FromSoftware has become notorious for the difficulty of its games, but despite the many similarities between Elden Ring Nightreign and its predecessor, Elden Ring, comparing the two challenges isn’t exactly straightforward. Elden Ring already subverted FromSoftware’s usual scaling by introducing its open world, where players are free to leave a tough boss and come back when they’ve gained more levels and better gear. The classic “get good” mantra still applies generally, but there’s a lot you can do to mitigate Elden Ring‘s difficulty.

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Solo Experience Is Generally More Difficult Than Elden Ring

You Have To Do The Work Of Three Players

Elden Ring Nightreign is more difficult to play alone by virtue of its design. A major factor in differentiating the two is the speed at which they’re played. Elden Ring encourages thorough exploration, and gives you all the time you need to progress through the game. Even players who aren’t particularly familiar with Elden Ring can grab a big shield and carefully round every corner in a dungeon.

Nightreign puts you on a constant timer. Every time you land in Limveld, the game becomes a mad dash to gain levels and gather loot before Night’s Tide encroaches. These tasks are far more difficult when playing solo. Fighting every enemy and boss alone will take more time, so you’ll consequently have fewer options when it comes to choosing loot, and you’ll likely have a harder time gaining levels.

Elden Ring gets a lot of flak for all of its duo bosses, which can easily overwhelm a single player, but the RPG is generally designed to be conquerable alone. Even if you refuse to use co-op or Spirit Ashes, Elden Ring‘s challenges can be overcome with enough determination and leveling. Nightreign doesn’t afford you that luxury alone, especially since you’re forced into encounters designed for three players.

When you die and lose a level in Nightreign, it’s a major setback – you’ve lost time, your stats are lowered, and your Runes still need to be recovered. Without teammates to thin the herd, a single death can jeopardize a run, because now you might be fighting to get those Runes back or find enough elsewhere to regain that level, both of which can easily lead to subsequent deaths.

Nightreign Co-Op Is About As Hard As Elden Ring

RNG Can Complicate Things

Broadly speaking, playing Nightreign with a full team is about as difficult as Elden Ring, but it’s still not a direct comparison. Especially once you’ve gained a few levels, Nightreign co-op feels a lot like Elden Ring co-op – you’ll breeze through most mobs, lesser bosses can be a bit tricky, but the real challenge comes from the night bosses. They hit very hard, and if you don’t take the time to increase your flask charges, you may be repeatedly downed during the fight.

Success or failure can also hinge on Nightreign‘s RNG. In Elden Ring, you’re largely in control of your fate with long-term character building; you get to choose your favorite weapons and armor, and allocate stats where you please. Each of Nightreign‘s Nightfarers has set statistical scaling when you level up, and the weapons you end up with are completely random. You may gain plenty of levels, but never find a weapon that does well against a particular boss.

Bosses are ultimately a bit of a wash when comparing the two games’ difficulty. Each night boss in Nightreign is tough, and the Nightlords are loosely comparable to Elden Ring‘s more difficult bosses. It’s hard to draw direct comparisons because the power scaling in Elden Ring Nightreign happens so quickly on each expedition, but for the later Nightlords, you’ll want powerful Relics, just like you’ll need endgame gear for Elden Ring‘s tougher opponents.