Nightreign's Relic System: Transforming Ironeye's Archery Prowess in 2025's Most Anticipated Game

The gaming world has been set ablaze with the release of Nightreign, potentially the final chapter in the beloved Elden Ring saga. Players worldwide are diving into this familiar yet refreshingly different experience that demands a steep learning curve to fully appreciate its intricacies. Among the game's innovative additions is the sophisticated relic system that provides upgrades outside of standard gameplay, augmenting character abilities, starting items, and base stats in ways that fundamentally transform the player experience.

The Revolutionary Relic System

Relics in Nightreign come in various forms, each with distinctive colors that determine which slots they can occupy in a Nightfarer's loadout. What makes this system particularly compelling is its persistence through failure—even when players don't complete a run, they retain access to powerful buffs that can dramatically alter their interaction with the environment and significantly boost their chances of success in subsequent attempts.

As an avid archer main myself, I've found Ironeye to be one of the most captivating characters in the roster. This long-range specialist brings unparalleled utility to battles, and certain relic effects synergize beautifully with this playstyle, creating a truly exhilarating combat experience that rewards tactical positioning and precision.

Supportive Blue Relics: Team Players Rejoice

Drizzly scenes, while limited in accessibility for Ironeye with only two compatible vessels, offer remarkable supportive capabilities:

• Defeating enemies restores HP for allies (not self)

• Flask also heals allies

• Increased rune acquisition for self and allies

These effects are absolute game-changers when facing the more formidable Nightlords. The passive healing mechanic has saved my team countless times during intense encounters, allowing for more aggressive positioning without constant retreats. Having played over 200 hours already, I can confidently say that the extra runes gained from these relics create a snowball effect that puts players ahead of the difficulty curve at crucial moments.

Night of the Baron: The Critical Specialist

This powerful blue-slot relic elevates Ironeye's critical hit potential with:

• Improved Critical Hits +1

• Art gauge fills moderately upon a critical hit

• Critical Hit Boosts Stamina Recovery Speed

The synergy between these effects is simply magnificent. During my Nightlord runs, I've found myself constantly weaving between long-range critical strikes and close-quarters power shots, creating a rhythm of combat that feels both strategic and viscerally satisfying. The stamina recovery boost in particular transforms what would be risky maneuvers into calculated aggression.

Night of the Wise: Poison Perfection

This relic transforms Ironeye from archer to toxic terror with:

• Increased Maximum FP

• Starting armament inflicts poison

• Poison & Rot in Vicinity Increases Attack Power

I've absolutely fallen in love with this relic during my playthroughs. The ability to apply poison from safe distances completely trivializes certain encounters that would otherwise require perfect dodge timing. When combined with Ironeye's multishot ability, you can rapidly stack poison effects on multiple targets simultaneously, creating a domino effect of damage that clears entire areas with minimal risk.

Stat-Boosting Red Relics: Consistency is Key

Sometimes simplicity trumps complexity, and these red relics provide straightforward but essential benefits:

• Endurance +(1-3)

• Improved Poise & Damage Negation When Knocked Back

• Dexterity +(1-3)

The Dexterity boost is particularly crucial for Ironeye, as I've noticed approximately 8-10% damage increases per point at lower levels. What truly surprised me was how valuable the poise effect became during later expeditions—those moments when an unexpected hit would normally spell doom now become opportunities to counter-attack with enhanced defenses.

Green Relics: Pure Damage Amplification

For players seeking pure offensive power, green relics deliver with:

1. Improved Bow Attack Power

2. Improved Stance-Breaking when Two-Handing

3. Physical Attack Up +(1-2)

These effects create what I consider the ultimate glass cannon build for Ironeye. During my nighttime gaming sessions, I've found myself repeatedly drawn to this setup when facing particularly challenging bosses. The stance-breaking improvement is surprisingly effective, allowing for critical openings that wouldn't otherwise exist with a ranged character.

Cracked Sealing Wax: Ironeye's Signature Relic

Ironeye's remembrance-specific relic offers specialized benefits:

• Extends the duration of the weak point

• Critical Hits Earn Runes

This relic has completely changed my approach to boss encounters. The extended weak point duration creates these wonderful windows of opportunity where every shot feels impactful and strategic. The rune generation from critical hits creates a virtuous cycle of progression that feels incredibly rewarding. Despite offering only two effect slots, the power level is so high that I find myself returning to this relic for nearly every serious expedition.

Night of the Miasma: Frost and Stealth

This unique relic offers an intriguing combination of effects:

• Nearby Frostbite Conceals Self

• Changes compatible armament's skill to Chilling Mist

• Attack power up when facing frostbite-afflicted enemies

While the skill change doesn't apply to bows, the remaining effects create a fascinating playstyle that I've dubbed the "Frost Shadow" approach. The stealth component is particularly valuable in the Crimson Wastes area, where enemy density can quickly overwhelm players. I've spent countless hours perfecting this build, and while it requires more setup than others, the payoff in both survivability and damage output is substantial.

Yellow Relics: Skill Mastery

For players who love ability-focused gameplay, yellow relics provide:

• Defeating enemies fills more of the Arts gauge

• Ultimate Arts Gauge +(1-2)

• Character Skill Cooldown Reduction +(1-3)

These effects transform Ironeye into what I can only describe as an ability-spamming machine. The skill cooldown reduction in particular feels almost broken at times, allowing for near-constant application of Ironeye's powerful utility and damage abilities. When combined with the Cracked Sealing Wax, you can maintain weakness debuffs on multiple enemies simultaneously while still having skills available for emergency situations.

The Future of Nightreign: My Personal Outlook

As someone who has devoted hundreds of hours to mastering Ironeye and exploring the relic system, I can't help but feel that we're only scratching the surface of what's possible. The community is still discovering powerful combinations daily, and I personally believe we'll see the meta evolve dramatically over the next few months.

If FromSoftware follows their usual pattern, we can expect DLC expansions that will introduce even more relic types and effects, potentially creating entirely new archetypes for characters like Ironeye. I'm particularly excited about the possibility of hybrid builds becoming more viable, perhaps allowing Ironeye to incorporate some close-range capabilities without sacrificing their archery prowess.

The depth of Nightreign's relic system represents a fascinating evolution of FromSoftware's design philosophy, creating a game that rewards experimentation while still preserving the challenging core that fans have come to love. Whether you're a veteran of the Elden Ring saga or a newcomer to the franchise, Ironeye's relic possibilities offer a compelling reason to dive into what might be the most refined entry in the series to date.

For now, I'll be continuing my quest to perfect the ultimate Ironeye build—somewhere between the poison potential of Night of the Wise and the critical supremacy of the Cracked Sealing Wax lies a combination that will truly break the game wide open. And finding it is half the fun. 🏹✨