You’re Making A Mistake If You’ve Already Dismissed Elden Ring Nightreign

Because the information about Elden Ring Nightreign is fairly limited at this point, speculation about what the game’s story will mean for Elden Ring lore is through the roof. While the director has made it clear that the new game will not change anything from Elden Ring or Shadow of the Erdtree‘s stories, it’s also clear that Nightreign will have an entirely original narrative of its own. Whether Nightreign sheds any light on the deeper lore of Elden Ring before the Shattering does not change the potential for Nightreign’s story to be as rich and developed as its predecessors.

Further, because Nightreign will include randomized elements such as random map generation, bosses, loot, etc., some may assume this means that the story will also be random at some level, or that the randomness of the game might be a problem for the lore. However, based on FromSoftware’s track record with narrative and lore-rich games, there’s no reason to believe that Nightreign‘s story won’t be an equally deep and interesting branch of Elden Ring lore. It’s far too early to write off or dismiss Nightreign‘s lore as irrelevant just because it doesn’t directly affect the events of Elden Ring.

Random Bosses Won’t Mean Random Stories In Nightreign

FromSoftware’s Environmental Storytelling Will Still Be At Play In Nightreign

Randomized maps, bosses, loot, and enemy placement in Nightreign imply a degree of chaos that the Elden Ring universe has not experienced. These random elements should not be mistaken for unintentional, careless, or haphazard, especially given the nature of nearly every FromSoftware title in existence. From Dark Souls to Bloodborne to the Armored Core games – FromSoftware’s use of environmental storytelling is at the heart of each of these beloved franchises, with Elden Ring and SOTE arguably utilizing it the most effectively. The random maps in Nightreign will likely still include new clues about this branch of lore.

Elden Ring Nightreign: Release Window, Platforms, Trailer, Gameplay & Story Details

Elden Ring: Nightreign was announced at The Game Awards, as well as a release window, platforms, the gameplay trailer, and limited story details.

Nightreign will likely include a complex narrative built around the eight core playable characters and eight bosses, as well as invading bosses, weapon pickups, NPC storylines, and more that has yet to be revealed. Random maps will still contain environmental clues, and may even offer insight into Nightreign’s unique branch of lore. These details might even serve to parse what happened differently between Nightreign and Elden Ring‘s branches, giving players a chance to compare locations in Nightreign with their Elden Ring counterparts. There is vast potential to build out and establish Nightreign‘s lore with these randomized elements and environmental storytelling.

Nightreign’s Branch Of Lore May Be Just As Deep As Elden Ring’s

Nightreign Will Have Its Own Unique Story Independent Of Elden Ring

Elden Ring Nightreign - Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer - Players in battle

While it may seem messy for Nightreign to rely heavily on assets from Elden Ring, doing so introduces more possibilities than problems. These familiar characters and locations are likely to introduce new mysteries relevant specifically to the Nightreign branch of lore, and won’t require any knowledge or understanding of the original as a prerequisite. Nightreign can build its own story after the events of the Shattering and develop it without being constrained or limited by what already exists as canon. Nightreign‘s story will likely be condensed in the way it’s delivered, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to a lack of narrative depth.

10 Biggest Gameplay Changes In Elden Ring: Nightreign

Elden Ring Nightreign will include some major gameplay changes from Elden Ring and SOTE, from cooperative multiplayer to randomized maps.

Seeing how the familiar parts from Elden Ring are re-imagined in Nightreign will also be exciting for players who have spent vast amounts of time theorizing about the endless mysteries in the Lands Between. While the lore from Nightreign will not change any elements from the original, it can add context to pre-Shattering events, though it’s unlikely to focus much of the narrative there simply to avoid confusion or possible contradictions. Nightreign will likely focus on character-driven stories, given the gameplay requires players to choose from one of eight characters and bosses for each run.

Why Potential Nightreign Story & Lore Shouldn’t Be Underestimated

Given FromSoftware’s History Of Lore-Rich Games, Nightreign’s Story Isn’t Likely To Disappoint

Despite Nightreign‘s shift toward cooperative multiplayer and an overall more streamlined approach to gameplay, nothing indicates the branch of lore the game establishes will be limited by the game’s new structure in any way. FromSoftware has a tremendous track record of games that deliver high-quality stories, told deliberately through NPC dialogue and passively through environmental storytelling (and item descriptions, etc.). No matter what form the gameplay takes, the characters and plots will likely be just as fully developed as anything FromSoftware has put out previously. To assume otherwise is a vast underestimation of the company’s proven capabilities.

Nothing indicates the branch of lore Nightreign establishes will be limited by the game’s new structure in any way.

Still, the question remains whether the intentional shift toward a more “approachable” game will attract players that simply do not care as much about story, lore, or narrative elements, or if the game will simply be less detailed, or possibly include fewer environmental storytelling elements than its predecessors. Players will have to wait until 2025 to see how successful or engaging the story and lore will be. However, Elden Ring Nightreign has the potential to include a story just as rich in lore and narrative depth as any FromSoftware game that comes before it, and to write it off before experiencing the game in its entirety is a mistake.

Source: Bandai Namco Entertainment America/YouTube