For the primary two minutes, the trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign is… not precisely predictable, however actually comprehensible. It is the Elden Ring as we have by no means seen it earlier than, reworked and reassembled, however nonetheless an unmistakable throwback to The Lands Between. After which… is that the Anonymous King from Darkish Souls 3?
And then you definitely return and pay extra consideration. Sure, that one IS The Anonymous King from Darkish Souls 3, and he is not the one boss from FromSoftware’s again catalog to return. One other flashback and one other nearer inspection reveals that pleasant NPCs from Darkish Souls have additionally arrived on the earth of Elden Ring. Not solely that, however recreation mechanics from throughout the developer’s portfolio of labor have discovered their means into this upcoming co-op roguelike. And so there’s one query that burns greater than some other:
Is Elden Ring Nightreign Introducing a FromSoftware Multiverse?
The Anonymous King is without doubt one of the most ruthless opponents in Darkish Souls 3. He is a crucial determine within the lore of the sequence, having first been detailed within the authentic Darkish Souls and its sequel earlier than lastly showing as an non-compulsory boss in closing. a part of the trilogy. He’s identified for his superior dragon mount and skill to channel lightning, each of that are seen within the final minute of the Nightreign trailer. There isn’t any mistaking it: this isn’t a tribute, homage, or the like: The Anonymous King is an enemy within the subsequent Elden Ring recreation.
If the look wasn’t to be believed, the official Darkish Souls social media channels have confirmed that components of the sequence will seem in Nightreign, albeit in a characteristically stealthy method. “Within the evening, ancestral enemies wait – the remnants of a hearth that after burned vibrant,” reads the publish on X, which accompanies a repost of the Nightreign trailer.
At evening, ancestral enemies wait – the stays of a hearth that after burned vibrant.#ELDENRIING #KINGDOM OF THE NIGHT releasing on PlayStation, Xbox and PC Digital in 2025. https://t.co/TyPLQabumO
— Darkish Souls (@DarkSoulsGame) December 13, 2024
The 2 sequence are positively connecting, then. And so different acquainted creatures start to make a whole lot of sense. Two different Darkish Souls enemies may be noticed amongst Bandai Namco’s advertising and marketing supplies. One minute and 22 seconds into the trailer, we see a group of warriors battling a grotesque, multi-limbed beast, its uncovered rib cage set ablaze by a participant’s explosive bolt. Longtime followers will instantly acknowledge this enemy because the Demon Centipede from the unique Darkish Souls, albeit with a big graphical change.
Simply seconds earlier is a shot of a crawling spider evoking the arachnid-infested areas of Darkish Souls 2. However the golden proof of Darkish Souls 2’s involvement may be present in a screenshot launched alongside the trailer, which immediately reveals that The Duke’s Expensive Freja, a colossal eight-legged nightmare, will seem in Nightreign.
So this can be a boss from each recreation within the Darkish Souls trilogy. However there’s extra proof to recommend that it is not simply FromSoft’s flagship sequence enemies which have discovered their means into the Elden Ring. Halfway via the trailer, we’re launched to a lady sporting an ornate steel masks over her eyes and nostril—the unmistakable outfit of Darkish Souls 3’s Fireplace Keeper. Now, I’ve to confess, this character’s voice would not sound like an actual match to the unique character. However actors aren’t at all times out there to reprise previous roles, and – with all the opposite proof – it would not appear a stretch to recommend that our previous Firelink Shrine pal may very well be a giant a part of Nightreign’s story.
Mechanical mixing
The return of mates and enemies is the apparent factor to get enthusiastic about, however there are smaller, probably extra impactful gameplay components seen within the trailer that additionally trace at one thing of an overlapping multiverse impact. As an alternative of letting you create your individual character, Nightreign asks you to step into the footwear of a predefined hero with their distinctive talents. Of these revealed to this point, the duchess and Wylder are of the best curiosity. The Duchess’s exquisitely tailor-made outfit instantly brings to thoughts Bloodborne. Whereas I am nonetheless not satisfied by the fan theories that that is an alternate model of Girl Maria, I am excited by her sprint skill, which replicates FromSoft’s beloved Lovecraftian nightmare dodging mechanics. Wylder, in the meantime, has entry to a grappling hook that replicates a few of the utility of Sekiro’s prosthetic gear.
It is arduous to argue that these components are multiversal in the identical means because the literal look of the previous bosses, however it’s nonetheless fascinating to see these components move into the Elden Ring. Finally, the distinctive gameplay flavors of every FromSoft recreation are simply as necessary because the bosses. Additional, non-character-specific mechanics embrace the power to climb partitions much like Sekrio’s hero, being carried by a spectral chicken from place to put in a way much like the Large Crow trip in Darkish Souls, and what it does in really seems to be a medieval fantasy model of Bloodborne’s Stake Driver connected to Wylder’s arm through the battle in opposition to the Centipede Demon. As a longtime fan of FromSoft, it is arduous to not get enthusiastic about all of this.
Legislation of Lore
As with all the things FromSoftware creates, there’s an inherent urgency to understand how all the things suits into the lore. There’s solely a lot to know at this very early stage, however our interview with recreation director Junya Ishizaki no less than offers us a place to begin for theories.
“We would like followers to consider Nightreign as a spin-off of Elden Ring, before everything,” Ishizaki defined. “The story is totally separate and parallel to the world of Elden Ring. If it’s a must to tie it in by some means, we had the smash occasions within the authentic recreation. After the occasions of the destruction, that is a completely separate department of the Ring of Elden story.”
So Nightreign is a timeline unto itself. After the destruction, something may have occurred on this model of the Elden Ring story. However it doesn’t matter what type of story is written on this world’s warped historical past books, the tip result’s the reign of the Evening Lord – the last word enemy of this new recreation.
In case you really feel such as you’ve heard that identify earlier than, it is in all probability since you’ve both learn too many merchandise descriptions on Elden Ring or watched VaatiVidya’s in style Nox video. Within the curiosity of time, listed below are your Cliffs Notes: Nox are the individuals you meet within the underground Everlasting Cities of Nokron and Nokstella, the place they – in accordance with the in-game descriptions – “dwell beneath a false evening sky, eternally awaiting the liege of theirs. To the following age of stars. And their God of the evening.”
Lord of the evening. Lord of the evening. May it’s that the Elden Ring Nightreign depicts a timeline during which the age of stars has arrived and the Evening Lord has risen? If that’s the case, the Nox are the bearers of the Mimic Tear – are the issues we see mimicking issues from different worlds?
A bit extra principle suggests another possibility. That publish on the Darkish Souls X feed spoke of “remnants of a hearth that after burned brightly.” This seems to be a reference to the First Flame, which can be extinguished within the finale of Darkish Souls 3. Are the Demon Centipede, Duke Expensive Freja, and the Anonymous King “remnants” of The First Flame?
Whereas we’re having enjoyable, we all know that extinguishing The First Flame is only one of Darkish Souls 3’s many endings — endings that may all, theoretically talking, produce their very own timeline. May it’s that this alternate timeline for the Elden Ring, dominated by the Evening Lord, has merged with Darkish Souls’ Finish of Fireplace timeline? Solely time will inform if the lore is de facto that deep and completely sketched out, and if this actually is the beginning of a multiverse from FromSoft… or if Nightreign is simply FromSoftware letting free and having a bit enjoyable. My cash is on the latter.
In 2019, Elden Ring director Hidetaka Miyazaki stated he was excited about making a battle royale recreation. 5 years later we have now an Elden Ring multiplayer cheat that includes what seems to be a shrinking circle of demise. However who would have guessed that, on the day FromSoft introduced a recreation with Battle Royale components, that the factor we might be obsessing over was the return of an enormous bastard from Darkish Souls 3? One factor is evident: you’ll be able to depend on FromSoft to always shock us.
Matt Purslow is IGN’s Senior Options Editor.
