“One of the eight playable characters” Is Based on a Battle Mechanic We All Abused in the Base Game

FromSoftware doesn’t really leave behind shortcuts to give the players an easy way around their games’ hardest parts. However, it is precisely what happens in Elden Ring, and its one mechanic is going to be pivotal once again in the upcoming Elden Ring Nightreign.

The culprits here are the spirit ashes, a section of usable items in the game that allows the player to summon spectral echoes of different warriors, helping the tarnished win his battles fighting alongside a friend. In the upcoming game, one character will wield them as their exclusive means of combat.

Elden Ring Nightreign and The Ashen Warrior

Let’s be honest, spirit ashes are the ultimate way to cheese your way out of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring, especially when you use one like the Mimic Tear or the Black Knife Tiche. These allies have often felt like an easy-mode switch for the game, and now, FromSoftware has seemingly embraced the abuse, flipping it into a dedicated playstyle rather than a cheese for the players.

As revealed earlier, there are going to be eight different pre-defined characters that players will get to choose from. Giving more insights on the same, the director of Elden Ring Nightreign, Junya Ishizaki, revealed the following in an interview via IGN.

The element of ashes itself also appears in ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN. However, the way ashes are handled is different between ELDEN RING and ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN. That’s because one of the eight playable characters is a character who mainly fights using ashes.

Traditionally, the studio has always nerfed overpowered mechanics post-launch of any title. However, this time around, instead of dialing back the Ashes, Nightreign leans into the chaos and offers the player a dedicated character that fights mainly using the said mechanic.

While the intention behind this move remains unclear, it is almost a dream come true for those who have always depended on ashes to fight their way through the game.

Why Elden Ring Nightreign will possibly be a blazing success

While the upcoming game might have nothing to do with Elden Ring’s extensive storyline, it is still built on the same foundation. Shadow of the Erdtree, in contrast, was a DLC that gave us a deeper insight into Miquella’s journey and how it relates to our tarnished one. However, Nightreign will be an experience that will explore the co-op aspect of the franchise.

Additionally, the aforementioned Ash-based character stands out as one of the most surprising gameplay shifts that FromSoftware has ever attempted. Spirit Ashes are a beloved feature in the base game, and turning them into a full-fledged character class feels like a challenge to both casual and hardcore players.

This unexpected move by the studio could ultimately end up shaping the entire fighting meta of the coming title, which has already gone on network tests and is getting ready to be released further this year.