Elden Ring Nightreign, FromSoftware’s standalone multiplayer survival game, is set to release across PC and consoles on May 30. Two game modes will be available at launch — three-player online co-op and solo mode. FromSoftware, however, is considering adding a two-player mode to Elden Ring Nightreign after launch that would allow a pair of players to team up jump into the experience.
Elden Ring Nightreign Game Modes
In an interview with IGN published Friday, Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki said the game had been balanced for a three-player co-op experience from the outset. But a two-player mode could be added to the game as a post-launch feature update.
“The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we’re very sorry about that,” Ishizaki said about the absence of a two-player mode.
“As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it’s at the core of Nightreign,” he added. The game director said the studio focussed on delivering a solo mode in addition to the three-player co-op mode.
“Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I’m just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start. And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed.
“So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well.”
Solo Mode Differences
Ishizaki also highlighted the changes players will experience while playing solo as compared to co-op play. Elden Ring Nightreign, while built for three players working as team, will involve players wandering off on their own and tackling the games challenges solo, before converging to take on the night’s boss together. Thus, solo play won’t be too much of a departure from three-player co-op mode, Ishizaki said. He did, however, confirm that enemy behavior in the game had been rebalanced for solo players.
“So solo play is generally encouraged and is a natural part of the game loop, but also in general for those solo players — and this might be something that’s difficult to notice in multiplayer — but the activeness and aggressiveness of enemies towards any one single player has been adjusted so that you don’t find yourself in any unreasonable multi-foe fights,” he said.
“And just generally, when you’re playing single player, the parameters adjust dynamically depending on the number of players in that session. So we hope that this will alleviate that feeling somewhat.”
The solo experience will come with its own challenges as players will have to take on bosses on their own. With no teammates in play, solo players cannot be revived either. But Ishizaki confirmed that a self-revive feature can be found while exploring the map.
Elden Ring Nightreign is an online co-op spinoff that brings familiar challenges, exploration and boss fights from Elden Ring on a shrinking map, where players must survive for three nights before taking on the main boss. The game’s map changes on each run, with fresh enemy encounters, environmental shifts and new challenges that could alter the experience significantly. Nightreign is set to launch on May 30 across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.
