Every Elden Ring Nightreign character has a passive, active skill, and ultimate art unique to their playstyle. The Executioner's skills make him a deflection master, for example. In the Recluse's case, both her Passive and Active abilities revolve around the Magic Cocktail system, which allows the Recluse to gain elemental affinities and spend them on powerful spells.

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The Affinity Residue system in Nightreign is not as confusing as it might seem at first, but there are a lot of Magic Cocktail combinations to memorize and take advantage of. This guide explains how the Magic Cocktail system works, and lists every Recluse spell in Nightreign that can be cast with all Affinity Residue and Magic Cocktail combinations.

How Does Magic Cocktail Work In Nightreign?

Recluse's Magic Cocktail & Affinity Residues, Explained

The Recluse can gather Affinity Residues from enemy targets to fuel her Magic Cocktail skill. To gather residue and cast Magic Cocktail, Nightreign players must press Triangle+L2 (PlayStation) or Y+LT (Xbox) while targeting an enemy who has recently been hit by Magic, Fire, Lightning, or Holy damage.

If it was recently hit by an attack that generated Affinity Residue, you should see a colored indicator encircling your targeting reticle. Press the input to absorb affinity, then the Recluse will absorb and add the residue to her collection. Absorbing residue restores a small amount of FP, and can be generated by your own and your allies' attacks.

There are four residues that the Recluse can harvest, each of which is generated when the enemy takes damage from a respective elemental source:

  • Magic, indicated with a BLUE target reticle
    • Generated by most Sorceries and Magic weapon damage

  • Fire, indicated with a RED target reticle
    • Generated by Fire spells and Fire weapon damage

  • Lightning, indicated with a YELLOW target reticle
    • Generated by some Incantations and Lightning weapon damage

  • Holy, indicated with a GOLD target reticle
    • Generated by some Incantations and Holy weapon damage

To cast Magic Cocktail, you must gather three residues in any combination – three of the same affinity, two of one and one of another, or three different affinities. Depending on the combination and type of Affinity Residues collected, the Recluse will be able to cast a variety of different spells.

Refer to the residue icons on the bottom of the screen to see which affinities you have collected and how many you currently possess. If all three circles are filled,

You can cast Magic Cocktail with the same input used to gather residues – Triangle+L2 on PlayStation, Y+LT on Xbox.

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Once Magic Cocktail has been cast, your total Affinity Residue count will reset, and you will have to harvest more residues to cast more Magic Cocktail spells. Nightreign players must carefully manage their resources as one of the only ways the Recluse can restore FP is to collect residue. If you run out of FP, you will have to hope an ally generates a residue you can harvest and get back into the fight.

All Single Magic Cocktail Spells

Single Magic Cocktail spells require the Recluse to gather 3x of the same Affinity Residue.

Pure Magic

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Single Pure Magic

  • Enwreath an enemy in maic that deals damage for some time, encircling and attacking the target.

    Affinity Requirements: 3x Magic residue

Pure Fire

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Single Pure Fire

  • Throw a whirlwind of flame. Flame spreads across a small area upon contact, and burns for some time.

    Affinity Requirements: 3x Fire residue

Pure Lightning

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Single Pure Lightning

  • Enwreathe oneself in lightning, bolstering dodging actions.

    Affinity Requirements: 3x Lightning residue

Pure Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Single Pure Holy

  • Enwreathe oneself in holy light, bordering poise and increasing damage negation

    Affinity Requirements: 3x Holy residue

All Double Residue Magic Cocktail Spells

Double Magic Cocktail spells require a mix of two different Affinity Residues: 2x of one residue, 1x of another.

Magic/Fire

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Magic Fire

  • Launch a wraith flame that pursues enemies

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Magic and Fire residues

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Magic/Lightning

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Magic Lightning

  • Execute broad forward slash with magic blade. Hold to move with sword drawn.

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Magic and Lightning residues

Magic/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Magic Holy

  • Cover nearby area with a magic veil, fully conserving FP for self and allies for a short time.

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Magic and Holy residues

Fire/Lightning

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Fire Lightning

  • Become a fireball and barrel forward, raining lightning on nearby foes.

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Fire and Lightning residues

Fire/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Fire Holy

  • Raise a torch for a limited time that raises max HP and reduces status ailment gauge buildup for nearby allies, and lowers max HP of nearby enemies

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Fire and Holy residues

Lightning/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Double Lightning Holy

  • Weave a layer of lightning that parries enemy attacks for a short time.

    Affinity Requirements: any combination of Lightning and Holy residues

All Triple Residue Magic Cocktail Spells

Triple Magic Cocktail spells require one Affinity Residue from three different elements (1x of each)

Magic/Fire/Lightning

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Triple Magic Fire Lightning

  • Conjure frontwards exploding gravity orb. Gravity orb pulls enemies inward, expands, and explodes, inflicting heavy damage.

    Affinity Requirements: 1x Magic, 1x Fire, and 1x Lightning residue

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Magic/Fire/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Triple Magic Fire Holy

  • Spew a mixed affinity breath that inflicts damage upon enemies, and restores HP and FP of allies with contact.

    Affinity Requirements: 1x Magic, 1x Fire, and 1x Holy residue

Fire/Lightning/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Triple Fire Lightning Holy

  • Create lightning rod and thrust forward into terrain. White lightning strikes rod after a short delay.

    Affinity Requirements: 1x Fire, 1x Lightning, and 1x Holy residue

Magic/Lightning/Holy

  • Elden Ring Nightreign Magic Cocktail Combinations Affinity Residue Recluse Spells Triple Magic Lightning Holy

  • Create cold storm with area effect and retreat inside ice block, gaining invulnerability

    Affinity Requirements: 1x Magic, 1x Lightning, and 1x Holy residue

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Elden Ring Nightreign Tag Page Cover Art
Elden Ring Nightreign
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9 /10
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Released
May 30, 2025
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Developer(s)
From Software
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op
Number of Players
1-3
Genre(s)
Action RPG, Soulslike, Roguelite
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