My Elden Ring Nightreign Journey: Mistakes I Won't Make Again

So I've been diving deep into Elden Ring Nightreign since it dropped, and wow, what a refreshing twist on the Souls formula! Unlike the original Elden Ring that I sank hundreds of hours into, this one's got us racing against the clock, gathering resources, and trying to survive three nights before facing those intimidating Nightlords. It's 2025, and FromSoftware has somehow managed to reinvent themselves yet again.

I remember my first expedition like it was yesterday - completely clueless, making rookie mistakes left and right. My teammates probably wanted to throw their controllers at me (and honestly, I wouldn't blame them).

Weapon Matching Matters

The first thing I learned the hard way? Just because you can wield any weapon doesn't mean you should. I was playing as the Recluse, excited about her high Intelligence and Faith stats, perfect for spellcasting. But what did I do? Grabbed the biggest, heaviest greatsword I could find and wondered why I was getting absolutely demolished.

Her strength is rated a measly D! No wonder I could barely swing the thing! Now I always check my hero's attributes before planning my build. It seems obvious in retrospect, but in the heat of the moment, that shiny new weapon can be so tempting...

Sharing is Caring (No, Really)

I'll admit it - I was that selfish player at first. "Ooh, a rare talisman! Mine!" Even though it boosted strength and I was playing a magic-focused character. Meanwhile, my poor teammate was desperate for exactly that kind of boost.

The ping system is there for a reason! Now I make it a habit to ping items that might benefit my teammates better than me. Our collective survival rate has improved dramatically since I stopped being a loot goblin. Sometimes I still struggle with giving up that perfect weapon, though. Old habits die hard, you know?

The Night's Tide Waits for No One

There's nothing quite like the panic of realizing you've lost track of time while fighting a boss, and suddenly that Fortnite-style storm (the Night's Tide) is breathing down your neck. It happened during my second expedition - we were so close to defeating this mini-boss when I noticed the map shrinking.

"Just one more hit!" I kept saying. Well, that "one more hit" cost me all my runes and a level. The Night's Tide damage might seem manageable until you're at low health with no flasks left. Now I always keep one eye on the timer. Better to retreat and live than lose everything to stubbornness.

Churches: Not Just for Prayer

This one blew my mind. I spent my first two expeditions completely ignoring the churches scattered across the map. "Who has time for sightseeing?" I thought, rushing from boss to boss.

Turns out those churches give you MORE FLASKS! 🤦‍♂️

Now I make churches a priority stop. The extra healing has saved our team countless times, especially during those nail-biting third night encounters. My checklist now looks like:

1. Spawn in

2. Find nearest church

3. Then worry about bosses

The Mines: Double Value

Speaking of locations I used to ignore - the mines! These underground areas serve two crucial purposes:

• Source of Smithing Stones (weapon upgrades)

• Fast travel tunnels across the map

I used to waste so much time running across the landscape, dodging enemies, when I could have just zipped through a mine tunnel. Plus, those weapon upgrades make a massive difference in your damage output.

The mines can be a bit confusing at first with their labyrinthine layouts, but the time saved is worth the initial confusion.

Passive Weapons in Your Pocket

Here's a trick I only learned after dozens of runs: you don't need to actively wield a weapon to benefit from its passive abilities! Unless there's a red hand icon next to the passive description, that benefit works just by having it in your inventory.

My inventory now looks like a walking armory - not because I'm indecisive, but because I'm strategically carrying weapons with complementary passive bonuses. It's like having multiple buffs running simultaneously without needing to switch equipment constantly.

Know Your Enemy's Weakness

I used to jump into expeditions without any plan. Big mistake. Each Nightlord has a specific damage type they're vulnerable to, and exploiting this can make the final confrontation significantly easier.

Now I check the Nightlord's vulnerability before starting and plan our route accordingly. If we're facing a Nightlord weak to magic damage, I know we should prioritize finding magic weapons and spells early on.

This simple pre-game check gives us direction from the moment we spawn in, rather than running around aimlessly.

Stick Together, Survive Longer

My biggest facepalm moment? When our team couldn't agree on a direction and split up. "I'll meet you guys at the castle!" were my last words before getting absolutely destroyed by a group of enemies I couldn't handle solo.

Even if you're a Souls veteran with reflexes like lightning, Nightreign punishes lone wolves. The game is balanced around team play, and enemies go down much faster when focused by multiple players. Plus, if one person gets low, teammates can draw aggro while they heal.

There's a special kind of frustration when you die alone, knowing it could have been avoided if you'd just stuck with your team.

Finding Balance in Chaos

The beauty of Elden Ring Nightreign is how it forces you to make quick decisions with limited information. Every expedition feels different, requiring on-the-fly adaptation and team coordination.

I'm still learning new strategies with each run. Sometimes I wonder - is there an optimal path through each night, or is the game's randomness designed to ensure no perfect strategy exists? What do you think: should we be trying to optimize our routes, or is embracing the chaos part of what makes Nightreign special? 🤔

Comprehensive reviews can be found on Kotaku, which is renowned for its critical analysis and firsthand impressions of major game releases. Kotaku's recent coverage of Elden Ring Nightreign delves into how its time-based mechanics and cooperative play are reshaping player expectations, emphasizing the importance of team synergy and strategic resource management for survival through the game's challenging nights.