Elden Ring Nightreign is a tough-as-nails game that blends the beloved roguelike and soulslike genres into something fans of both should find appealing. However, unlike most games in either genre, this one’s inherently designed around working together in a group of three. So, you may be wondering if you can strike out on your own in Elden Ring Nightreign. While the game is about to get easier for folks who choose to go it alone, right now such a style proves an exceptionally difficult challenge.
Can you play Elden Ring Nightreign solo?
Let’s get this out of the way first: Yes, Elden Ring Nightreign offers the option for solo play. To do so, you’ll need to open the expedition menu at Roundtable Hold, then switch over to the matchmaking settings tab. At the bottom of the menu, set the Expedition Type to “Singleplayer.”
Read More: Elden Ring Nightreign Is About To Become Easier For Solo Players
The real question is whether Elden Ring Nightreign’s single-player experience is manageable or fun, and that really depends on your skill level, class choice, and patience more so than in any other similar game I can remember playing.
Elden Ring Nightreign is already pretty damn challenging when running with a group of three other folks. The game’s sense of randomness adds a lot of unknowns to an expedition, and things can go wrong very quickly. But with a team, you can be revived, have someone else available to take some aggro from you when things get hairy, and use your character’s abilities to complement one another in difficult showdowns. It’s often still hard as hell, but victory usually feels possible even when things don’t go quite as planned.
However, when you’re alone…Well, you’re all alone. If you die on a solo expedition, that’s it. You’re done. Back to the Roundable Hold with you, loser.
With this in mind, some folks may find the anxiety-inducing pacing and chaotic showdowns enjoyable even while solo; but those who struggle to succeed without a group may find it demoralizing to watch hours go by without making any meaningful progress. And since some classes are much better for solo play than others, it can be even more frustrating to go it alone for someone who prefers to play one of the support-focused classes.
Best characters for solo play
If you really want to go at it by yourself, I’d recommend taking a look at Ironeye or Wylder.
Ironeye’s ranged playstyle is the safest in the game, giving you a lot of freedom to tackle enemies your own way. For instance, you can take the high ground against some foes to avoid their attacks altogether, or use his sliding ability to dodge an attack and get behind an enemy for better positioning.
Wylder, meanwhile, is a jack-of-all-trades character with a solid health pool and balanced stats that make him great at adapting to whatever type of loot a run provides. Simply grab any melee weapon and you’ll probably be doing alright with this fella. Plus, he has some of the coolest skins in the game. That doesn’t help you in battle, but like…come on. He looks rad.
In conclusion, while things can certainly go poorly even with a team, I’d argue playing by your lonesome leaves too little room for error for a game that requires such a hefty time investment and minimal payoff for failure. Elden Ring Nightreign is designed from the ground up to be played with others, after all. Your mileage may vary, though, so play however you have fun with it!
You can pick up Nightreign now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs. You’ll have to look elsewhere to pick up two other friends to play with, though.
