While Elden Ring and other From Software games often have you creating a character from scratch and choosing both a starting class and how you can expand them as you level up, Nightreign handles things very differently.
Players will be able to pick one of several Character classes (called Nightfarers) before setting out on an attempt. Unlike traditional character creation, Nightfarers have unique designs and outfits that cannot be changed, and have set Attributes that increase automatically when you level up.
For the Network Test, four Nightfarers are available: The Wylder, Guardian, Duchess, and Recluse.
Each Nightfarer also has a unique Passive Ability, an Active Ability, and an Ultimate. Both your ability and Ultimate are shown by two large circles on your HUD that fill up over time at which point they can be activated to help out your team.
With the Elden Ring Nightreign Network Test, there’s only four Nightfarers to choose from, but you’ll find each class fits a particular role (though you are free to experiment!).
- If you want to focus on raw melee damage output, consider picking the Wylder.
- If you want to take on a more defensive melee role to protect and support your team, pick the Guardian.
- If you want to excel in using magic and support spells from the backline, try using the Recluse.
- If you prefer a challenging agile melee fighter that focuses on subterfuge and strategy, check out the Duchess.
The Wylder
| Base HP | Base FP | Base Stamina |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | 55 | 54 |
The Wylder is a damage dealing “jack-of-all trades” that can excel by themselves or in a group, and is most concerned with dealing overwhelming offense to stagger and stun enemies, and act as a vanguard with their fast traversal.
- Passive Ability: Sixth Sense – Once per expedition, the Wylder can evade a normally fatal blow, automatically dodging backward instead of taking damage.
- Character Skill: Claw Shot – The Wylder can use a grappling claw built into their gauntlet as an ability to latch onto small enemies to pull them toward you, or slide toward larger enemies — and even terrain to give you a boost in movement speed.
- Ultimate Art: Onslaught Stake – The Wylder’s ultimate transforms the hookshot into an arm cannon with a iron stake that can be charged to deal massive damage, and can stun enemies for several moments.
The Recluse
| Base HP | Base FP | Base Stamina |
|---|---|---|
| 140 | 74 | 54 |
The Recluse is the dedicated magic user of the group, focusing on spellcasting first and foremost to support other Nightfarers from the backline. They can use their abilities to turn the tides and also help allies recover health and focus by strategically marking enemies for allies to attack. Unique to the Recluse is the ability to detect elemental affinity residue on enemies damaged by certain attacks, which can be collected to fuel her abilities.
- Passive Ability: Elemental Defense – The Recluse can discover affinity residue primarily on enemies targeted with damaging effects. When collected, the residue will restore FP.
- Character Skill: Magic Cocktail – The Recluse can use their ability to absorb elemental residue from attack affinities that have damaged opponents, including Fire, Magic, Lightning, and Holy. Once three elements have been absorbed, she can unleash them as a high damaging and affinity-exploiting cocktail spell. The combination of affinities will affect which cocktail is used.
- Ultimate Art: Soulblood Song – The Recluse’s Ultimate will mark a nearby targets with blood sigils, so that any attacks made by a Nightfarer will replenish both HP and FP. The Recluse is also immune to damage during the act of this forbidden blood chant.
The Guardian
| Base HP | Base FP | Base Stamina |
|---|---|---|
| 260 | 55 | 60 |
The Guardian performs great as a “tank” to draw the aggression of enemies while using shields (and their huge wings) to mitigate damage and clear harmful hazards for the group.
- Passive Ability: Steel Guard – When using a shield, the Guardian will gain increased guard boost and damage mitigation when blocking, even slowing the affects of certain buildups, however their speed will be greatly reduced when guarding in this manner.
- Character Skill: Whirlwind – The Guardian can use their wings to create a stunning vortex to interrupt enemies in battle — even tossing smaller enemies up into the air — and can also dissipate hazardous miasmas like poison or deathblight in the area.
- Ultimate Art: Wings of Salvation – The Guardian’s Ultimate allows them to fly high up into the air and slam down for massive damage, dealing major damage in a wide area while also increasing defensive capabilities for nearby allies by keeping their weapon planted in the ground on impact.
The Duchess
| Base HP | Base FP | Base Stamina |
|---|---|---|
| 160 | 65 | 54 |
The Duchess may look like a simple “rogue” class but has some extremely clever tricks to stack on damage with clever use of timing and stealth.
- Passive Ability: Magnificent Poise – The Duchess benefits from agile movements, and is able to reach farther when attacking or dodging, and can even perform quick evasive dashes in succession.
- Character Skill: Restage – The Duchess has a quick ability that manipulates time, and will lock in the last several seconds of damage an enemy has taken to be “replayed” as seen by a white ghost of the target, forcing the enemy to retake that damage again.
- Ultimate Art: Finale – The Duchess’ Ultimate clouds them and any other nearby Nightfarers in a cloak of stealth, massively reducing threat from active enemies, or allowing you to bypass and stealth attack enemies who have not noticed you.
