How Elden Ring Nightreign changed bosses

Though in many ways similar to the original Elden Ring, the upcoming standalone expansion Elden Ring Nightreign looks different, causing some to fear it might pale when compared to the rest of FromSoftware's works. Prolific Elden Ring Youtuber Zullie The Witch has released a video showing things are actually going pretty well — at least when it comes to bosses — as FromSoftware seems to have once again messed with the formula and perfectly adapted it to the game's new core system. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWblAIfGWW0 Nightreign is primarily meant as a cooperative experience. This means the boss experience could be hindered because the original bosses would easily be outsmarted and obliterated by a team of three thinking minds. Either that or the studio could be forced to buff the bosses into absolute sword sponges that would make their encounters fun for no one. That's not the case, as Nightreign features an evolved boss experience, one with the co-op factor in mind. In short, the new boss encounters featured in the beta feel less like typical Souls bosses and more like bosses from an MMO that require Souls knowledge and skills to beat. Boss encounters won't necessarily feature just one enemy but rather a main enemy accompanied by soldiers or wave spawns that will require players to adapt their approach to battle. One of the Souls series' greatest achievements was the reinvention of the video game boss. Out of nowhere, the tired trope of the simply bigger enemy waiting for you at the end of the level became one of the most memorable parts of the game due to the mechanical complexity and variety of FromSoft's bosses. Also, they now could be popping up anywhere. Nightreign aims at a different Souls experience, one focused on a kind of co-op play also inspired by Battle Royale and Roguelite titles. If that sounds confusing, that's probably just a sign that FromSoftware is again seriously tinkering with our conception of games, and that seems like a good thing. Elden Ring Nightreign comes out on May 30 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The post How Elden Ring Nightreign changed bosses appeared first on Destructoid.

Feb 23, 2025 - 20:52

How Elden Ring Nightreign changed bosses

Though in many ways similar to the original Elden Ring, the upcoming standalone expansion Elden Ring Nightreign looks different, causing some to fear it might pale when compared to the rest of FromSoftware's works.

Prolific Elden Ring Youtuber Zullie The Witch has released a video showing things are actually going pretty well — at least when it comes to bosses — as FromSoftware seems to have once again messed with the formula and perfectly adapted it to the game's new core system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWblAIfGWW0

Nightreign is primarily meant as a cooperative experience. This means the boss experience could be hindered because the original bosses would easily be outsmarted and obliterated by a team of three thinking minds. Either that or the studio could be forced to buff the bosses into absolute sword sponges that would make their encounters fun for no one.

That's not the case, as Nightreign features an evolved boss experience, one with the co-op factor in mind. In short, the new boss encounters featured in the beta feel less like typical Souls bosses and more like bosses from an MMO that require Souls knowledge and skills to beat. Boss encounters won't necessarily feature just one enemy but rather a main enemy accompanied by soldiers or wave spawns that will require players to adapt their approach to battle.

One of the Souls series' greatest achievements was the reinvention of the video game boss. Out of nowhere, the tired trope of the simply bigger enemy waiting for you at the end of the level became one of the most memorable parts of the game due to the mechanical complexity and variety of FromSoft's bosses. Also, they now could be popping up anywhere.

Nightreign aims at a different Souls experience, one focused on a kind of co-op play also inspired by Battle Royale and Roguelite titles. If that sounds confusing, that's probably just a sign that FromSoftware is again seriously tinkering with our conception of games, and that seems like a good thing.

Elden Ring Nightreign comes out on May 30 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The post How Elden Ring Nightreign changed bosses appeared first on Destructoid.