Elden Ring Nightreign is now up to 3.5 million copies sold after five days on sale, with its Steam user review rating improving from 'mixed' to 'mostly positive.'Elden Ring was a massive hit, selling 30 million since going on sale in 2022, and it seems unlikely that Nightreign will come close to matching that success. For better context, the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion sold 5 million copies within three days of its release in 2024.FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off had launched to 2 million sales in just a day, but with a 'mixed' rating on Valve's platform.Much of the initial negative sentiment revolved around Nightreign’s brutal solo experience, its lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics. That age-old multiplayer struggle to find enough friends to make up a coordinated three-player group is very much a part of the Elden Ring Nightreign experience, too.PlayAs explained in IGN's Elden Ring Nightreign review: "Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games."But on Monday, FromSoftware released a patch to make solo play much easier, and despite matchmaking problems over the weekend, sentiment has improved.Last week, producer Yasuhiro Kitao took to social media to comment on Elden Ring Nightreign’s early sales success and to thank players for giving the game a go despite its quirks.Every IGN FromSoftware Game Review“Nightreign has some peculiar aspects to its game design and is different from our recent titles in various ways,” Kitao said. “Nonetheless, many of you have bravely jumped into this world, and for that we're immensely grateful.“As with Demon's Souls or Sekiro, it may be confounding at first, but just like those games, Nightreign offers its own challenges and experiences. Once you overcome the initial hurdle, it'll surely provide a sense of accomplishment that's also its very own.“We hope you enjoy it.”So, what happens next? FromSoftware said that in addition to the DLC releasing later this year, new additions will be “gradually implemented,” including enhanced fights against existing Nightlords starting this month (June), as well as Duo Expeditions at a later date.”The addition of duos will come as some relief to players who have questioned its omission from launch. Elden Ring Nightreign drops players into the shifting lands of Limveld, exploring and fighting for survival either solo or in groups of three. There is no way to play two-player co-op.In IGN's interview with Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki, the Nightreign lead developer discussed the choice to lean on solos and trios as the core experience options. When asked why there's no option for a pair of players to drop in together without a matchmade third player, Ishizaki said it was overlooked."The simple answer is that this is simply something that was overlooked during development as just a two-player option, so we're very sorry about that," said Ishizaki. "As we said before, we set out to make this a multiplayer co-op game for three players, balanced for three players, so that was the main focus and it's at the core of Nightreign."Of course, I myself as a player understand that and often want times where I'm just playing myself, so this is something that we considered from the start," Ishizaki continued."And so we did put a lot of effort into creating this experience that was playable for solo players in as much as the rules and new systems allowed. So in putting all our efforts into that aspect, we kind of overlooked and neglected the duos aspect, but this is something that we are looking at and considering for post-launch support as well."This means that if you're playing with just your favorite duos partner, you have to accept a random third into your game. Playing trios is very much what Elden Ring Nightreign is built around.We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

FromSoftware has acknowledged matchmaking issues on Elden Ring Nightreign during its first weekend, and offered suggestions to players affected.Today, May 31, FromSoftware tweeted to address players who were struggling to find other players when launching an expedition in the multiplayer Elden Ring spin-off. If you do, try restarting the matchmaking process, FromSoftware suggested. That’s not a great help, admittedly, but at least we know the developer is aware of the problem. “Thank you for your patience and understanding,” it added.FromSoftware followed that social post with another, this time acknowledging issues on PlayStation consoles specifically. Those on PS4 and PS5 who are having difficulty matchmaking should check their NAT type, FromSoftware said. “NAT type 3 may affect matchmaking on PSN,” it explained.Check your NAT type with the following steps:Home > Settings > Network > Connection Status > Check Connection StatusThere is no specific advice for Xbox at this time.PlayYesterday, producer Yasuhiro Kitao took to social media to comment on Elden Ring Nightreign’s early sales success (2 million units in its first day).“Nightreign has some peculiar aspects to its game design and is different from our recent titles in various ways,” Kitao said. “Nonetheless, many of you have bravely jumped into this world, and for that we're immensely grateful.“As with Demon's Souls or Sekiro, it may be confounding at first, but just like those games, Nightreign offers its own challenges and experiences. Once you overcome the initial hurdle, it'll surely provide a sense of accomplishment that's also its very own. “We hope you enjoy it.”Every IGN FromSoftware Game ReviewSo, what might this tweet be about, specifically? Well, Nightreign is still on a ‘mixed’ user review rating on Steam, with much of the negative sentiment revolving around its brutal solo experience, its lack of duos co-op, lack of voice chat, and other archaic mechanics. That age-old multiplayer struggle to find enough friends to make up a coordinated three-player group is very much a part of the Elden Ring Nightreign experience, too. A patch to make solo play easier is due out next week.As explained in IGN's Elden Ring Nightreign review: "Let’s get the most important caveat out of the way first: if you are hoping to tackle Nightreign entirely solo, and are anything less than a hardcore Elden Ring player that actively seeks out ways to make that already difficult game even more challenging, Nightreign isn’t for you. Yes, there is technically a single-player option, but it is so poorly balanced that I would be shocked if it isn’t patched and adjusted within the first month of release. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes these types of games."We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The Duchess is one of the sharpest classes in Elden Ring Nightreign. The undercover priestess loves to dip in and out of combat, overwhelming foes with fast attacks and status ailments. Once you unlock the Duchess, pick her if you like to stay nimble and quickly dominate foes with excessively high damage per second. While her damage potential is one of the highest, Duchess has some apparent weaknesses that can diminish her viability. If you’re an aspiring Duchess main who wants to get the best out of the character in your future expeditions, this Elden Ring Nightreign guide will show you how to play as the Duchess, with a focus on recommendations for her best relics, best teammates, and best weapons, alongside other miscellaneous tips. How to make a great Duchess build in Elden Ring Nightreign As a dextrous character, you’ll want to craft your Duchess build around daggers, katanas, and curved great swords. All in all, anything that has a fast move set and is able to apply bleed is beneficial to a Duchess build. Bleed just overall synergizes with Duchess’s Restage ability, so when in doubt, prioritize looking for weapons and relics that allow for bleed application. Since Duchess scales with intelligence and faith as well, she does well with most of the game’s ranged weapon options. We recommend a good bow or staff in your equipment loadout. Best relics for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Duchess scales primarily off of Arcane, Faith, and Dexterity, so the best relics for her are those that provide boosts to those specific stats. You can unlock these relics by just playing the game, but the best relics come from completing runs and defeating Nightlords. Another great way to gain access to high-quality relics is by completing the remembrance objectives found in the journal. Some of the Duchess’ best options are relics with the following effects: [Duchess] Dagger chain attack reprises event upon nearby enemies [Duchess] Improved character skill attack power [Duchess] Defeating enemies while Art is active ups attack power [Duchess] Become difficult to spot and silence footsteps after landing critical from behind Boosts attack power of added affinity attacks Improved stance breaking when wielding two armaments Any relic that increases Dexterity, Intelligence, or Endurance Character skill cooldown reduction Starting armament inflicts are good relics as well if you can match the status ailment with a Nightlord weakness Best teammates for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Duchess excels when she’s able to deal damage unimpeded. She fits neatly into team comps that create enough space for her to do as she pleases. As the game evolves, new strategies may emerge, but at launch, the following classes are great fits as teammates for the Duchess and are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. Guardian — Guardian’s ultimate art provides a useful damage negation buff to teammates in its radius, helping Duchess with her survivability. Raider — Debatably Nightreign’s tankiest character, he can easily handle enemy aggro, allowing for Duchess to set up good uses of her Restage ability. Wylder — Wylder’s character skill allows him to grapple enemies to him. In the early stages of an expedition, Duchess is at her weakest. A good Wylder can help mitigate enemy aggro by yanking them away from her. Duchess — Having multiple Duchess players is not as good as the other picks; however, there is an unusual synergy with her Restage character skill. Since it applies to allies’ damage as well as her own, multiple Duchess players can rapidly apply status ailments like Bleed and demolish bosses. Best weapons for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign Hands down, the best weapon for Duchess is a dagger, as Duchess prefers to build up status ailments as quickly as possible. To that end, it’s best to equip her with weapons that have fast move sets. That said, even though she’s a dextrous character, she also has good intelligence scaling. Staves are extremely underrated on Duchess. Since there’s no equipment load or stat requirements outside of levels, there is simply no reason not to have at least one good staff member with you at all times. Below are some of the best weapons for Duchess: Crystal Knife Reduvia Wakizashi Moonveil Rivers of Blood Meteoric Ore Blade Horned Bow Carian Regal Scepter Best talismans for Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign It isn’t often you’ll run into a talisman during an expedition, but if you get lucky, they can completely dial up the effectiveness of any character. Be on the lookout for scarabs, a returning enemy from Elden Ring, who tend to drop them. The best talismans for the Duchess are the following: Millicent’s Prosthesis — Boosts attack power with successive attacks. Twinblade Talisman — Boosts the power of chain attack finishers. Lord of Blood’s Exultation — Boosts attack power when blood loss is in the vicinity. Depending on your playstyle, you might even prefer to use talismans that increase spell casting power, such as Graven-School Talisman or Radagon Icon. While it may not be her best option, it is still viable, and being able to adapt on the fly is the best skill you could have in Elden Ring Nightreign. For more Elden Ring Nightreign guides, here’s a list of all classes, the best class to pick first, how to unlock the Revenant, and the best early Recluse build.

The Recluse makes a bunch of cocktails in Elden Ring’s Nightreign, but not the type you’d like to drink. She transforms the typical playstyle of a Soulslike spellcaster and flips it on its head by allowing you access to 14 extra spells through her character skill, Magic Cocktail. Recluse is the perfect character for you if you want to dedicate many hours to mastering a character. In comparison to the other classes, Recluse demands constant management of stamina, FP, and your character skill on top of all the other requirements Nightreign demands of you. If you’re an aspiring Recluse main who wants to get the best out of the character in your future expeditions, this Elden Ring Nightreign guide will show you how to play as Recluse, with a focus on recommendations for her best relics, best teammates, and best weapons, alongside other miscellaneous tips. How to make a great Recluse build in Elden Ring Nightreign As a mage, you want your Recluse build to involve staves and whatever melee weapon you’re most comfortable with. The most challenging part of learning Recluse’s quirks isn’t strictly about managing her character skill but also about keeping your FP high. It’s easy to disregard it and spam the spells of your weapons, but once you run out of FP, you’re out of luck; there is no azure flask to lean on. The only way to restore this vital resource is by using your character skill. This is why a good melee weapon you’re comfortable with matters as you begin to learn. Once you have a good grasp on weaving your skill in between spells, you can prioritize weapons and relics that boost intelligence and improve spellcasting. Best relics for Recluse in Elden Ring Nightreign For Recluse, Intelligence is king! There are many relics to choose from in Elden Ring Nightreign, but as long as your relic has some boost to spellcasting, FP cost, or intelligence, you are in good shape. While playing the game, you’ll unlock some relics that have passives unique to Recluse. As you can probably assume, these are some of her best options. Some of the Recluse’s best options are relics with the following effects: [Recluse] Activating ultimate art raises max HP [Recluse] Collecting affinity residue activates Terra Magica [Recluse] Suffer blood loss and increase attack power upon art activation Magic attack power up + Ultimate art gauge + FP restoration upon successive attacks Improved resistance relics are also grand if you’re able to match them up with the damage type of your chosen expedition’s Nightlord Other miscellaneous relics to prioritize are those that increase vigor, mind, intelligence, faith, or endurance. Recluse is a frail character, so more survivability is always good. Best teammates for Recluse in Elden Ring Nightreign Similar to other less tanky options like Duchess, Ironeye, and Revenant, Recluse thrives in a team composition that can take enemy pressure off of her as she applies high magic damage through her spells and skills. The following classes are great for Recluse, and you shouldn’t pick her unless one of your teammates is hovering them. Guardian — Guardian’s ultimate art provides a useful damage negation buff to teammates in its radius, helping Recluse stay alive longer. Raider — Raider easily absorbs enemy attention, allowing for Recluse to damage her targets safely. Wylder — Wylder’s character skill allows him to grapple enemies to him, relieving pressure off of Recluse. His Ultimate Art also deals fire damage, which you can provide fire essence for your character skill. Best Magic Cocktail Combinations in Elden Ring Nightreign Recluse’s character skill is the meat and potatoes of her playstyle. There is no way around it; you have to get comfortable with all 14 of the possible spell combinations. When an enemy or ally takes elemental damage from any source, you can use this skill to siphon the residue of that damage and bank it. Once you’ve banked three element residues, your next cast will cast a unique spell. Every single one has its uses, but some are more practical and usable in nearly every situation. Pure Holy — Enwreathe oneself in holy light, bordering poise and increasing damage negation. Requires 3 Holy residues. Magic & Holy — Cover nearby area with a magic veil, fully conserving FP for self and allies for a short time. Can be used with any combination of Magic and Holy residue. Magic, Fire, & Lightning — Conjure frontwards exploding gravity orb. Gravity orb pulls enemies inward, expands, and explodes, inflicting heavy damage. Requires Magic, Fire, and Lightning residue. Best talismans for Recluse in Elden Ring Nightreign Talismans are some of the rarest gear in Elden Ring Nightreign, but they can be found if you know where to look. They can drop in fortresses and from scarabs, so if you spot one of these, it’s good to prioritize them. The best talismans for the Recluse are the following: Ancestral Spirit’s Horn — Defeating Enemies Restores FP Taker’s Cameo — Defeating Enemies Restores HP Ritual Shield Talisman — Improved Damage Negation at Full HP Blessed Dew Talisman — Continous HP Recovery +2 Viridian Amber Medallion — Increased Maximum Stamina +12% Any talisman that offers FP restoration, HP restoration, damage negation, and stamina recovery is good, as they allow Recluse players some individuality and choice regarding whether they should instead play defensively or offensively. Recluse in Elden Ring Nightreign requires a specific type of player, and with some practice, adaptability, and a good loadout, mastering the mage will be a piece of cake. For more Elden Ring Nightreign guides, here’s a list of all classes, the best class to pick first, how to unlock the Duchess and Revenant, and the best early Duchess build.

Picking the best class to start with in Elden Ring Nightreign is the first meaningful decision you’ll make — and if you’ve any experience with FromSoftware games, it’s one you might spend time fretting over too.Elden Ring Nightreign features eight playable classes (called Nightfarers), each with their own predetermined passive skills, character-specific abilities, and ultimate arts that can turn the tide of battle. And while all Nightreign players will start out as the Wylder, once you begin your first expedition, you’ll have immediate access to six classes: Executor, Guardian, Ironeye, Raider, Recluse, and Wylder. (You can unlock two additional Nightfarers, the Duchess and Revenant, as you complete expeditions and specific challenges.)But what’s the best class to start with in Elden Ring Nightreign? While it largely depends on your playstyle, this Elden Ring Nightreign guide will help you figure it out.Best class to start with in Elden Ring NightreignImage: FromSoftware/Bandai NamcoFor your first expedition, we recommend starting with the Ironeye or Wylder.Ironeye is an archer-style class with high Dexterity and Arcane attributes. As a ranged fighter, Ironeye can target enemies from distance and attack from the safety of high ground. While relatively weak on his own, Ironeye can complement a team by providing support from afar, and marking enemies to make them more susceptible to damage and being staggered. Plus, if one of your allies goes down in the middle of a fight, you can help raise them from near-death from afar, firing arrows (or your ultimate art) at them to get them back on their feet.Ironeye is also one of the least complicated characters to play as. You don’t have to worry about managing their FP — you really only need to focus on stamina and HP — and tracking down a good bow.Nightreign’s Wylder is also a good starting choice, in part because he’s a jack of all trades and can “cheat death” for extra survivability. Just a good ol’ sword-and-shield guy, Wylder has high HP, high Strength, and solid Stamina, making him a natural fit for seasoned Souls players.Wylder’s Claw Shot character skill is useful for quickly moving him close to enemies and for breaking their guard. His ultimate, Onslaught Stake, is a simple, satisfying, damage-dealing explosion that offers a straightforward way to wipe out substantial chunks of big enemies’ HP.After you get your feet wet with Nightfarers like Ironeye and Wylder, try out tankier classes like the Raider and Guardian, or the speedy, backstabbing Duchess, who you’ll be able to unlock after defeating your first Nightlord.Hardest class to start with in Elden Ring NightreignImage: FromSoftware/Bandai NamcoThe most complex Nightfarer starting character classes are the Executor and Recluse.Executor looks extremely cool and deals a ton of damage output, and his ultimate art — in which he transforms into a giant primordial beast — can be a game-changer. But Executor has low survivability, and his character skill, which can deflect enemy attacks, requires some practice to master.Recluse is a spellcaster/mixologist who can craft 14 different spells using magical “residues” from enemies, then attack enemies and buff her allies. As a ranged damage-dealer with low HP, she’s a good pick for players who may eventually get bored playing as Ironeye and want to try a more interesting and in-depth Nightfarer.Of course, regardless of what class you pick, we highly recommend visiting the Sparring Grounds — a low-stakes training area — so you can try out different Nightfarers without the pressure of holding your teammates back in an expedition.For more Elden Ring Nightreign guides, here’s how to unlock the Duchess and Revenant classes, plus explainers on where to find Smithing Stones and all church locations.See More:

Imagine playing Fortnite, but instead of fighting other players, all you want to do is break into houses to look for caches of slurp juice. Yes, the storm is closing in on you, and there’s a bunch of enemies waiting to kill you, but all you want to do is take a walking tour of Tilted Towers. Then when the match is over, instead of queueing again, you start reading the in-game lore for Peely and Sabrina Carpenter. You can count your number of player kills on one hand meanwhile your number of deaths is in the hundreds. You’ve never achieved a victory royale, but you’ve never had more fun.That’s how I play Elden Ring Nightreign.Nightreign is FromSoftware’s first Elden Ring spinoff, and it’s unlike any Souls game that the developer has done before. Nightreign has the conceit of so many battle royale games — multiplayer combat focused on acquiring resources across a large map that slowly shrinks over time — wrapped in the narrative, visual aesthetics, and combat of Elden Ring. Instead of the Tarnished, you are a Nightfarer. Instead of the expansive Lands Between, you are sent to Limveld, an island with an ever-shifting landscape. And instead of becoming the Elden Lord, your goal is to defeat the Night Lord and end the destructive storm that scours the land.Elden Ring Nightreign aura-farming exhibit A.In Nightreign, gameplay sessions are broken up into expeditions, each of which is divided into three day-night cycles. During the day, you — either solo or with two other players — explore the world looking for weapon upgrades and fighting bosses for the enhancements they reward. You’ll be forced to move as the deadly Night’s Tide slowly consumes the map, whittling your health to nothing if you’re caught in it. When the map is at its smallest, you face a tough midboss. Defeat it to commence day two of the expedition or die and start it all over. Then, on the third day, you face the expedition’s final boss. There are several expeditions to conquer each with different bosses, mid-bosses, weapons to collect, and all kinds of events that make each run unique.I had the opportunity to play Nightreign once before earlier this year (and during a more recent network test) , and it wasn’t the best preview, as the game was plagued with all kinds of issues that didn’t allow me to experience it the way the developers intended. Those technical issues have been ironed out but I still haven’t completed the game’s most basic objective: beat the first expedition. This isn’t because of any technical or gameplay issues I had. For the times I wanted to play as intended, my colleague Jay Peters stepped in to help me and I had no problem finding party members to tackle expeditions with on my own… I just never really wanted to. And part of the reason why I’m enjoying Nightreign so much is because the game lets me play it in a way that’s completely counterintuitive – slowly and alone.Collaborative gaming doesn’t always feel good to me. I want to take things at my own pace, and that’s hard to do when there’s a group of people frustrated with me because they need my help to kill a boss while I’m still delving into a dungeon a mile away. But the ability to solo queue does come with a significant catch – you’re not gonna get very far. I died often and to everything from random enemies to bosses. It’s not often that I even make it to that first boss fight without dying to the warm-up battles that precede it. This should frustrate me, but I don’t care in the slightest. I’m just so pleased that I can go at my own pace to explore more of Elden Ring’s visually gorgeous and narratively sumptuous world.You get by with a little help from your friends. I, however, am built different. Image: FromSoftwareWhich brings me to my favorite part: its characters. Nightreign has eight new classes, each with their own unique abilities. The classes can still use every weapon you find (with some locked behind level requirements) so there’s an option to tailor a character to fit your playstyle. There are certain kinds of classes I gravitate toward, specifically ranged combat, but for the first time in a class-based game, I love every one of them. It is so much fun shredding enemies to ribbons with the Duchess, using her Restage ability to replay the attacks done to an enemy essentially doubling the damage they receive. I love the Raider’s powers of just being a big fuckin’ dude, slamming things with big ass great weapons. And true to my ranged combat loving heart, Ironeye’s specialty with bows makes it so nice when I wanna kill things without putting myself in danger.Then there’s the Guardian. Look at him. He’s a giant armored bird-person with the busted wing and the huge-ass halberd and shield. His story involves being a protector who failed his flock and has found a new one in the other Nightfarers. I fell to my knees reading one of his codex entries and seeing how the Recluse, the mage character, helped him with his damaged wing. Every character has a codex that updates with their personal story the more expeditions you attempt. This is the shit I get out of bed for. The Guardian is the coolest FromSoftware character since Patches and I have a crush on him. Image: FromSoftwareI thought I was going to hate the concept of Nightreign. I want more Elden Ring: I love that world, so any chance I can have to go back, I’ll take but… I just don’t like multiplayer games. Describing Nightreign makes it sound like the reason why it exists is because an out of touch CEO looked at the popularity of Elden Ring and at all the money Fortnite prints and went “Yeah, let’s do that.” Even if that’s the case, Nightreign has been constructed so that it still appeals to lore freaks like me and I can ignore the less savory bits around multiplayer with relative ease. If I can take a moment and borrow a pair of words from my Gen Z niblings to describe Nightreign it’d be “aura” and “aura farming.” Aura is used to describe a person’s general coolness or badassery while aura farming is the activities one can engage in to increase one’s aura. John Wick has aura. In the first movie, when he performs his monologue about getting back in the assassin business spitting and screaming – that’s aura farming.And between the cooperative nature of the game, its rapid-paced combat, and the new characters, abilities, and story, Elden Ring Nightreign has a ton of aura that I’m having a lot of fun farming – just not in the way I expected.Elden Ring Nightreign is out now on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.See More:

Welcome to the world of Elden Ring: Nightreign, coming to PlayStation 5 on May 30. This new spin on the beloved dark fantasy classic is a cooperative multiplayer-focused adventure, where you’ll choose a class/character, be matched up with two other adventurers, then go off to try and defeat one of the mythical Nightlords. And if you’re familiar with Elden Ring at all, you know very well that this won’t be an easy task even with a group to help you out. You’ll start with six classes from the outset, with two unlockable afterwards. Each class has a unique Passive Ability, a Character Skill, and an Ultimate Art. Due to Nightreign’s much faster pace and ever-decreasing explorable area, it would be difficult to plan out your builds, so the unique abilities of your currently chosen class and equipped Relics will largely determine your playstyle. To help get you started, we’ll give you a quick look at each class’s strengths and noteworthy attributes. But don’t sweat the choice too much — if one class just isn’t gelling for you, you can swap class anytime between expeditions. Wylder Starting weapons: Wylder’s Greatsword and Wylder’s Small Shield Passive: Sixth Sense Character Skill: Claw Shot  Ultimate Art: Onslaught Stake If you want to just get in, melee some enemies, and do a good chunk of damage, Wylder’s the class for you. Yes, he’s pretty simple, but “simple” certainly doesn’t mean “ineffective.” In fact, Wylder is one of the most versatile classes when it comes to equipment.  Using the Claw Shot, you can bring annoying ranged attackers straight to your face for a good slashing — or, for the big boys, you can fling yourself at them for a slick dashing strike. Plus, you’ve got the ability to nullify one deathblow per revival after taking a break at site of grace with Sixth Sense, making this a good choice for newbies. (Just don’t rely on that ability to get you out of trouble all the time.) Guardian Starting weapon: Guardian’s Halberd Passive: Steel Guard Character Skill: Whirlwind Ultimate Art: Wings of Salvation If you’re looking for a warrior who will stick around, the bird’s the word. Our stalwart avian friend has a huge HP pool and a Steel Guard, a shield stance that consumes less stamina, blocks more effectively, and makes countering a cinch. The Guardian’s ultimate skill, Wings of Salvation, not only looks cool and hurts a large area of foes, it can also help revive near-death teammates within the range of its impact. Build a Guardian wisely, and you’ll have a fearsome tank that can dish it out as well as he takes it. Ironeye Starting weapon: Ironeye’s Bow Passive: Eagle Eye Character Skill: Marking Ultimate Art: Single Shot Not everyone likes to get all up in an enemy’s face, especially when they hit as hard as they do in Nightreign. Ironeye serves as the premiere ranged class, preferring bows and crossbows and specializing in Dexterity above all other stats. He’s also got an eye for treasure, as his Eagle Eye increases the amount of drops you’ll get from felled foes. The Ironeye also specializes in bypassing an enemy’s defenses: Marking a foe with a melee dagger attack will create an opening for extra damage, while Single Shot can ignore defense and obstacles in its path. (And he’s great for distance revival, too.) Raider Starting weapon: Raider’s Greataxe Passive: Fighter’s Resolve Character Skill: Retaliate Ultimate Art: Totem Stela They say that pain makes you stronger, and the Raider epitomizes the phrase: he’s built big to take a beating and hit back hard. He’s focused around the Retaliate skill, which sees him first take a defensive stance, then going into a headbutt. If he’s taken enough damage, his Fighter’s Resolve skill will transform Retaliate into a smashing uppercut that deals massive damage and lets him survive a lethal blow during its execution. But Raider’s also got a softer, supportive side: his Ultimate Art creates a tombstone that serves as a safe perch for long-range attackers and boosts their power. Recluse Starting weapon: Recluse’s Staff Passive: Elemental Defense Character Skill: Magic Cocktails         Ultimate Art: Soulblood Song Compared to other classes, you’re going to need some technical knowledge for the Recluse to really work her magic. She’s a very versatile class, offering both offensive and support capabilities with her spells. However, using her effectively will involve proper collection of elemental affinity residues with her Magic Cocktail ability. Each combination of three elements yields a unique result, so knowing exactly what you’re mixing up is very important. She’s not particularly resilient, either, making her ill-suited for the frontlines. But if you’ve a hankering to cook up trouble with elemental recipes, she’s your go-to gal. Executor Starting weapon: Executor’s Blade Passive: Tenacity                   Character Skill: Cursed Sword            Ultimate Art: Aspects of the Crucible: Beast The Executor’s motto is “Hit fast and cause plenty of pain”–though whether that pain will come from sheer damage output or from status ailments is up to you and your playstyle. Thanks to his passive skill, Tenacity, he gets a nice boost after recovering from status ailments of his own–though we don’t recommend actively seeking out getting afflicted. If you’re skilled at guarding, you can draw out the Cursed Sword for some impressive ripostes. And when things get hairy, you will too, with a big bestial transformation that sees you going feral on enemies for a few precious seconds. Just don’t give him the big weapons — or take too many big-damage hits. You’ll unlock the final two classes — the fleet-footed Duchess and the spirit-calling Revenant — as you progress the game. (Don’t look too hard–you’ll likely stumble upon at least one of the key items required to unlock them during your quests.)  Good luck, and remember: every run will yield a reward, no matter how things go, so keep on questing.

“Decoy Boy.” All images © Michael Ezzell, shared with permission In ‘The Junior Classic,’ Michael Ezzell Builds an Uncanny World from Vintage Books May 27, 2025 ArtIllustration Kate Mothes It’s not too often that a high school art project morphs into a through-line in an artist’s professional practice, but for illustrator and printmaker Michael Ezzell, that’s exactly how his ongoing series The Junior Classic was born. Tearing pages from vintage books, he experiments with a range of media, compositional elements, and narratives that then inspire further paintings and prints. “When I was starting out, I would just paint over the text of the page and create something brand new from some mundane book I had,” Ezzell tells Colossal. “Eventually, it evolved into using the page’s illustration or ornate chapter headings as a jumping-off point for what I would create on the page.” “Cloudmaker” Among many others, Ezzell especially graviates toward illustrations in the Alice in Wonderland series, originally drawn by Sir John Tenniel and reimagined during subsequent decades by more than half a dozen other artists like Mabel Lucie Attwell, Gwynedd M. Hudson, Maria L. Kirk, and even Salvador Dalí. “I’ve gotten my book-hunting more down to a science now,” the artist says. “I look for weird and obscure manuals or children’s books with lots of pictures or funky text formatting. Anything that could have strange connotations when taken out of context is what I’m drawn to.” He approaches each page’s inherent qualities—a printed phrase or a small drawing—like a prompt or a call-and-response, which taps into a refreshingly different kind of problem-solving than working on a large, blank canvas. Ezzell is particularly interested in world-building and immersive stories, and his motifs and characters take cues from tarot, Surrealism, playing cards, and early-20th-century fashion. The title of the series nods to a set of 10 books titled The Junior Classics, first published in 1912, which were intended for young readers as a counterpart to the Harvard Classics series. The Junior Classic consists of more than 400 pieces (and growing), and Ezzell is currently working on his own tarot deck, which in turn is inspiring more narrative possibilities. See more on the artist’s website and Instagram. “Two Rivers” “Now Here” “Three Phases of Mitsy Diller” “Mind Over Matter” “Love Makes the World Go Down” “The Escapist” “The Great Cassino” “The Duchess” Next article

There’s a fresh wave of co-operative action-slash-shooters on the horizon, all vying for your squad’s attention and all looking decent, for the most part: ARC Raiders, FBC: Firebreak, Marathon, amongst others. It feels like we’re on the cusp of a new golden age in online co-op, so to pitch Elden Ring Nightreign as the cream of the crop, as one of 2025’s biggest games, we must be confident it has both the magic to entice players into its world and the power to make them stay.  We’ve between now and Nightreign’s worldwide release on 30th May to convince you this is the one to plump for if you’re on the fence as to which of 2025’s upcoming blockbuster co-ops to funnel your hours into. Straight off the bat, first thing to state with Elden Ring Nightreign is this is a standalone adventure. Not only do players require zero prior knowledge of Elden Ring’s expansive narrative and lore to get the best out of Nightreign but, unlike last year’s Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, players don’t even need to own the original title. This is a one-time purchase, not live service, no seasons, or battle passes – at least, there’s nothing officially announced at time of this feature’s creation. Instead, squads of three can jump right in and start battling away in a reimagined version of Elden Ring starting area Limgrave, rebranded here as Limveld. The premise is straightforward enough: Elden Ring Nightreign is an action survival adventure with roguelike structure. Three warriors find themselves castaway in a hostile realm, an environment lulling them in with its lush pastures and golden canopies, yet bandits, soldiers, and monsters – some cameoing out of Elden Ring, some brand-new creations cooked up by FromSoftware – stalk the landscape. The task is to kill and pillage, to scavenge the loot of your slain foe to level up during each run. Runs last three days, and this scavenging phase takes place during daytime. An ever-shrinking battle royale-style perimeter – confusingly dubbed the Night Rain, as in rain shower – channels players to the map’s centre where an end-of-day boss awaits. The clock is ticking, and as a result exploration is much less cerebral than FromSoft’s usual Souls style. Exploration is still critical mind, just done at a ramped-up pace. Supporting all the bandit slaying are subterranean caves dotted with treasure, guarded bastions harbouring documents, short environmental puzzles, and middling bosses. Should squads survive two nights in Lemveld then they’ll be transported to an arena known as the Spirit Shelter where they can put all their skills and upgrades to the test and take on one of eight pre-chosen mega bosses, known as Nightlords. If Elden Ring’s boss battles are anything to go by, these climactic showdowns at the end of a couple of days’ toil are sure to be a spectacle. Each run begins with players at level one but Nightreign’s upgrades, via discoverable runes, come quickly. In fact, levelling up in this Elden Ring spin-off is extremely fast, and to demonstrate Nightreign’s pick-up-and-play ethos adding XP to your character isn’t as arduous a task as it is in FromSoftware’s other titles. Spending runes here levels up your character whilst boosting their overall stats. There’s no time to labour over which ability to upgrade. Furthermore, each of the game’s playable heroes can wield just about every weapon; it’s their unique skills and abilities which distinguish them from each other. So, build customisation is a shade more limited compared to traditional RPG levelling up, but it is possible in the form of randomised loot which, of course, is dropped by downed enemies. Some of this loot functions passively – weapon stat buffs, elemental and physical affinities, and numerous other effects – and some is housed in breakable chests that usually contain some sort of consumable to upgrade weapon damage or similar. Progression outside of the action exists too in the form of advancing character stories. See, in between runs players return to an alternative version of the Roundtable Hold from Elden Ring and here, alongside affixing permanent runic upgrades, they’ll be able to experience a form of narrative progression for each of the game’s eight hero characters. Before we get into describing these characters in-depth, it’s worth pointing out that FromSoftware have stated that as each character’s story advances then the world of Limveld will re-shape and react in tandem. It’s incarnation upon starting the game is a mix of fixed structures and landmarks, but – to alleviate any staleness – there’ll be elements of variation in where enemies spawn and the like. As an aside, dramatic, unexpected changes can occur too: crashing meteorites, boss ambushes, and… uhm, sudden volcanoes. So, onto Elden Ring Nightreign’s cast of heroes and, yes, we’re calling them heroes as FromSoftware have clearly gone down the route that’s well established by Apex Legends and Overwatch, et cetera. Each hero in Elden Ring Nightreign is uniquely skilled, with their own abilities and combat style. Together with collectable loot and upgrades, this blend of skills across three-player teams is sure to create innumerably powerful synergies. Unlike FromSoft’s usual fayre, there isn’t ability to create or customise these characters beyond permanent upgrades and collectable outfits. As you’d expect, there’s breadth to the cast though. All info on their uniqueness is available on Bandai Namco’s website, but just know that each playable hero possesses distinct passive ability, character skill, and ultimate art, the latter being a powerful signature move. Wylder is an easy to learn tough to master hero who’s attacking and defensive capabilities are evenly balanced. Their passive ability – Sixth Sense – allows them one free respawn, presumably retaining runes that’d be dropped in any other death. Raider is tough as old boots, a powerful, armour-clad sea farer who wields humungous weapons. Ironeye is an archer with pinpoint accuracy, Recluse is the mage able to conjure powerful spells and cursed magic. Guardian is defensive, with a solid shield that can withstand the most ferocious attacks. Finally, Duchess is like the spy, nimble, swift, and evasive, with an ultimate art capable of making herself and the rest of the squad invisible. At face value, without considering any runic powerups, there’re clear strategies that Nightreign players can pursue. For example: Ironeye’s character skill marks enemy weakpoints, Raider’s retaliate skill pummels the marked enemy until they recoil, before Wylder unleashes their powerful character art onslaught stake to finish the stunned foe off. The fact that these situations will occur at breakneck speed is enticing. FromSoftware, as per reports of early demo players, haven’t reinvented the wheel when it comes to Elden Ring’s combat. Veterans of The Lands Between will feel right at home when the skirmishes commence. With scalable difficulties – another first in FromSoftware’s Souls canon – there’s the hope here that players with less finely-tuned reflexes will finally be able to enjoy the ravishing combat upon which FromSoft have made their name. Players cannot expect this to perform like a multi-player Soulslike though, no. Elden Ring Nightreign is very much its own thing, taking the macabre universe already established in its single player guises and translating it into an experience more akin to Apex Predators or – sacrilegiously perhaps – Fortnite. It’s a sure-fire winning combination, and one that has potential to elevate Elden Ring Nightreign above the pile of co-op games coming out before the end of the year.  Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

At the Ricardo residence in the ’50s sitcom I Love Lucy, over-the-top housewife Lucy and Ricky, her excitable husband, were always getting into some sort of entertaining hijinks. But life at home for the married actors who portrayed them, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, was much different. “They were very busy,” the late stars’s daughter, Lucie Arnaz, explained in a 2011 interview. “From probably the age of birth up through seven, they weren’t home a lot [aside from] very late at night and weekends.”When Ball wasn’t at work alongside her husband on the hit television comedy, “she was very businesslike about running her house,” their daughter said. The couple, who eloped in November 1940 after a whirlwind romance, bought an abode about 10 miles north of Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley, where they stayed for 15 years. Their domestic lives as Lucy and Ricky—broadcast into dwellings nationwide for six seasons—made them stars, but their actual home lives were still captured by the occasional photoshoot. Read on for a roundup of images of the TV-famous duo in their element as they raised a family in the 1950s.Photo: Bettmann/Getty Images1/21Desilu ranchShortly after Ball and Arnaz eloped, they purchased their beloved five-acre ranch in Chatsworth, California, a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley area. The couple paid around $16,000 in 1941 for the home, designed by architect Paul R. Williams, and named it Desilu, a portmanteau of their names and later the title of their production company. Ball and Arnaz made the property their own by adding a slew of amenities, including a swimming pool, which Arnaz filled with floating gardenias for a surprise party for Ball’s 30th birthday in 1941.Photo: George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images2/21Animal companionsBall and Arnaz weren’t the only two who lived at Desilu ranch. The Devonshire Street abode also hosted a bunch of the couple’s animal friends. The two adopted a handful of dogs, cats, chickens, and a cow known as the Duchess of Devonshire. According to Madelyn Pugh Davis, I Love Lucy writer and Ball’s personal friend, “[Ball would] fall in love with the chickens and wouldn’t kill them. She had the oldest chickens in the Valley.”Photo: FPG/Getty Image3/21Lucy’s design styleBall decorated Desilu in a style she once described as “early Victorian” meets “bastard American.” The single-story home featured whitewood siding and a long driveway that led to the main house, which was surrounded by eucalyptus and peppertrees. This 1945 photograph showcases Ball’s affinity for floral prints, which cover the walls.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images4/21Lucy and Desi’s growing familyBall and Arnaz’s two children grew up at the San Fernando Valley area property. Here, Ball and Arnaz celebrate the first birthday of their daughter, Lucie Arnaz, whom they welcomed on July 17, 1951. Ball was expecting—and showing—when she and Arnaz shot the pilot episode of I Love Lucy, but the show made no mention of the pregnancy.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images5/21Arts and craftsWhile Ball was known for putting in endless hours at work, she embraced the opportunity to savor her time off. A woman of many hobbies, the comedian loved painting in her spare time. She was no stranger to setting up an easel and canvas by the pool at home, where she could draw inspiration from the natural beauty of picturesque Southern California.Photo: Graphic House/Archive Photos/Getty Images6/21America’s sweetheartsAfter I Love Lucy premiered in October 1951, Ball and Arnaz soon became America’s favorite couple, both onscreen and off—and, according to Arnaz, it was all thanks to his wife. “There’s nobody else that can do what Lucy does with her face, with her walk,” he said, according to Warren G. Harris, author of the biography Lucy & Desi: The Legendary Love Story of Television’s Most Famous Couple. However, the two had their disagreements: Their estate had a small guesthouse that was said to have been used by Arnaz whenever they argued. In 1944, Ball filed for divorce. After it was granted, the two quickly reconciled, making the divorce null and void by California law.Photo: CBS via Getty Images7/21Working from homeGiven the San Fernando Valley ranch was not too far from Hollywood, it offered a prime location for I Love Lucy’s promotional photo needs, like this November 1951 shoot in the couple’s living room. Their mantel, beneath a collection of plates hanging on the wall, made a warm backdrop for a series of images ahead of the holidays; it was sparsely adorned for one shot, then set for a New Year’s–themed photo, and reset for some yuletide-themed press, festooned with various ornaments and matching stockings for Christmas.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images8/21The heart of the homeBall loved to be in the kitchen, as seen in this 1952 photograph. “She fashioned herself as a homemaker of sorts [and] really enjoyed when she could get in the kitchen and make chicken and dumplings,” daughter Lucie said in 2011. “She worried a lot about her household and how the kids were being taken care of and whether the garage was being cleaned out and the homework was being done.”Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images9/21Hollywood famous hostessEntertaining celebrity friends at dinner parties was one of Ball’s favorite activities, according to Sarah Royal, author of A.K.A. Lucy: The Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball. Arnaz would cook for their guests, and after meals, friends would gather for coffee that was passed over through a serving hatch, a common midcentury feature between a kitchen and a dining room, through which dishes could seamlessly go in and out of the kitchen.Photo: Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images10/21Kicking backThe couple sure made working from home look fun as they kicked back in their living room while checking scripts for a forthcoming TV shoot in this 1952 snapshot. From a set of rattan chairs clad in a floral print to the Asian-inspired silk seat in which Arnaz reclines here, the couple found a way to infuse their home with furniture that functioned for both work and play.Photo: CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images11/21Desi’s Cuban design influencesIn this 1953 photograph, Ball was expecting the couple’s second child. Arnaz, meanwhile, was always striving to make their family’s house feel like home. Inspired by his Cuban roots, he had a few small buildings erected on the property—including a game room, a poolhouse, and a barbecue pit—to mirror the sprawling ranch-style aesthetic he was familiar with growing up in Santiago de Cuba. Lemon and orange trees, which Arnaz planted, surrounded the home’s exterior.Photo: KM Archive/Getty Images12/21A new additionLucie’s younger brother, Desiderio Alberto “Desi Jr.” Arnaz IV, was born in 1953. The little one was ready for prime time before he could even walk. In fact, Desi Jr. appeared with his famous mother on the first national issue of TV Guide on April 3, 1953, under the headline “Lucy’s $50,000,000 baby.” In 2019, Lucie told Good Morning America that she and her younger brother savor the sweet memories of time at home with their mom. “Home and being together is a fond and favorite memory—if she made me a grilled cheese sandwich and we sat in the living room and we talked, that is a great moment in my memory,” Lucie said.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images13/21Star-studded pool partiesBall and Arnaz enjoyed hosting and were known for having their Hollywood pals over. The Los Angeles Times reports that they’d throw parties for famous friends such as Clark Gable and William Holden, and Arnaz would serve his signature spaghetti sauce.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images14/21Fun and gamesArnaz’s idea to have a game room constructed on their property meant nights often involved lively games of cards for the couple. The duo could frequently be found cutting a deck at home, whether in their game room or at their kitchen table. Here, the couple plays cards while seated on their rattan furniture. Art imitates life, or vice versa: One episode of I Love Lucy famously showed Lucy playing poker with Arnaz’s friends.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images15/21The Roxbury Drive home’s I Love Lucy cameoBall and Arnaz purchased a Beverly Hills home in 1955 for $85,000. The couple reportedly spent six months renovating the dwelling, located at 1000 North Roxbury Drive. The exterior was used in an episode of I Love Lucy when Lucy and Ethel get off a bus to see actor Richard Widmark’s house.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images16/21Leaving the Desilu ranchOne year after purchasing their Beverly Hills home (which offered the couple privacy, as its backyard was walled in), they sold the Desilu ranch to onetime child actress Jane Withers. Ball remained very fond of the ranch; according to the late actor’s publicist, the pair would sometimes drive by the property for a passing glimpse.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images17/21Dropping inIn fact, at least on one reported occasion after Withers purchased the property, Ball allegedly waltzed right in. One day, the sitcom actress happened to be in the area and decided to pop by for a visit—though it turned out Withers wasn’t home to host her. Realizing she still had the keys to her former abode, Ball unlocked the door, entered, and was eventually caught in the living room when Withers returned. It’s been said that Ball wasn’t a fan of the redecorating.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images18/21A musical homeMusic and dancing were a big part of Arnaz and Ball’s lives, both in their onscreen roles as entertainers as well as in their time relaxing at home, as seen in this 1955 photo. When they first met, Arnaz asked Ball if she knew how to rumba and, according to Harris’s Lucy & Desi biography, added: “I can teach you quickly, but only on condition that you go out with me tonight.”Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images19/21Family timeIn this 1957 shot, Ball plays with her son in the backyard of their home. “Because she was a working mom in the ’50s, there probably was a lot of guilt involved in not being home with the kids because you’re supposed to be,” said daughter Lucie. “She played a very funny person in her show—very crazy, outrageous person—and all my friends used to think that my mother was really like that. But at home, of course, she wasn’t like that at all. She was very responsible.”Photo: Gene Lester/Getty Images20/21Lucy in the gardenIn her time at home in California, Ball fostered a lifelong love of gardening. Her Beverly Hills home, with its walled-in backyard, added an extra layer of privacy for her to dig into her hobby. The plot was lined with lush landscaping, potted plants, and mature trees. The pastime carried over to the small screen in one episode of I Love Lucy, which showed the sitcom star facing off against the other members of the local club to take home the honor of best garden. Ball later made an onscreen appearance in one of the country’s most famous gardens in the 1974 musical Mame, where she danced by the fountain at the botanical gardens at The Huntington in San Marino, California.Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images21/21Lucy after DesiBall, pictured here in 1960—the same year she and Arnaz divorced—would have the Beverly Hills estate for the rest of her life. A year after the split, Ball married comedian Gary Morton. The two purchased a New York City apartment in the fall of 1983. It was the first place the two furnished together, Ball told AD in May 1984, adding she’s been so “comfortable” in her properties on the West Coast and wouldn’t allow Morton to “change anything about them.”