Elden Ring Nightreign – YOU’RE PLAYING IT WRONG!

In this Ethsring: nightreign video, we’re going to be talking about how you’re probably playing Nightreign wrong.

General Description

There are a lot of new players out there making mistakes most of us made when we first started learning the game—and they may be having a rough time because of it.But there’s a point where the game really clicks for you.

Once you get far enough in, the fun really starts happening, and that’s one of the reasons we gave it such a high review score on the channel.

You have to play enough to understand some of the core mechanics.

So in this video, we’ll go over some key things that will help you get through your playthrough and highlight areas where you might be going wrong.

Party Composition

The first thing we’ll talk about—before jumping into a run—is party composition. It can make or break your success.

You can absolutely clear the game with any combination of characters, but things can get difficult if, for example, you have all melee or all ranged characters.

A badly timed AoE can wipe out an entire melee group.

If you’re all ranged, some bosses will bounce from target to target, making it hard to deal damage.

But if you have a melee character glued to the boss, it holds it in place, giving your ranged teammates a stable target.

If you’re playing with randoms, you won’t have control over what classes they pick.

That’s why it’s smart to learn at least one ranged and one melee class. That way, you can adjust based on what others choose and help balance the team.

Relics Setup

Next, make sure you set up your relics for all your characters periodically.

If you need to switch characters mid-run, you don’t want to realize you forgot to configure their relics. Stay ready.

Also, use the “FEXTRA” password. The FextraLife community generally has more experienced players who can help you have a smoother run.

Day One Strategy

As you glide in on day one, open your map and get a sense of the layout.

Use the time in the air to identify a good first objective.

Place a pin on it—preferably one that’s close and leads to another nearby objective.

You have about 14 minutes per day to get things done, so move quickly.

You’re probably not moving fast enough. Use every second to plan and coordinate.

Once you land, wipe out the nearby enemies (usually in a small camp), and then find the nearest Site of Grace.

Get to level two immediately—this can give you 50–80% more HP depending on your character and will help your survivability for the first major objective.

Primary Objectives for Day One:

1. Reach level 7+ Focus on defeating bosses, since regular enemies don’t give much XP. If you’re level 8 or 9 by the end of the day, you’re having a great run.
2. Obtain one extra flask You don’t need it right away. Many players waste time rushing to churches for this. Instead, fit it into your run naturally, before you forget.
3. Upgrade weapons for the whole party Everyone should end day one with a better weapon. Look for more damage, better elements (e.g., poison, bleed, scarlet rot), or a good weapon skill. Spellcasters should prioritize better spells or staffs.

Secondary Objectives:

• Clear forts and great churches (especially important for spellcasters like Recluse, Revenant, or Duchess).
• Tag the map at forts to reveal scarab spawn points for talismans. Assign a player to do this and check for a chest—often containing a Stonesword Key.
• Find a weapon with elemental advantage over the day’s boss if possible. Don’t detour too far, but prioritize this if it’s nearby.
• Get one Smithing Stone [2] from a mine, if it’s on your route. Mines are fast and easy XP, and the materials will let you upgrade blue weapons to purple later.
• Collect talismans—aim for each player to have at least two by the end of the run, ideally ones that suit their class.

Field Bosses on Day One

There are a handful of field bosses safe to take on day one:

If you’re at least level 3 or 4 and have your ultimates ready, you should be able to burst these down. Skip them if you’re lower and come back later.

Day Two Strategy

What you do on day two is largely dictated by what you didn’t get done on day one.

• Miss a subobjective like a weapon or upgrade material? Get that now.
• Still only have one flask? Make sure you hit at least one more church. Two churches = two extra flasksand with the bonus flask from the day two boss, that usually puts you at six flaskswhich is solid for most bosses.

Don’t overprioritize getting churches. If it’s way off-route and you’re skipping XP or other objectives just to reach one, it’s usually not worth it. Make sure you’re leveling as you go—no amount of flasks will save you if you’re underleveled.

Core Objectives for Day Two:

• Clear the center castle.

  • Defeat the redeye boss inside.

  • Grab the guaranteed talisman upstairs.

  • Get in, get out. Optional bosses are fine for XP, but field bosses tend to give more.

• Target level: By end of day two, aim for level 10 or 11. Lower than that and the final boss gets rough. With the XP from the day two boss, you should hit level 12 or higher going into day three.

Optional Exploration Based on Region:

• Shifting Earth: Very tough bosses. Only go here on day two if you’re confident.
• Mountains: Generally easier bosses, but avoid the special dragon unless you’re ready.
• Rotten Woods: High boss density = high XP. Good area for grinding. You can also find a Scarlet Rot weapon in the fort.

• City: Some easy bosses, but avoid the final city boss—he’s time-consuming and risky.

Day Two Tips:

• Ignore small enemies unless they block your way or interfere with boss rewards. Speed matters.
• Don’t chase low-tier (wooden) chests. They’re usually not worth the time unless you’re right next to them.

• Use hawks to glide across the map. This saves time when traveling between objectives or finding your first church of the day.

• If the church is far, run to it firstthen circle back inward to objectives so you’re not out of position during nightfall.

Day Three

Now you’re preparing for the final boss, and here’s where elemental weakness and weapon synergy really come into play.

• Certain bosses can be interrupted if hit with the right damage type.

  • The dog trio can be pacified with Holy damage.

  • The Gaping Jaw boss reacts to Poison—he’ll pause to spew out the effect, giving you a 5-second attack window.

  • Other bosses have similar gimmicks—figure them out and use the right weapon or apply the right relic effect (e.g., Lightning, Frost, etc.).

By day three:

• You should be level 12+ if you’ve followed the flow.

• You should have your weapon upgraded and aligned with elemental weaknesses if possible.

• Avoid time-consuming bosses that don’t contribute to progression. Focus up.

Final Tips for All Days

• Move fast. People fail because they’re too slow. Always be moving toward your next objective.
• Avoid wasting XP opportunities. If you’re skipping fights or loot for safety, do it intentionally—not out of fear or habit.
• Don’t chase perfect flask count. More flasks won’t save you if you’re too weak to deal damage or too squishy.
• Use hawk travel smartly—they can reposition you better than running in late-game scenarios.

So that wraps up my guide, if there are other tips I forgot to mention here for other players or if you have questions about Nightreignyou can leave them in the comments and I will try and answer them as soon as I can.

What are you guys making of Nightreign so far? Are you having a hard time out there, or is it going like butter for you? Let me know in the comments below.