Summary
- Elden Ring Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki has revealed that the game can only be played online in teams of three.
- A single player option is also available, but you cannot play Elden Ring Nightreign as a team of just two.
- Ishizaki says this is to provide fans with a new “sense of accomplishment”, though I’m not sure how locking people out of online co-op for arbitrary reasons achieves that?
Elden Ring is now officially a series, as the announcement of Elden Ring Nightreign at The Game Awards last week threw all FromSoftware fans for a loop. Not only was it a new Elden Ring game, but it was also online focused, a roguelite, and has features pinched from games like Fortnite and Apex Legends.
It’s a truly unique FromSoftware experience, and its announcement most likely had many finding their friends, family, and significant others to prepare for online nights of Elden Ringing in the near future. However, it seems as though those plans have been shot down in flames for a number of people, as it was recently explained by director Junya Ishizaki that Elden Ring Nightreign can’t be played by just two people.
Elden Ring Nightreign Can’t Be Played As A Duo
Speaking with IGN (thanks VGC), Ishizaki explains that Elden Ring Nightreign can only be played in single player, or in a team of three, meaning you cannot play the game with just one other friend. When asked by IGN whether you an play the game as a pair, Ishizaki outright states “No, it’s either one-player or three-player.”
Related
Elden Ring Nightreign Includes A Few Dark Souls Bosses
The Nameless King is a gimme, but did you spot the other two?
What makes this decision even more baffling is that Ishizaki has also confirmed that enemies will scale in strength depending on whether you’re playing by yourself, or as a party of three. He also explains that the reason why FromSoftware designed the game for a three-person team was to deliver a similar FromSoftware experience, but give players a new “sense of accomplishment”.
“The reason that we went with a three-player focus was that we wanted to retain that sense of accomplishment you get from battling a boss together or from conquering a map together and that sense of enjoyment, but we wanted to recreate that in a fresh way,” says Ishizaki. “And we felt like focusing on a three-player co-op experience would provide a brand-new sense of accomplishment with it.”
Sure, it’ll be an interesting way to experience a FromSoftware game, though it doesn’t explain why the online mode for Elden Ring Nightreign only allows three-player teams instead of two. I’m sure there will be plenty of people out there that can’t play the game online as a result (myself included), down to not having a third person that is interested in games like Elden Ring. Hopefully, it’s something that FromSoftware thinks twice about. Sorry, thrice about.
ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN is a standalone adventure within the ELDEN RING universe, crafted to offer players a new gaming experience by reimagining the game’s core design.
Join forces with other players to take on the creeping night and the dangers within featuring 3-player co-op.
Take command of uniquely skilled heroes, each possessing their own abilities and distinct flair.
While individually formidable, their skills create powerful synergies when they unite as a team.
Overcome a relentless environmental threat that sweeps through a land that changes between each game session and defeat the magnificent boss of that night!