One of the most well-known features from the original Elden Ring will not be seen in Nightreign, as the in-game messaging system will not be making a return. The messages in Elden Ring could either be extremely helpful or be used to put silly things other players could read as they pass by. These messages had a random chance of being spotted by other players, and with Elden Ring being a solo title, some of these could really help new players watch out for treacherous monsters ahead or give them tips on how to not get crushed by a falling boulder.
While the vast majority of features will be included in the upcoming Nightreign title, such as sites of grace and the ability to see other players’ ghosts, the developers have confirmed in an interview with IGN Japan that messages are no longer needed.
Player Messages Are Being Removed In Elden Ring Nightreign
Each Session Time Just Doesn’t Warrant Player Messages
During a recent interview with IGN Japan, director Junya Ishizaki confirmed that these player messages will not be coming back, as they state,
You can still see the ghosts of other players, but the ability to leave messages has been removed. The reason we removed the message function is that in this game, where each session is about 40 minutes long, there is no time to write your own message, and no time to read messages written by others.
Each game of Elden Ring Nightreign is made up of three days of sessions, and according to Ishizaki, this concept was created due to the ups and downs that players experience within RPGs such as this. Curating a “condensed RPG” was the goal, as optimizing gameplay and taking inspiration from speedruns led them to this new concept. Eight total boss battles will be seen within the final version of the title, according to Ishizaki, who says, “There is also a final boss, and I think you will understand that the events that occur in the story are related to the final boss.”
Our Take: Elden Ring Messages Were Everywhere, This Might Be A Good Thing
But The Messages Were Quite Funny Sometimes
Anyone who has played Elden Ring has seen a plethora of messages scattered about the lands, especially right before heading into a heated boss battle. Some of these messages were helpful and warned new players of the dangers ahead, while others were a bit more comical. I have come across quite a few messages in my day that made me giggle, including one that simply said “You’re about to get crushed..GGs” before getting hit by a boulder that spawns directly behind your character on a hill by a church.
The decision to take out these player messages might not have been an easy one for the developers, but their reasoning behind it makes sense. Creating a perfect blend of what we know from the original Elden Ring title and something completely new and “condensed” isn’t easy. While there is no set release date for Elden Ring Nightreign as of yet, we do know it will be coming in late 2025, and given some of the recent footage and trailers, we can only assume it will be just as great as the original title and DLC Shadow of the Erd Tree.
