quality, polished experience with excellent art, music, and narrative design. The game is seen as a successful evolution of their established formula, with many hoping its innovations will influence future titles. - Improved Elden Ring Experience (weight 0.2): The game is often seen as a more streamlined, faster-paced, and replayable version of Elden Ring, addressing some of the original's perceived flaws like lengthy exploration or build complexity. It condenses the core combat and progression into shorter, high-stakes sessions, making it a compelling companion piece for Elden Ring fans. - Strong Post-Launch Support (weight 0.1): Developers are praised for their frequent and meaningful updates, which include new content, enhanced bosses, QoL improvements, and balance changes. This ongoing support keeps the game fresh, addresses player feedback, and demonstrates a commitment to its long-term vitality. Common complaints: - Lack of Content and Repetitive Gameplay (weight 0.97): The game is widely criticized for its severe lack of content, including limited maps, enemy types, and overall variety. This leads to highly repetitive gameplay loops that quickly become boring and tedious, especially after the initial hours. Many players feel the game is unfinished, overpriced, and fails to deliver on the promise of a rich, replayable experience, often feeling like a 'cash grab' or a 'mod' rather than a full-fledged title. - Poor Multiplayer Experience (weight 0.64): The multiplayer aspect is severely hampered by frequent disconnections, unstable servers, and a lack of essential communication tools like voice or text chat. Playing with random teammates is often frustrating due to uncooperative behavior, early quitting, and skill disparities, which can ruin runs and lead to unfair penalties. The game's design often punishes solo players or those left behind by disconnected teammates, as boss scaling remains for a full party. - Problematic Relic and Loot Systems (weight 0.46): The relic system is heavily criticized for its excessive randomness, often providing useless or contradictory effects, and requiring an arduous grind for minimal impact. Many relics come with significant disadvantages, making build crafting difficult and unrewarding. Similarly, random weapon and loot drops frequently provide unsuitable items for a character's build, forcing players into suboptimal playstyles and making success feel overly dependent on luck rather than skill. - Unbalanced Difficulty and Steep Learning Curve (weight 0.26): The game presents an extremely high and often unfair difficulty, particularly in higher 'Depth of Night' modes, where enemies become 'one-shot' killers with inflated stats. This artificial difficulty, combined with a steep learning curve and a lack of in-game explanations, makes the game inaccessible and frustrating for new or casual players. The long run-back times after death exacerbate this issue, making trial-and-error costly and discouraging. - Flawed 'Deep of Night' Mode (weight 0.24): The 'Deep of Night' update is largely seen as a disappointment, primarily increasing difficulty through numerical stat inflation rather than introducing meaningful new content or mechanics. Players criticize its punishing scoring system, lack of worthwhile rewards, and how it exacerbates existing game issues like repetitive bosses and unbalanced character viability. Many feel it's a 'lazy' and 'unreasonable' attempt to extend gameplay. - Unsatisfying Solo Play Experience (weight 0.19): Solo play is generally considered more difficult, unbalanced, and less enjoyable than multiplayer. Many characters are not well-suited for solo runs, and the game's mechanics, such as boss HP scaling and revival systems, feel tuned for groups. This leads to a 'suffocating' and 'frustrating' experience for players who prefer to play alone, often requiring significant upgrades or specific character choices to be viable. - Ineffective Target Lock-On System (weight 0.14): The target lock-on system is widely regarded as broken and frustrating. It frequently locks onto unintended targets (minor enemies instead of bosses or allies), struggles with target switching, and often fails to accommodate enemy movement, leading to missed attacks or inability to revive teammates. This flaw significantly impacts combat fluidity and contributes to player deaths, especially in chaotic multiplayer scenarios. Gameplay feedback: - Roguelike Core Gameplay (weight 0.34): The game is fundamentally a roguelike, incorporating elements like randomized weapons, items, abilities, and map layouts. Each run offers a different experience, with players starting from scratch and relying on RNG for progression, blending Souls-like combat with a roguelike structure. - Fast-Paced, Time-Limited Runs (weight 0.33): Gameplay sessions are fast-paced and time-limited, typically lasting 30-50 minutes. Players are constantly rushed to explore, gather resources, level up, and defeat bosses before nightfall or a shrinking combat zone forces confrontation. This creates an intense, speedrun-like experience. - Predefined Characters and Classes (weight 0.24): Instead of traditional character creation, the game offers a roster of 8 predefined 'Nightfarer' characters, each with unique skills, stats, and playstyles. These characters represent different classes (e.g., melee, ranged, magic) and influence weapon preferences, encouraging players to adapt to their chosen hero's strengths. - Nightlord Final Bosses (weight 0.13): The ultimate objective of each expedition is to defeat a 'Nightlord' boss on the third day. Players choose from 8 unique Nightlords, each with distinct mechanics, and spend the preceding two days preparing by leveling up and gathering gear for these climactic battles. - Limited Map Variety with Shifting Earths (weight 0.08): The game features a single base map, but 'Shifting Earth' events introduce minor variations by altering a portion of the landscape with different environments (e.g., volcano, snowy mountain). While adding some variety, some players feel these changes are not substantial enough to significantly impact replayability. Performance notes: - Persistent Server and Connection Problems (weight 0.27): Players frequently experience disconnections, server lag, and general instability in online connectivity. These issues lead to interruptions during gameplay, including boss fights, and make the multiplayer experience frustrating due to rubber banding and delayed actions. - Widespread Performance Issues (weight 0.22): Many players report significant performance problems, including frequent FPS drops, stuttering, and crashes across various PC configurations and consoles. These issues often worsen during intense boss fights or after updates, making the game unstable for a large portion of the player base. - Improved Performance Post-Patches (weight 0.04): A smaller segment of players reports that performance and server optimization have improved significantly after certain patches. They note smoother gameplay, fewer crashes, and better connection stability compared to the game's initial state. Recommendations: - Multiplayer Enhances Experience (weight 0.68): Playing with friends significantly improves the game's enjoyment and manageability. While solo play is possible, it is often described as more frustrating, difficult, and less fun. Many reviewers strongly advise against playing solo or with random teammates due to coordination challenges. - Mixed Reception and Conditional Recommendation (weight 0.46): Overall sentiment is mixed, with many recommending the game but often with significant caveats regarding its difficulty, multiplayer focus, and current state. Some reviewers strongly advise against purchasing, especially for solo players or those new to the genre, while others enthusiastically recommend it. - Target Audience: Souls-like Veterans (weight 0.35): The game is highly recommended for experienced players of Souls-like games, especially Elden Ring, who seek a fast-paced, challenging, and often multiplayer-focused experience. It is generally not recommended for newcomers to the genre or those expecting a traditional, slow-paced RPG with deep exploration. - FromSoftware's Experimental Title (weight 0.31): The game is viewed as an experimental title from FromSoftware, diverging from their traditional Souls-like formula by incorporating roguelike and multiplayer elements. This experimentation is appreciated by some but criticized by others who feel it deviates too much from the core Souls experience or lacks the usual FromSoftware polish. - Future Content and Improvements Needed (weight 0.26): Many players express hope for future updates and DLC to address current issues, add more content (bosses, maps, characters, weapons), and refine existing mechanics. The game's current state is often seen as incomplete, with potential for significant improvement. Other player notes: - Developer Support & Future (weight 0.34): Players are hopeful for continuous updates and DLC to address current issues and expand content, seeing the game as a long-term project. There's a mix of appreciation for FromSoftware's experimentation and concern about their ability to manage a 'live-service' type game. - Asset Reuse & Lore (weight 0.19): The game extensively reuses assets from Elden Ring and other FromSoftware titles, which some see as fan service and others as a 'low-cost attempt' or 'asset flip.' The lore is generally appreciated for complementing the Elden Ring universe, though some wish for deeper emotional investment. - Gameplay Balance & Customization (weight 0.1): Players suggest various tweaks to improve gameplay, such as extending time limits, enhancing progression, and refining character/relic balance. There's a strong desire for more customization options for skills, weapons, and relics, including crafting systems and class-specific loot. Emotions: - Frustration (weight 0.23): Players are primarily frustrated by technical issues such as server problems, frequent disconnections, crashes, and poor optimization. Unfair game mechanics, including artificial difficulty, unbalanced relics/characters, harsh penalties for leaving (often due to technical issues), and a flawed rating system, also contribute significantly. The Deep of Night mode is a major source of frustration due to its extreme difficulty, grind, and design flaws. - Satisfaction (weight 0.18): Players find satisfaction in overcoming the game's significant challenges, especially in modes like Deep of Night, which provides a strong sense of accomplishment. The unique multiplayer experience, engaging gameplay loop, and well-designed characters contribute to an addictive and enjoyable experience. Many appreciate the game's experimental nature and its successful blend of Souls-like and roguelike elements. - Disappointment (weight 0.16): Disappointment stems from the game's perceived lack of content, repetitive maps, and asset reuse, leading to a feeling of unfulfilled potential. Many players feel the game fails to live up to FromSoftware's usual quality standards, particularly with updates like Deep of Night, which introduced more grind and stress without meaningful new content. Technical issues and poor design choices, especially for solo play, also contribute to this sentiment. - Excitement (weight 0.09): Excitement is driven by the prospect of continued challenging battles, the potential for diverse character builds, and the anticipation of future DLC and content updates. Players are thrilled by the game's fast-paced combat, unique Nightfarers, and the opportunity to fight epic bosses. The game's experimental nature and its ability to provide a fresh, addictive experience also generate significant enthusiasm. - Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Players enjoy the game's fast-paced, challenging gameplay and its unique blend of genres, especially when playing with friends. The diverse character options, engaging boss encounters, and the addictive core gameplay loop contribute to a fun and replayable experience. Many find the game becomes more enjoyable as they overcome initial difficulties and master its mechanics. - Anger (weight 0.06): Anger is directed at developers for perceived inaction against hackers, cheaters, and persistent technical issues like server problems and poor optimization. Players are also angered by unfair game design choices, including unbalanced bosses, 'idiotic' penalties for disconnects, and the overall poor quality of updates like Deep of Night. The feeling of wasted time and money due to these issues fuels strong negative reactions. - Hope (weight 0.03): Players express hope for future improvements, particularly for fixes to multiplayer issues, server stability, and overall game balance. There is a strong desire for more content, including new maps, bosses, and character customization options, often tied to anticipated DLC. Many believe FromSoftware will address existing problems and continue to expand the game's potential. - Joy (weight 0.02): Joy is primarily found in playing the game with friends, experiencing successful multiplayer coordination, and overcoming challenging mechanics together. Players find the game super fun, fresh, and deeply enjoyable, often leading to a sense of exhilaration from aggressive play and memorable social interactions. The game's replayability and character diversity also contribute to this positive emotion. - Addiction (weight 0.02): The game's highly engaging and replayable nature leads to addiction, with players often losing track of time and feeling a strong desire to play daily. The endless cycle of character enhancement, challenging runs, and the 'one more round' mentality contribute to its absorbing quality. Many describe the game as 'digital heroin' due to its compelling gameplay loop. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's unique approach to the Souls-like genre, its successful blend of roguelike elements, and the smart reuse of existing assets. There is strong appreciation for developer updates, quality-of-life changes, and the game's ability to provide a bite-sized yet challenging Elden Ring experience. The overall art direction, soundtrack, and boss quality are also highly valued. - Desire (weight 0.01): Players desire more content, including new bosses, maps, skins, and character customization options. There is a strong wish for further improvements to game balance, communication tools, and the resolution of persistent server issues. Many also express a desire for cross-play and a slower, more exploratory pace. - Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are pleasantly surprised by the game's unexpected depth, enjoyment, and addictive nature, often exceeding initial low expectations about its genre blend. The game's ability to 'train' players and the unexpected longevity of playtime also contribute to this surprise. The fitting implementation of the battle royale circle shrinking system in PvE is also noted. - Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arises from unexplained game mechanics, inconsistent pacing, and paradoxical design choices, especially regarding player progression and the mixed genre mode. Players often question the fun factor despite playing for long periods and are confused by in-game text errors and inconsistent boss behavior. The game's lore endings also contribute to this sentiment. - Anticipation (weight 0.01): Players anticipate future updates, DLC, and new content, including new monsters, weapons, and Nightfarers. There is a strong desire for a relic-crafting system and an official 'seamless deep night' mode. The prospect of new challenges and the next Souls title also fuels this anticipation. - Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by player behavior, such as random teammates choosing bad routes or quitting, and by specific boss mechanics and RNG. Inconvenient loot collection, changed controls, and repetitive exploration also contribute. Technical issues like Steam going offline and network stutters leading to death are significant sources of irritation. - Admiration (weight 0.01): Players admire FromSoftware's unique approach, bold design, and ability to surprise with impeccable level design and cinematic landscapes. The overall quality, art direction, ambiance, and soundtrack of the game are highly praised. Many view the game as an 'art piece' and a successful achievement in revitalizing Elden Ring in a co-op format. - Boredom (weight 0): Boredom is primarily caused by repetitive map variations, similar runs, and a lack of interesting items and randomization. The 'stuffy' and repetitive nature of boss fights, especially recycled ones, contributes to a monotonous gameplay loop after prolonged play. A lack of content variety also leads to this feeling. - Love (weight 0): Players express love for the game's unique collaborative experience, its combat, soundtrack, and core mechanics, often despite its flaws. There's a deep connection to characters and an appreciation for the developers. Initial positive feelings for Elden Ring and the game itself contribute to this strong affection. - Relief (weight 0): Relief is felt when initial anxieties about the game's release are betrayed, particularly by the absence of PVP multiplayer frustration and a chat function. Overcoming initial difficulties with random matchmaking and the fixing of performance issues and bugs also bring a sense of relief. Improvements made through game updates are also a source of this emotion. - Gratitude (weight 0): Players express gratitude towards the game for bringing them closer to family members (e.g., son) and creating happy memories. Gratitude is also extended to helpful players, good online/netcode, and the developers for addressing issues and adding features like a duo mode with separate balance.}