Elden Ring Nightreign Holds One Playstyle at Arm’s Length

Summary

Elden Ring Nightreign limits player agency, departing from signature FromSoftware games.
Nightfarers in Nightreign have predefined roles, leaving melee playstyle at a disadvantage.
Melee Nightfarers struggle due to fast-paced gameplay, often sidelined in favor of ranged attackers.

Elden Ring Nightreign is by far the most distinctive FromSoftware creation yet, as it takes the developer’s familiar formula and essentially flips it on its head for something most players have likely never experienced before. One of the most noticeable broken traditions is Elden Ring Nightreign‘s disregard for player agency. Given its fast-paced roguelike gameplay loop, it makes sense that the spin-off would limit player freedom to a certain extent, but it’s just not what FromSoftware games are known for. Its ancestors are popular because of the amount of agency they offer players to tailor their own experiences, but Elden Ring Nightreign serves as a departure in that area, especially when it comes to playstyle.

Rather than allowing players to create their own character from the ground up as per usual, Elden Ring Nightreign gives players access to a set of playable characters called Nightfarers who all have predefined roles and stat priorities. Traditional playstyles like melee, ranged, and magic are present, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re equal. In fact, Elden Ring Nightreign, in its design, may have a bias when it comes to playstyle, which inevitably leaves one hanging on for dear life: melee.

Elden Ring Nightreign Traversal Torrent Sized Void

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Traversal Can’t Fill the Torrent-Sized Void

Elden Ring Nightreign may offer new ways to get around, but the absence of Torrent leaves a gap that traversal mechanics alone struggle to overcome.

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Design Leaves Melee at a Disadvantage

Distance Is the Real Meta

The main reason melee isn’t always the best route to take in Elden Ring Nightreign isn’t because it’s underpowered, but it’s primarily due to the game’s design. It may not be as expansive as Elden Ring itself, but Nightreign ensures at almost every turn that its arenas and boss fights are not built for melee combat. Nightlord arenas in Elden Ring Nightreign are especially difficult for melee characters to shine in, as these fights not only take place in massive areas, but the Nightlords themselves often fly or move far too fast for melee characters to pull any weight.

Aspects of the game such as Nightlord fights are where it might be helpful for a mount like Torrent to be included, as it would help melee Nightfarers to close the gap.

The disadvantages of melee characters are also highlighted in Elden Ring Nightreign‘s multiplayer, which is a shame considering the game was specially designed for cooperative play. Whereas ranged Nightfarers like Ironeye can pick off enemies from a distance, Elden Ring Nightreign‘s melee Nightfarers are required to close that distance before they can be of any help. Oftentimes, this means that ranged characters may pull an enemy’s aggro, only to make melee players have to run some more. In the end, some melee players may just spend entire fights chasing a boss rather than being of any real assistance.

Momentum Undermines Positioning

Melee-based Nightfarers are also undermined by Elden Ring Nightreign‘s fast pace, which requires players to be almost constantly on the move during an expedition. Melee playstyles in Soulslike games usually depend on reading an enemy, closing gaps, and knowing when to strike. Patience is generally rewarded for those who prefer melee in said games, but Elden Ring Nightreign effectively breaks that rhythm and will even punish players for being too patient at times. The slow, heavy hits of melee Nightfarers are therefore far less effective than the consistent output of ranged attackers who never need to stop moving.

Whereas ranged Nightfarers like Ironeye can pick off enemies from a distance, Elden Ring Nightreign‘s melee Nightfarers are required to close that distance before they can be of any help.

Elden Ring Nightreign may offer a fresh take on FromSoftware’s signature formula, but its ambition comes at the expense of one of the studio’s most enduring staples. Melee players, who have long thrived on timing, spacing, and resilience, are now forced into a pace that rarely accommodates their style. The result is a game that often sidelines the very playstyle that once defined the genre, leaving those who favor it to either adapt or be left behind.