by Dom's Roundtable
Elden Ring: Nightreign has just concluded its Network Test, and many players have had their first taste of this Multiplayer, Rogue-Lite/Souls-like hybrid. And while the game is shaping up to be an incredible entry in the Elden Ring universe, and with the official release coming on May 30th, I have one major point to discuss with you in this article. Is it too easy?
I absolutely love this game, and I have around 25 hours of hands-on experience, including 15+ hours in playtests and around another 10 at the preview event. But after numerous runs, I’m starting to question the difficulty and longevity of the game as players become more and more experienced.
In this deep dive, I’ll cover everything that has already been confirmed to change for Nightreign’s launch, other features that the developers may already be addressing, and what I think needs to happen to make this game last. So let’s jump in!
The Problem with Difficulty Scaling in Nightreign
Let’s start with what I think is the biggest issue, the scaling of difficulty as you progress through the game. At the beginning of a match (Day 1), the challenge feels just right. You start at level 1, and pretty much everything can kill you in one or two hits. It keeps you on edge, forcing you to play carefully and work as a team.
But once you hit level 7-8 (which happens fairly quickly), the challenge drops off significantly. By the time you hit Day 2, it’s possible to max out your level before the second Night Boss, and after that, you’re just steamrolling through everything.
I finished multiple runs at level 15, with tens of thousands of runes left over, fully upgraded weapons, and seven healing flasks. When we finally got to Gladius, the Nightlord, he barely stood a chance.
Idea: Dynamic Scaling
I love an accessible game, I wouldn't want the difficulty to increase to the point where it then becomes too challenging for newer players, or gamers who are less savvy with Souls-Likes in general, but if we are already getting to this point after 15-20 hours of gameplay, could you imagine how insanely easy it would become when people have 500-1000 hours in the game?
I do think something needs to be done to increase the challenge as the player base becomes more experienced, to keep the gameplay loop fresh and engaging for longer.
Rather than making the game brutally difficult, one idea is something like progressive enemy scaling.
Maybe enemies get +30% health and damage as you progress to Day 2
Maybe more dangerous enemy types spawn later in the match
Maybe a mechanic is already in the game that addresses my concern, maybe Gladius is the "starter" Nightlord, and if you choose to fight any of the other 7, the difficulty already increases more and more depending on who you choose to challenge.
Communication
Another thing Nightreign players have been talking about is the bare-bones ping system.
Right now, if you’re not in voice chat, you’re heavily reliant on the ping system, and to be honest, it’s perhaps too simplistic.
Pings don’t have specific meanings (Is it marking a boss? Loot? Danger?)
There’s no clear notification when a teammate places a ping
There’s no way to communicate strategy or objectives
Idea: Expanded Ping System
One idea would be to implement a more detailed ping system. Something like:
Up → I'm Going Here
Down → Avoid This Area
Left → Marking The Location Of A Boss Loot Orb
Right → Regroup At This Location
This could even be synergised with simple audio queues to help the pings be more noticeable ("Boss here!", "Come loot this!", "Regroup!") could be a cool addition.
The good news is during the preview event, we were able to provide our feedback and were left feeling confident that the Developers would look into expanding the Ping system upon launch. Fingers crossed!
Two-Player Mode Might Be Coming!
One of the most requested features for Nightreign has been the option to play with only two players instead of a forced three-player team. And based on what I’ve observed during testing, I think it’s very possible that two-player mode is coming at launch.
During a play session, one of my teammates unfortunately got disconnected. My remaining teammate and I fought the Fell Omen at the end of Night 2, and he had around 20,000 HP. We then fought him again later as a Trio, and he had around 40k.
Clearly, enemy health scales are based on the number of players, which suggests that certain mechanics that would support a two-player mode are already in the game.
It has also been confirmed by Junya Ishizaki, the Game Director of Nightreign, and Lead Combat Developer of Elden Ring, that they are discussing a two-player mode, and how this could work. Therefore I wouldn’t be surprised if Nightreign ships with a dedicated two-player mode at launch.
The Case for a Reconnect Feature
One of the most frustrating things in any multiplayer game is getting disconnected mid-match and losing all progress. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the internet and online gaming, it's a very real concern for many people to drop out mid-game and lose everything.
Possible Fix: Reconnect Button
This could be a HUGE plus to include at launch. Allowing players to re-join their game within a given time window would fix a lot of frustration. It’s unclear if this is on the developers' radar, but we can hope.
The Importance of Randomization & Replayability
Right now, Limveld only has two preset layouts. And while that’s fine for the beta, it could become an issue for long-term replayability.
With little randomization, it’s very easy for experienced players to memorize the map and optimize their routes. This could alienate new players and start to make the game feel repetitive.
Possible Fix: More Randomization
More random enemy placements
More randomized boss encounters
Randomly spawning landmarks and loot
If the map changed every match, the game’s longevity would skyrocket. Not only would there not be an "optimal" route, which would help new players not be so alienated, but it would keep every single game feeling new and fresh.
Are We Getting More Maps?
One of the biggest mysteries right now is whether Nightreign will have multiple maps at launch.
Some players believe we’re only getting Limveld
Others think each Nightlord will have their own unique map
The trailer shows a creepy, dark forest with a giant spider boss which isn’t in Limveld
FromSoftware does appear to have addressed this; in an interview with IGN, Junya Ishizaki had this to say: "So there will not be a whole new map type depending on the boss you select, but there will be some quite drastic changes to the map that occur as you progress through the game."
Final Thoughts – Nightreign is Incredible, but…
Make no mistake, Nightreign is shaping up to be an incredible game. At half the price of a full game, you’re getting an insane amount of content. But for the game to last, I think we need more variety, a review of the difficulty, and potentially an improved ping system. If the developers address even a few of these thoughts, Nightreign could go from “great” to “legendary”.
Join my Discord where we’ll be discussing everything Nightreign!
