Elden Ring Nightreign Might Be Shooting Itself In the Foot…

As the next major release by FromSoftware, Elden Ring Nightreign is set to be a trailblazing innovator within the Soulslike space that the developer pioneered. While previous titles have all been billed primarily as single-player outings which featured optional multiplayer components in the form of limited co-op and PvP interactions, the follow-up to Elden Ring will be based entirely around expanding the experience to be shared among a group. Being designed from the ground up as a title outside the solo formula of past releases could make Elden Ring Nightreign the next evolution for the studio, but one odd limitation to its design could ultimately get in the way.

It's not entirely surprising that FromSoft opted to shift its focus toward a co-op game following the success of Elden Ring's multiplayer gameplay, but the reveal that sessions with just two players won't be possible is an unexpected decision. Although there's a strength to promoting groups gathering for Nightreign, the reality of the restrictions eliminating what has become one of the most convenient ways to pick up the original ER could end up leaving many fans disappointed with the game's core premise.

For Elden Ring Nightreign to Work, FromSoftware Must Address The Elephant in the Room

Elden Ring: Nightreign is offering a co-op spin-off of the hit game, but an ongoing Elden Ring problem needs to be fixed first.

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By LB Beistad

Elden Ring Nightreign is Confirmed to Be Strictly Limited Between Single-player and Multiplayer Modes

Players Will Need a Group of Three Unless They Plan on Going Solo

In an interview with the title's director conducted shortly after its announcement, it was stated that Elden Ring Nightreign has restricted co-op which is only available with a full party of three people. This is apparently due to the benefits of such a structure on the balancing of the game's combat, with this player count said to be ideal for managing the challenges of the game's alleged cyclical, procedurally generated focus.

If a player chooses to approach Elden Ring Nightreign's three-day cycle without any friends assisting them, the stats of enemies and bosses are said to be adjusted accordingly. This makes it possible to play through the game in the same format as prior FromSoft releases, all while somehow lacking the flexibility of the varying party sizes possible in the first ER.

The Three-Player Structure of Elden Ring Nightreign Risks Alienating Fans of FromSoftware's Co-Op

Elden Ring Has Always Shined as a Two-Player Experience

Although a full team of three has been alleged to be the "sweet spot" of Nightreign's challenge, the same could technically be said for the experience of playing as a duo in Elden Ring. By allowing allies to work together against challenging bosses without health scaling making them feel like bloated encounters, the original title established just how compelling going through much of the title with another person can be. That loss of nuance in Elden Ring Nightreign seemingly reduces it to a binary set of choices between a harder or easier difficulty tied to choosing co-op or not, and possibly leaves a sizable chunk of the player base who enjoy more personal sessions behind.

FromSoft May Be Ignoring The Fact That Pairs Are a Natural Fit for Multiplayer Gaming

The prospect of a Soulslike game ditching an emphasis on single-player holds major potential at its core, but leaving two-player connections out of that dynamic could genuinely amount to a wasted opportunity. With video games increasingly having become a medium for bonding in all sorts of relationships, losing out on the rapport of a familiar duo hardly seems worth optimizing around more people. It would seem logical that FromSoft is just as capable of balancing Elden Ring Nightreign around co-op between two people if it has done so for other configurations, but for whatever reason, it has not. It remains unknown whether this experiment will pay off in the end.

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