While FromSoftware remains mum on newElden Ring Nightreigninformation, leaked footage has provided the first glimpse of a playable character that wasn’t featured in the Closed Network Test and hasn’t been seen in trailers or other official promo material.Nightreign’s Closed Network Test provided a very limited peek at the game, including only a single variation of the map, some of thenew and returning bosses, and only allowing players to use four of eight Nightfarers: Wylder, Duchess, Guardian, and Recluse.
Leaked gameplay footage has now surfaced about two and a half months ahead ofElden Ring Nightreign’s releaseon May 30, showing off one of the four yet-to-be-revealed Nightfarers. The character’s name is still unknown, and the footage itself is short, blurry, and overlaid with large text. Regardless, the gameplay is quite illuminating, and will likely be of interest to those hoping toplayNightreignsolo. The co-op game is designed for teams of three, but solo play is possible, even if duos are oddly not.
Elden Ring Nightreign’s Spirit Ash Summoner Has Leaked
I Don’t Think The Mimic Tear Is In Their Repertoire
Despite only four Nightfarers having been officially revealed,a character whose playstyle revolves around Spirit Ash summons has been known about sinceNightreign’s announcement. In an interview withIGN,Nightreigndirector Junya Ishizaki had the following to say when asked if Spirit Ashes could be found in the game:
They do exist in some capacity but it’s a little different to how they played in Elden Ring. […] So there are going to be eight playable characters in the final game and one of those characters uses a Spirit Ash sort of spiritual buddy as a gameplay mechanic.
The leaked gameplay clips seem to have revealed them as a character clad entirely in ghostly white, mimicking their Spirit Ash companion, a giant skeleton whose torso juts out from the ground. This “spiritual buddy” looks to be avariant of the Giant Skeletons seen inElden Ring. These spirits are typically summoned by Tibia Mariner bosses or a specificvariant ofElden Ring’s Albinaurics.
Oddly, the leaker has been posting conflicting and incorrect information, leading many to believe they are not the person actually playing the leaked footage.
With the limited footage, it’s unclear if this is the only summon available. It’s also not quite clear how exactly this character’s Ultimate ability works; in both clips it powers up the Giant Skeleton, but the subsequent Ghostflame attacks appear to be slightly different. Perhaps more interestingly, though,one video seems to confirm the return of the Dancer of the Boreal Valley, a well-liked boss fromDark Souls 3. She appears to be an end-of-day boss, but it’s possible she could be an invasion boss as well, just like the Fell Omen in theNightreignNetwork Test build.
Spirit Ashes Could Make This Character The Go-To For Solo Runs
There’s Power In Numbers
Much ofElden Ring Nightreign’s solo play remains a mystery, as entering Limveld alone wasn’t possible in the Close Network Test. It seems likely that the difficulty will be scaled somehow, but with the game designed for teams of three, simply going alone is going to drastically alter the experience. Co-op has long been a way to ease the difficulty in FromSoftware games, because even with scaled boss health,having multiple players to share enemies' attention is a huge boon.
For boss fights especially, it’s much easier to disengage and heal while co-op partners are distracting the boss. For this reason alone, this leaked summoner character is an interesting candidate for solo runs;the Giant Skeleton summon appears to be doing respectable damage to the Dancer and a dragon, at least enough to draw their attention in combat. There’s no doubt that exceptionally talentedNightreignplayers will emerge and complete solo runs with each character, but being able to call in companions yourself is an attractive idea.
Now That I’ve Played Nightreign, I’ve Changed My Mind About FromSoft’s Limitations
Elden Ring Nightreign manages to be the same and completely different from Elden Ring, and FromSoftware has created something very unique.
I find it unlikely thatNightreignwill featureElden Ring’s Mimic Tear, butother powerful Spirit Ashesprove that even more generic summons can turn the tide of difficult encounters. While a single Giant Skeleton might not be so effective against Gladius,Nightreign’s Cerberus-like dog boss that splits into three, many lesser boss fights and group skirmishes are rather straightforward numbers games – it’s immensely helpful to have more than just one person.
It’s interesting that FromSoftware has seemingly chosen to limit Spirit Ash summons to a single character, rather than adapting them into the random loot pool systems ofNightreign. This alone may elevate this leaked character to be among the most enticing solo run options. It’s certainly a fun concept, and I think it’ll help reinforce the separate playstyles of each Nightfarer, but with such blurry, short footage, it’ll be impossible to tell how effective this character really is untilElden Ring Nightreignlaunches.
