I’m desperate for Elden Ring Nightreign to enter its next phase, and dataminers may have finally revealed what that is, thanks to references hidden in the multiplayer roguelite’s latest update. It sounds like an endless mode could be on the way, complete with ranked matchmaking. I wouldn’t care about any of that in most games, but Nightreign isn’t most games, and this new mode could be exactly what it needs to get me hooked again.
Players have spent the summer circulating through a new rotation of tougher Everdark Sovereign variants of the game’s existing Nightlord boss fights. They’ve mostly been pretty fun, even last week’s divisive overhaul of Maris Fathom of Night, AKA Augur, which forced players to use a magic sword that drops during the fight. Otherwise, most players have burned through the main campaign and each character’s remembrance side quests. We know the randomized Limveld map like the palm of our hands. Most runs have become a walk in the park. We need something different. We need something harder.
That could be precisely what a new endless mode is bringing. References to it were discovered in a recent datamine posted on Reddit (via PC Gamer). The images reveal a new matchmaking option called The Deep of Night with the following description: “The Deep of Night is a battlefield of endless Night. Victory will increase your rating, burnishing your Depth. The Darkness extends unto infinity.” Screenshots shared in the post suggest five levels each with ranked ratings of 0 to 9,999. Bosses in the Deep of Night look slightly different, and the weapons you earn down there each come with unique de-buffs to make things harder. Players will also seemingly unlock additional slots on vessels where new “Depth” relics can be equipped.
It’s unclear how much the map itself will change in this mode, but it sounds like players will keep going until they die rather than ending after night three with a final boss fight. At the very least, the increasing difficulty, new gear, and extra relic slots are enough to establish a completely new endgame, while the ranking system gives the sweatiest Nightfarers among us a new goal to reach for.
It’s not clear when FromSoftware is planning to add this mode, but sometime in September seems like a good bet, as players wrap up the last run of Everdark Sovereigns this month. I’m excited for a Bell Bearing Hunter at the bottom of the castle on night one to become the least of players’ worries if this new endless mode ends up delivering on the level of difficulty teased in these datamining leaks.
