With its first network test complete,Elden Ring Nightreignisn’t far off. Assuming the game isn’t delayed likeElden Ringitself was,Elden Ring Nightreignshould launch its hybrid of Soulslike action and roguelike runs by the end of May 2025, and many players are excited to see more of it. While this title’s many differences fromElden Ringproper mean it won’t attract the same massive audience,Elden Ring Nightreignhas already proven to be a significantly different experience in its closed beta, and that was without not only the full game’s content, but the intended map randomization as well.
It will be interesting to see how this more economical experiment works out for FromSoftware, as the developer allegedly has several projects in ongoing development, andNightreignis likely the most unconventional. Mixing theenemy rosters ofDark SoulsandElden Ringinto a sort of “FromSoftware All-Stars” game would be strange yet compelling all on its own, andNightreignis trying something new with its gameplay format on top of that. With so many new ventures in play,Elden Ring Nightreignmay want to ground itself with some of the best practices used by another 2025 co-op action-RPG.
What Monster Hunter Wilds Can Teach Elden Ring Nightreign
Monster Hunter Wildsreleases a couple of months beforeElden Ring Nightreign, and while these two games will unfold in very different ways, they could find common ground in one area.Elden Ring Nightreignhas already announced DLCthat will bring more characters and bosses into play, while it is assumed thatMonster Hunter Wildswill carry on a series tradition of launching a Master Rank expansion some time after launch. However,MH Wildsisn’t waiting until its big DLC drop to start releasing significant Title Updates, andElden Ring Nightreignmay want to do the same.
Monster Hunter Wilds’ Title Updates Keep The Fun Coming
In addition to the rotating Event Quests that will begin rolling out a week afterMonster Hunter Wildslaunches, there will be free Title Updates released in spring 2025, summer 2025, and likely later on as well, and these are no mere patches.MH Wilds' first Title Update has some lingering mysteries, but it has been confirmed that it will add the returning monster Mizutsune alongside more Event Quests and various other additions. The second free Title Update will add a new monster of its own, suggesting that the pattern followed by prior entries is still intact, and working just as well inMH Wilds’ pseudo-open world.
Elden Ring Nightreign Would Benefit From Monster Hunter’s Regular Updates
There’s Too Much Potential Content To Confine To Elden Ring Nightreign’s Paid DLC
That live service-adjacent pattern should work in another co-op boss-oriented game, andElden Ring Nightreignis particularly well suited for it.Nightreignis already a modular game thanks to its multiple playable characters queueing up for a set of maps with random points of interest, loot, and enemies, so adding more to it makes sense. The promised DLC will already do some of that, but the number of player characters, cosmetics, andexisting Souls bosses thatElden Ring Nightreigncould pull on is so much greater than any one update could add.
Elden Ring Nightreigncould serve its fans and longevity well by drip-feeding content in post-launch likeMonster Hunter Wilds. Recent FromSoftware games likeElden RingandArmored Core 6: Fires of Rubiconhave had some free updates that add content to the game, withAC6in particular getting new parts and weapons.Nightreignwould require more effort thanAC6to reachMonster Hunter’s level, but a new end-of-day boss, set of cosmetics, Relic effect, or player character being added every couple of months would help the game stay fresh.Elden Ring Nightreignis a bold new effort for FromSoftware, but it still pays to acknowledge what’s working for its peers.
