Elden Ring Nightreign Risks Self-Sabotage With a Single Decision

As FromSoftware gears up for its next big launch, Elden Ring Nightreign promises to bring a fresh twist to the Soulslike genre that the company has mastered so well. Historically, their games have been largely centered around a solo player experience with optional multiplayer elements, like limited co-op and PvP action. However, this latest installment aims to redefine that model by crafting a game designed specifically for collaborative play. It’s a bold step towards a new direction for the studio, but there’s one puzzling design choice that might hold it back.

Shifting towards a co-op focus isn’t entirely unexpected given the multiplayer popularity in Elden Ring, but the decision to eliminate the option for two-player sessions is certainly surprising. While encouraging larger groups to gather for Nightreign has its benefits, the absence of this quick duo setup—which was immensely popular in the original game—might leave many fans feeling shortchanged at its core.

FromSoftware has confirmed that Elden Ring Nightreign will stick to a strict structure, separating single-player and multiplayer modes quite distinctly.

If you’re planning to dive into Nightreign, you’ll need to team up with two other players or brave it alone. According to the director, this co-op approach with three players is designed to balance out the combat more effectively, especially with the game’s focus on repeating, procedurally generated cycles. However, if you decide to go solo, enemies and bosses will adapt their stats to match your solitary journey, mimicking the feel of previous FromSoft titles, albeit without the flexibility of varying party sizes that fans enjoyed in the first Elden Ring game.

This insistence on a trio format might alienate players who have relished FromSoftware’s co-op offerings in the past. A three-member team might enhance Nightreign’s challenges, but many gamers have fond memories of tackling Elden Ring as a pair. The joy of battling through daunting bosses alongside a friend—without the battles feeling unnecessarily extended due to health scaling—has been a significant draw. Sadly, it seems Nightreign is reducing its co-op options to a mere on-off switch for difficulty, possibly sidelining those who prefer more intimate gaming sessions.

By overlooking the appeal of two-player setups, FromSoft might be missing out on a natural fit for multiplayer experiences. Video games have become a wonderful way to bond, and cutting out the opportunity for duos is a questionable move. Given FromSoftware’s ability to balance for various player counts in past projects, it’s baffling why they chose not to do so here. Whether this deviation pays off in the long run remains to be seen, but it’s a gamble with significant implications.