If you’ve been hanging around the Lands Between lately, you know the vibes are... different. Elden Ring Nightreign basically dropped like a flashbang in May 2025, and honestly, the community still hasn’t quite figured out what to make of it. Is it a sequel? A weird experiment? A glorified DLC?
Most people calling it "Elden Ring 1.5" are kinda missing the point. It’s a standalone beast.
Look, FromSoftware has a history of doing whatever they want, but a three-player co-op roguelike set in a parallel reality called Limveld? That was not on my 2025 bingo card. We’re sitting here in early 2026, and the news cycle has shifted from "what is this?" to "where is the rest of it?"
The State of Play: Why Everyone is Checking Their Calendars
Here is the situation. Kadokawa—the big bosses over FromSoftware—basically admitted in their recent financial reports that Nightreign was a massive hit. It sold way more than they expected. But success brings a different kind of headache: the "When's the DLC?" crowd.
Right now, the big Elden Ring Nightreign news revolves around the upcoming expansion. In a report that leaked out toward the end of last year, Kadokawa confirmed they’re aiming to drop the Nightreign DLC before the end of their fiscal year.
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Basically? We’re looking at a release window by March 31, 2026.
There’s a lot of noise about a specific expansion called The Forsaken Hollows. If you’ve been lurking on Steam, you’ve probably seen the "Mostly Negative" reviews on the Deluxe Upgrade Pack. People are spicy. They paid for the Deluxe Edition—which includes the DLC—and have been sitting in total silence for months. It’s classic FromSoftware. They don't say anything until they have a three-minute cinematic trailer that melts your brain.
What's Actually Coming in the DLC?
We aren't just getting new hats. The word on the street (and in the earnings slides) is that we’re getting:
- Two new Nightfarers: The "Executor" and the "Revenant."
- A new "Shifting Earth" area: This is basically a new procedural biome called the Great Hollow.
- New Night Lords: Because apparently, the current bosses aren't making us cry enough.
The Revenant is the one everyone is eyeing. Director Junya Ishizaki hinted in an interview that this class is the "spiritual buddy" summoner. It's meant to be the savior for solo players. If you've tried to run Limveld alone, you know it’s a nightmare. The game scales for three people. Going in solo without a giant ghostly skeleton at your back is basically digital masochism.
The "Is This Canon?" War
Honestly, the lore community is on fire. One half of Reddit says Nightreign is a "what if" scenario that doesn't matter. The other half is busy measuring the height of the Roundtable Hold chairs to prove it’s a prequel.
The truth is somewhere in the middle.
Ishizaki-san has been pretty clear: it’s a parallel story. It branches off after the Shattering. This means things like the "cutting-gifted tribe" and the weird murals you find in Nightreign are real lore pieces, even if the specific events of your run don't "happen" in the main Elden Ring timeline. It’s FromSoftware's way of filling in the blanks without messing up the ending of the first game.
"The world of Nightreign shares some connection to Elden Ring... some parts of the lore seem to fill in missing pieces." — Junya Ishizaki
The Technical Mess and the Switch 2
We have to talk about the Elden Ring: Tarnished Edition.
Rumors about a Switch 2 port have been swirling since last year. The latest news is that it’s been pushed to late 2026. Why? Optimization. FromSoftware is great at art, but let's be real—their PC ports and console optimization can be a bit... crunchy. They want to make sure the "Tarnished Edition" actually runs at a stable framerate on Nintendo’s new hardware before they push it out the door.
If you’re waiting for crossplay in Nightreign, don’t hold your breath. It’s still not there. It’s one of the biggest complaints on the forums right now. You can play with your friends, but only if they’re on the same plastic box as you.
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Don't Get Fooled by the "Leaks"
You’ve probably seen those TikTok clips of "new" bosses. Most of them are fake.
There was a massive drama recently where people accused the Lords of the Fallen 2 devs of stealing a boss design from Nightreign. It turned out to be a total nothing-burger. The designs were just both based on the same medieval tropes.
Stick to the official Kadokawa reports. If it’s not in a financial filing or a Bandai Namco tweet, it’s probably just a mod or a very talented fan with too much time on their hands.
How to Prepare for the March DLC
If you’re planning on jumping back in for The Forsaken Hollows, here’s what you should actually be doing:
- Farm those Relics. You can equip six at once. If you don't have a solid set of damage-reduction relics, the new Night Lords are going to eat you alive.
- Master the "Deep of Night" mode. This was the ultra-hard mode released back in September. It’s the best way to practice the mechanics before the DLC ramps up the difficulty again.
- Find a squad. Seriously. Nightreign is a co-op game first. Join a Discord, find two people you actually like, and get your coordination down.
The "Night's Tide" isn't going anywhere. Whether you're a Raider main or waiting for the Revenant to drop, the next few months are going to be wild for Elden Ring fans. Just keep an eye on that March 31 deadline.
Actionable Next Steps:
Check your game version to ensure you've downloaded the "Deep of Night" update from late last year. If you own the Deluxe Edition, keep an eye on your library for a pre-load prompt for The Forsaken Hollows as we approach the end of February. Focus your current runs on unlocking the Guardian’s whirlwind moves—they are currently the meta for clearing the randomized structure layouts in the base game.