So, you’re looking for the Elden Ring Night Rein. It’s a bit of a weird situation, honestly. If you’ve been scouring the Shadow of the Erdtree map or the base game’s wiki and coming up empty, there is a very specific reason for that.
The "Night Rein" isn't actually a weapon, a spell, or even a tangible item you can equip in your inventory. It’s a translation quirk and a lore-heavy descriptor that has sent a lot of players on a wild goose chase. Most people searching for this are actually trying to find the Night’s Cavalry gear or, more specifically, information regarding the Sword of Night found in the DLC.
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Language is messy. FromSoftware games are even messier.
The Confusion Behind the Elden Ring Night Rein
In the community, "rein" often gets conflated with "reign" or "rain." When players talk about the Elden Ring Night Rein, they are usually describing the aesthetic or the thematic "rule" of the Night’s Cavalry—those terrifying bosses who only show up when the sun goes down.
These guys are the literal "reins" of the night, patrolling the roads of the Lands Between. If you're looking for their specific loot, you’re looking for the Night's Cavalry Armor set and the Nightrider Glaive. You get these by hunting them down in places like Dragonbarrow or the Forbidden Lands. It’s hard work. You’ll die. A lot.
But there’s a newer layer to this. With the release of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, the concept of "Night" items expanded significantly. We now have the Sword of Night and the Armor of Night. These items are tied to Jolan, a Swordhand of Night found in the Cathedral of Manus Metyr.
If you want the Sword of Night, you have to complete Count Ymir's questline. It’s long. It involves ringing bells in remote ruins that look like giant fingers. It’s creepy as hell. At the end, you have to choose how to interact with Jolan using an Iris of Occultation. If you give her the Iris of Occultation, you get her katana. If you give her the Iris of Grace, you get her as a Spirit Ash.
Where the "Rein" Term Actually Comes From
Sometimes, the term pops up in fan-translated mods or early datamining reports where "Rein" might have been a placeholder for "Reign" or "Rain" (as in "Rain of Stars"). In the actual English localization of the game, the word "rein" specifically refers to horse tackle, which is why people associate it with the mounted Night’s Cavalry.
Think about the Nightrider Flail. It’s a brutal weapon. It has high dexterity requirements. It causes bleed. It’s basically the personification of a "night rein" if you view the weapon as a tool for controlling the battlefield from horseback.
How to Actually Get the "Night" Gear
If you’re tired of searching for a ghost item and just want the best "Night" themed gear in the game, here is the roadmap.
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First, the Night’s Cavalry Set. You have to go to the Consecrated Snowfield. There’s a caravan being pulled by two giants. At night, two Night’s Cavalry bosses guard it. Kill them both in one go. If you kill one and die, the other stays alive. It’s one of the tensest fights in the endgame because of the reduced visibility and the heavy hits.
Then there is the Armor of Night from the DLC. This is found in the Gaol of the Night. This dungeon is located in the Southern Shore region. It’s a platforming nightmare filled with jars and shadows. The armor itself is incredible—it’s pitch black, sleek, and has a passive bonus that increases the power of "Night" sorceries if you’re into that sort of thing.
The Semantic Shift
Gamers are notorious for renaming things. Remember "Salami" in Baldur's Gate? Or "Dog" for every turtle in Elden Ring? Elden Ring Night Rein has become a sort of "folk" search term. It represents the collective memory of the community trying to categorize the dark, equestrian-themed elements of the game.
Interestingly, some players use the term to describe the Night’s Cavalry's movement patterns. The "rein" is how they pivot. If you’ve fought them, you know they have that annoying move where the horse side-swipes you or kicks you when you’re trying to heal. Learning the "rein" of the horse is the only way to beat them on Torrent.
Real-World Comparisons and Naming
FromSoftware often uses archaic English. They love words like "gaol," "tarnished," and "fief." In the context of the game's development, the "Night" faction represents the absence of the Erdtree’s light.
Hidetaka Miyazaki, the game's director, has often spoken about the "beauty of the night" in interviews, particularly leading up to the DLC. The Sword of Night is a literal piece of that darkness. It’s a semi-incorporeal blade. When you use its Ash of War, "Witchery of Night," it bypasses shields. It’s essentially the "rein" that breaks a turtle-style player's defense.
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Actionable Steps for Your Build
If you came here looking for a specific power boost associated with this term, do these three things right now:
- Locate the Night's Cavalry in Dragonbarrow: They drop the Bloodhound's Step Ash of War (well, they used to, it moved to a different one in a patch, but they still drop the Nightrider Glaive). This weapon has S-scaling in Strength when infused with Heavy. It is arguably the best halberd in the game.
- Complete the Jolan Quest: Go to the Cathedral of Manus Metyr in the DLC. Do the finger ruins. Get the Sword of Night. It is the purest "Night" weapon and fits the aesthetic perfectly.
- Grab the Staff of Loss: If you’re a mage, this staff boosts "Night" sorceries like Night Shard and Night Comet. These spells are "invisible" to NPCs, meaning they won't dodge them. It’s the closest thing to a "cheat code" for the game's AI.
Stop looking for an item called "Night Rein." It’s a phantom. Instead, embrace the Night’s Cavalry gear and the DLC’s darkness-themed weapons. That is where the actual power lies. Most "secret" items people talk about on Reddit are just misspellings of the Sword of Night or the Nightrider equipment. Save yourself the headache and go to the Consecrated Snowfield instead.
Focus on the Nightrider Glaive for Strength or the Sword of Night for Dexterity. Both will carry you through New Game Plus without a problem.