If you’ve made it this far, you already know: Elden Ring Nightreign is tough. Brutally tough—so much so that our Nightreign review describes it as “a sadistic tormentor.” (Said with affection, naturally.) Defeating the Nightlord at the end of your run requires balancing level-ups, weapon enhancements, and elemental vulnerabilities—all while outrunning a relentless inferno. No big deal.
These Elden Ring Nightreign tips are here to help demystify the game’s mechanics and arm you with solid strategies for your next attempt. I’ll begin with key priorities for your first two days, then share broader advice to keep in mind as you hunt down the Nightlord.
Flask Charges Are Lifesavers—Grab Them Early
Unless you’re among the elite few who can breeze through Soulslikes without taking a single hit, you’re going to get hurt in Nightreign—a lot. Given how brutally Limveld’s bosses hit, your sacred healing flask will be working overtime. Fortunately, you can boost your max flask charges by visiting Churches of Marika, marked in gold on your map if you haven’t been there yet.
A smart way to kick off a Nightreign run is to scan your map for the nearest church while descending. Land, clear out the nearby enemies (which usually drop enough runes for an early level-up and some gear), then sprint straight to that first flask upgrade. In our experience, securing two extra flask charges by the end of day one gives you a much-needed safety net for the battles ahead.
Focus on Forts and Great Churches for Early Power Spikes
Once you’ve secured extra flasks, your next priority should be raiding Forts and Great Churches. These locations feature relatively easy early-game bosses that offer solid upgrades and loot with minimal risk.
Most Forts follow a predictable layout:
- Lower level: Three chests with useful early-game gear.
- Ramparts upstairs: A knight boss guarding another chest, which almost always contains a Stonesword Key—letting your team unlock an Evergaol and challenge its boss.
Great Churches are equally rewarding:
- Either a boss fight on the main floor or a basement dungeon (accessed via a breakable floor) with a guaranteed incantation seal drop from the altar.
- High chance of finding Stonesword Keys in altar chests, plus additional hidden chests tucked away in the rafters.
Clearing just a couple of these early can give your run a major advantage.
The Duchess: Your Must-Have Early Unlock
Of Nightreign‘s two unlockable characters, the Duchess stands out as an absolute powerhouse. While she excels with dexterity-based weapons, her true game-changer is the Restage ability—which replicates a portion of all damage dealt to enemies in the last few seconds. With an extremely short cooldown, she essentially turns your team’s attacks into free bonus damage on loop.
Why She’s Broken
- Elemental Synergy: Restage preserves elemental damage and status effects, letting your squad double down on a boss’s weakest resistance.
- Early Access: You can unlock her immediately by defeating the first expedition boss—no grinding required.
Don’t sleep on the Duchess. Once she’s in your roster, every fight becomes exponentially easier.
Don’t Underestimate Ranged Weapons—Even for Melee Builds
Nightreign bosses don’t play fair. Nightlords zip across arenas, leap out of reach, and unleash relentless combos—making life miserable for close-range fighters. While stacking a squad with three Ironeyes can cheese some encounters by raining down arrows from safety, you don’t need to be a dedicated archer to benefit from ranged options.
Why Every Hero Should Pack a Bow
- Cover Weaknesses: Struggling to close the gap? Even a basic bow lets you chip away at bosses safely during chaotic phases.
- Pressure from Any Range: A few well-placed shots can interrupt enemy attacks or finish off low-health targets when diving in would be suicidal.
- No Downsides: There’s zero penalty for carrying a ranged weapon as backup. If a fight turns into a chasing game, you’ll be glad you have the option.
BTW: Always keep a bow handy—even your beefiest melee character will thank you when the Nightlord won’t stand still.
Pro Tip: Press Y to Preview Area Loot (Xbox Controller)
In Nightreign, different zones specialize in specific gear types—Great Churches guarantee incantation seals, Camps stockpile bows, and Arcane Towers hoard sorcery staves. But memorizing every loot table is tedious.
Here’s the shortcut:
- Open your map and press Y (Xbox controller) to reveal zone-specific loot icons.
- Instantly see which areas drop the weapons/spells your squad needs—no guesswork.
Why It Matters:
When the death circle shrinks and you’re racing against time, this trick lets you prioritize high-value zones without wasting a step. (PC players: Check keybindings for the equivalent input.)
Example: Need a seal for your Duchess? Filter for gold church icons and go. Simple as that.
Secure Smithing Stones for Guaranteed Upgrades
If your squad has solid blue-tier weapons but hasn’t scored any powerful purple drops, kick off day two by raiding a Mining Tunnel. These are scattered across the map, so you’ll usually have one nearby when the second day begins.
What to Expect Inside:
- A boss (troll, knight, or pumpkin head) that always drops a Smithing Stone (2).
- Use these at merchant anvils to upgrade blue weapons to purple, boosting their stats significantly.
Why It’s Worth It:
- Turns decent weapons into endgame-ready gear—no RNG required.
- Lets you tailor upgrades to exploit boss weaknesses (or just keep your favorite weapon viable).
Pro Tip: Even if you do find a purple weapon later, upgraded blues often compete stat-wise—so don’t skip this!
Master Charged Abilities for Maximum Impact
Nightreign may twist Elden Ring‘s formula, but it keeps FromSoftware’s trademark depth—including hidden mechanics many players miss. Case in point: Most character abilities gain extra power when charged.
Abilities With Hidden Charge Potential:
- Guardian’s Whirlwind
- Wylder’s Pile Bunker Ult
- Raider’s Headbutt
Pro Tip: Before your next run, test your kit in the Roundtable Hold’s sparring ground. Hold down ability buttons to discover longer staggers, bigger AoEs, or bonus damage you’ve been leaving on the table.
Ultimate Revives: A Clutch Team Save
Need to resurrect a teammate mid-chaos? Ults aren’t just for damage—any ability that deals damage (yes, even ults) can revive downed allies.
Why It’s Broken:
- Invincibility frames during ults let you safely revive in boss AoEs.
- Wylder’s grappling hook ult is perfect for this—zoom to allies and blast them awake.
Remember: Sacrificing ult damage hurts, but a dead team deals zero DPS. Prioritize survival when things go sideways!
Murk Gambling: Fast-Track Your Relic Grind
Relics are Nightreign’s endgame progression system—colored gems that grant permanent stat boosts and expedition modifiers when slotted into your Grail. But since expedition rewards drop random relics, building an ideal set can feel painfully slow.
Enter the Small Jar Bazaar
Located in Roundtable Hold, this merchant offers two options:
- Purchase fixed relics with Murk (earned from expeditions).
- Gamble Murk for random relics—same RNG as expedition rewards, but instant.
Why Bother?
- No waiting: Get extra rolls in seconds instead of grinding full runs.
- Target farm: Even bad relics can be dismantled for upgrade materials.
Trade-Off: Blowing all your Murk on relics means missing out on slick cosmetic unlocks. Choose wisely—power or drip?
Pro Tip: Early on, prioritize relic gambling to snowball your power. Save fashion for later!
Weapon Passives Work From Your Inventory (Mostly)
When you pick up a weapon in Nightreign, it comes with randomized passive bonuses like “increased ranged damage” or “damage reduction at full HP.” Here’s the key:
- Most passives apply even if the weapon is just sitting in your inventory. This lets you stack bonuses across multiple weapons to tailor your build.
- Example: A Raider dual-wielding greatclubs gets even stronger if their backpack is full of “two-handed weapon damage+” passives.
Exception: If a passive has a small hand icon, it only works when actively wielded. Always check before swapping weapons!
Cataclysms: High Risk, Questionable Reward
Those blue/green circles on the map? Those are Cataclysms, and they’re brutal:
- All enemies inside get buffed HP/damage.
- Phantom Nightfarers invade, hunting you down like elite NPC hunters.
Rewards? Unreliable.
- Killing phantoms drops upgraded versions of their default weapons—but no guarantee they’ll fit your build or boss weakness.
Our Verdict:
- Avoid early/mid-run unless your squad is overleveled and coordinated.
- Late-game? Maybe worth a gamble if you’re desperate for upgrades.
Better Option: Stick to Mining Tunnels, Great Churches, or Evergaols for safer, more consistent power spikes.
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