While it’s still early to talk about the new hard mode for Elden Ring Nightreign, Deep of Night, since it only just launched last night, I figured now is a good time to share what I’ve experienced after 10 expeditions so far.
First off, yes, this is definitely much harder than the base game. And I don’t mean that it’s hard because I’m bad at the game. Anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty good at Elden Ring and Nightreign. What I mean is that the difficulty has been dialed up, just like FromSoftware promised, but the underlying mechanics also add layers that make everything tougher.
For starters, not only do enemies have more health and deal more damage, but there are enhanced versions scattered across the map. I don’t know if they have an official name, but let’s call them “corrupted enemies.” You can spot them easily—they look like they’re covered in blood. They hit harder, take longer to kill, but reward you with new weapon variations exclusive to Deep of Night.
These updated weapons tie into a risk-versus-reward system. They give strong advantages, but each one comes with a cost.
My first time playing, I grabbed...
