The announcement ofElden Ring’s spin-off,Elden RingNightreign, has made many players question some of the connections to the current world at hand. So far, Nightreignis a standalone adventure that takes place within theElden Ringuniverse and is intended to be a full co-op experience, rather than multiplayer being optional inElden Ring. The game itself takes place over three days and nights and can be replayed to get a new experience every time, but what does this really entail?
Sincethe game is set in a universe that is apparently parallel to the happenings ofElden Ring, is there a greater connection to some of the other FromSoftware games? There are terrifying bosses at the end of each day, seemingly acting in service of a god called the Night Lord. The parallels toElden Ringand other FromSoft titles may draw into the reasoning as to why theNameless King fromDark Soulsmakes an appearancein the series.
Why Nightreign’s Timeline Placement Is So Confusing
Nightreign Tells A Parallel Story
Nightreigntakes place in a divergent timeline fromElden Ring,so there are few direct connections to the primary game. Because of those differences, it might be that there is some greater connection to the Nox, as theElden Ringlore describes how they live under a false night sky after their banishment and await a being called the Lord of Night. Because of the surmised connection here based on some of the lore, there are so many problems in trying to determine whereNightreignactually takes place in the timeline.
It’s unclear if the Lord of Night is the same asNightreign’s Night Lord; there simply isn’t enough information yet to say for sure.
At the same time, however, there is also the appearance of the Nameless King fromDark Souls 3that completely throws off the ability to putNightreigninto a timeline of its own. There are also glimpses of the Erdtree, which was already a nod to the arch trees from the earlier games. Because the convergence of so many FromSoft games makesNightreign’s lore almost nonsensical, it is a wonder what other titles may be included in the final form of the game; perhapsBloodbornewill get time to shine again.
Where Could Nightreign Take Place?
Where Does Its Timeline Diverge?
The potential connection between the Night Lord and the Nox’s Lord of Night suggests the timeline may have split around the time ofElden Ring’s Shattering. Theories suggest thatNightreign’s three-night cycle is born from a timeline where Rahdahn did not become the Starscourge, or he was slain during combat. There is also a lack of gold inNightreign, as seen by the gloom overtaking the Sites of Grace and turning them into silver pools.
Because of the lack of standard ties toElden Ringor direct connections to the other titles outside of bosses and other enemies, it is hard to decide whereNightreigncould really be taking place timeline-wise. I find that it is more than likely that theShattering was more catastrophic than expected, and gave rise to the Night Lord, who rules over Limveld malevolently. Unfortunately, more concrete answers will likely have to wait untilElden Ring Nightreignreleases, when players get more specifics on lore details.
Source:Bandai Namco Entertainment America/YouTube
Elden Ring Nightreign
FromSoftware has announcedElden Ring: Nightreign, a standalone multiplayer game set in Limgrave, a region of the Lands Between.
