Summary
Elden Ring Nightreigndirector Junya Ishizaki has confirmed some big changes are coming to the Soulslike’s map, including the return of every player’s favorite swamp terrain. The base game’s Swamp of Aeonia left a stain on the Tarnished’s memory, located in the sub-region of Caelid and home to enemies like Abnormal Stone Cluster, Servant of Rot, and the Commander O’Neil boss. Therefore, fans will be approachingElden Ring Nightreign’s swamps with extreme caution.
Elden Ringwas first released in 2022 to immediate success, followed by theShadow of the Erdtreeexpansion that launched in June 2024. To give an idea of how in-demand the cooperative spin-off is, revealed during The Game Awards 2024,Elden Ring Nightreignbeta invites are being sold for astronomical prices, ranging from $30 to $300 USD on eBay. Of course, it is not recommended these codes be purchased, as second-hand codes are considered a violation and could cause players’ access to be revoked. However, it does demonstrate how anticipated the upcoming action RPG is if fans are forking out eye-watering prices for an early slice of the action.
Speaking to PC Gamer via GamesRadar+, Ishizaki disclosed some of the significant changes alteringElden Ring Nightreign’s map. The director noted “large-scale changes to terrain in the form of procedurally appearing volcanoes or swamps or forests,” meaning the game’s swamps, for example, aren’t fixed to one location, and the shifting, lava-soaked volcanoes sound very daunting in addition.Elden Ringdirector Hidetaka Miyazaki previously stated that he couldn’t resist featuring swampsin the base game. Therefore, it’s not surprising that this notorious terrain will return to give players more nightmares.
Elden Ring Nightreign Director Confirms Procedurally Appearing Volcanos, Swamps, and Forests
Ishizaki also touched on the process players will go through when facing the spin-off’s enemies, which could include a few adversaries fromElden Ring Nightreignfans’ boss wish list. The director compared the multiplayer’s map to a “giant dungeon,” allowing players to navigate the map differently during each session, which will correlate with how they face bosses. “Maybe you have an idea of how you want to strategize against that boss, and this might change how you approach the map. We wanted to offer players that agency, to decide ‘I need to go after a poison weapon this time to face this boss,’” Ishizaki explained.
Ishizaki previously confirmed the number of major bosses and characters inElden Ring Nightreign, and there’s plenty for the Soulslike community to get excited over. Eight playable characters were confirmed to be on offer, opposing an even eight bosses. Players will see the return of Spirit Ashes within a different mechanic, manifesting for one character in the form of a “spiritual buddy,” and each of the eight enemies will gradually unlock as the brave warriors of the gaming world navigate the map.
