Although it looks extremely promising, it’s hard to say thatElden Ring Nightreignis a predictable FromSoftware release. The upcoming co-op roguelike seemingly stands in fundamental opposition to much of what the famed studio is known for: bespoke, tightly organized,single-player experiences like those ofDark Souls,Bloodborne, and, of course,Elden Ringitself.
FromSoftware has made it clear thatElden Ring Nightreigncan be enjoyed solo, but its central identity as a cooperative multiplayer game might still raise some eyebrows. InNightreign, players can assume one of several character archetypes, each with pre-baked stats and abilities that can be augmented or improved over the course of a given run. This roster features the expected FromSoftware weirdness (one character is an inexplicable bird-human hybrid, for instance), but it mostly seems to adhere to traditional action-RPG classes like mage, tank, and rogue. This swing at character synergy within a co-op framework begs an essential question: willElden Ring Nightreignactually be fun to play solo?
Why Elden Ring Nightreign’s Solo Mode Will Be Important
Potential Issues Facing Elden Ring Nightreign’s Solo Gameplay
Looking atFromSoftware’s past work, specifically those games with co-op functionality of some sort, they are clearly intended to be single-player experiences first and foremost. Players have free rein, more or less, to craft their avatar however they see fit, slipping into a hand-wrought playstyle that works for them, informed by so many hours of gameplay.
A similar sort of player-avatar connection will no doubt bemirrored inElden Ring Nightreign, though it will likely have fundamental differences. For instance, a player may prefer the Recluse, the mage archetype, and master this particular playstyle over several runs. ButNightreign, presumably, is meant to be equally enjoyable and challenging regardless of character choice, meaning that playing exclusively as the Recluse would be akin to missing out on the lion’s share of the game’s content.
A possible counter to this point would be to compareNightreigntoElden Ringitself: one could argue that it’s impossible to experience all ofElden Ring’s content in a single playthrough due to build variety, similar to how a single playthrough ofNightreignas one character is an incomplete experience.
More pressing is the multifaceted problem of balancing. Simply put, ifNightreignis primarily designed to be played in co-op, it could quickly become unfairly difficult for solo players. This is a potential problem not easily remedied by simple damage and hit point scaling, as key factors like boss and encounter design would need to be tweaked for single-player vs. multiplayer runs. For instance, a room filled with a dozen enemies attacking simultaneously in multiplayer would have to be depopulated for a single-player run, lest it become an overly hectic, frustrating barrier. One only needs to look at co-op games likeHelldivers 2to see how solo players can run into these sorts of impassible conundrums.
Why Elden Ring Nightreign Having Strong Single Player Is Important
A particularly ardent co-op supporter may brush off the aforementioned concerns. After all,Nightreignis meant to be a multiplayer game, so why would anyone expect the single-player mode to be up to snuff? If anything, it’s simply nice that such a single-player mode even exists.
There are several possible rebuttals to such an argument, but an appeal to pragmatism may be best: at the end of the day, FromSoftware is known for its single-player games. The majority ofElden Ring Nightreignplayers will be returningElden Ringfans, and with most of them presumably favoring the single-player gameplay the developer has staked its reputation on, alienating them through a poorly balanced solo mode could spell trouble forNightreign’s commercial success, regardless of its quality otherwise.
Elden Ring Nightreign
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“ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair.While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!”
