11 Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks to take on the Nightlords

As is customary for FromSoftware games, Elden Ring Nightreign has a steep learning curve, especially if you haven’t played the original Elden Ring. Even if you dabbled with the critically-acclaimed action RPG, a lot has changed. From the asphyxiating Night’s Tide circle, the breakneck pace of each match, and the countless bosses eager to put a premature end to your runs, defeating the Nightlords won’t come easy. It’s a delightful rush as we mused in our review but there’s a lot to keep tabs on.

To help you get a head start, we’ve pulled together a list of 11 Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks. These touch on aspects of the game that you might very well miss during your first few runs and aren’t necessarily all that well explained by tutorials and the like.

Keep a close eye on the Night’s Tide

This is battle royale 101 but it’s worth repeating: always keep an eye on the Night’s Tide circle, what location it’s shepherding you towards, and whether it’s likely to put you in a tight spot. Getting stuck in the fiery flames of the circle is unforgiving as it will quickly eat through your HP and chugging health flasks will only get you so far.

To make tracking it easier, the map clearly shows the circle’s current radius so you’ll want to get into the habit of regularly checking to avoid any nasty surprises. This is particularly important if you’re diving into closed off locations like the Tunnels or the lower level of the central Castle where the circle can leave you trapped.

Don’t horde runes

When you’re out farming during the day, dying will cause you to lose a level and like in Elden Ring divest you of your Runes, forcing you to backtrack to retrieve them. And if you happen to die in the Night’s Tide, you can in most cases wave them goodbye. To avoid losing any hard-earned progress, you don’t want to horde Runes. As soon as you have enough to level up your character, find a Site of Grace and spend them.

Kill Teardrop Scarabs to get Talismans

While much of your fighting power will come from leveling up your Nightfarer and looting powerful weapons, you can also get Talismans similar to those in the original Elden Ring that offer a range of passive perks and buffs. To get Talismans, you’ll need to listen out for an audible twinkle that signals the presence of Teardrop Scarab nearby. Kill these scuttling creatures and you’ll get a Talisman. They do disappear fairly quickly after being attacked so don’t waste time taking them out. Additionally, you can find a map in the keep at any Fort on the map that reveals the location of all nearby Scarabs to make finding them easier.

Prioritise getting extra flasks from Churches

When you first land in Limveld, you’ll have a measly three health flasks. In the early game, they’ll serve you well enough as you take on mobs and weaker mini bosses, but the deeper you get into the three-day cycle, the more pots you’ll need. With that in mind, you’ll want to prioritise visiting Churches where you can snap up an extra flask at their altars. Every instance of Limveld has three Churches and it’s well worth it to visit all of them over the course of the two daytime farming windows.

Keep an eye out for the Scale-Bearing Merchant

The Scale-Bearing Merchant is a possible random spawn. This cloaked creature won’t appear in every instance of Limveld, but when it does, you’ll want to schedule a visit. You’ll know it’s present by the icon of a figure with a cloak that appears on the map. Talking to the Scale-Bearing Merchant, you’ll be given three options: arcane proficiency, an extra flask in exchange for lower max HP, or a passive that boosts Rune acquisition though it will cost Runes to buy.

Choose weapons with affinities that match the chosen Nightlord’s weakness

Before you jump into a match, you’ll have to choose a Nightlord. This is the final boss at the end of the three-day cycle and your end goal. If you look closely at the Expedition selection menu in the Roundtable Hold you’ll see a little icon next to each Nightlord denoting an affinity or ailment weakness such as fire, lightning, holy, madness, or poison. In other words, if you manage to inflict the affinity or ailment on the boss, they’ll be easier to defeat.

With this in mind, you’ll want to prioritise getting weapons that match that affinity weakness. When you open up the map, you’ll see small icons above locations similar to those on the Expedition selection menu that denote the affinity of weapons and loot you’ll find there. For example, if you’re fighting Gladius in the Tricephalos expedition, look out for encampments, ruins, and churches that contain fire-tuned weapons.

Simply having a weapon in your inventory grants a passive or buff

Though you can only have two weapons, seals, or shields equipped at any time – one in each hand – you’ll still want to fill up your six slot inventory. The reason for this is that simply having a weapon in your inventory grants a passive, stat boost, or buff – if the weapon has one. When picking up a weapon, look at the last line of the description box – this is the passive or buff that will activate as long as your Nightfarer is carrying the weapon even if they aren’t actively using it to fight. Along with level upgrades, base weapon stats, talisman, and Dormant Rewards boons from killing bosses, these passives play a crucial role in getting you prepared to take on the Nightlord at the end of each run. Even if a weapon’s damage is low, always check the passive in case it’s still worth having in your inventory.

Don’t waste time on bosses you can’t beat quickly

Nightreign is a bit like speed-running Elden Ring. The pace is frantic and it often feels like you’re darting across Limveld at double speed. This instills a sense of urgency that not only makes playing an enjoyable rush but will also teach you to manage your time well. With this in mind, you don’t even want to waste time trying to defeat a mini or field boss that you can’t beat quickly. If your whole squad dies to a boss within seconds, then move on to the next thing. If you stick around you’re wasting time that could be spent on looting better weapons or getting Runes and boons from relatively easier-to-beat bosses.

Day 2 should be spent defeating bosses

This carries on from the tip above – day 2 should be spent defeating bosses. The reasoning behind this is that you want to amass as many Runes and Dormant Reward boons as possible in preparation for the upcoming Nightlord fight. The best source of both of these are bosses. We’re talking Evergaol bosses, location mini-bosses, field bosses, raid bosses – anything with a dedicated health bar at the bottom of the screen. By day 2, you should have the levels and weapons to beat pretty much any boss in Limveld.

Visit the Tunnels to get Smithing Stones

Located in the north and south of Limveld are two tunnel networks. While the idea of diving underground and getting entombed there by the approaching Night’s Tide is a little unnerving, these locations are well worth visiting. They house Smithing Stones, which you’ll need to upgrade weapons. All you need to do is find the troll or shield-bearing soldier elite enemy and defeat them. Among their Dormant Rewards will be a Smithing Stone 2, the rarer of the two types of upgrade materials, which you’ll need to upgrade weapons to the Rare rarity.

Sharing is caring

You’ll come across a vast array of weapons, shields, Talismans, and other items on your adventures in Limveld. Much of that gear won’t suit your chosen Nightfarer. For example, an Ironeye equipped with a Talisman that boosts sorceries is redundant. Instead of just chucking them away, consider whether they are useful to your teammates. That sorcery-boosting Talisman is a veritable boon for a Revenant summoner. Don’t hesitate to drop items that will benefit your fellow Nightfarers and, you never know, they might return the favor.

With these Elden Ring Nightreign tips and tricks, you should be well prepared to make it through your first three-day run and give the Nightlord a run for his money. For more help on exploring Limveld, check out how to break the seal at Sorcerer’s Rise, how to revive teammates, and our primer on the all-new traversal options in Nightreign.