Elden Ring Nightreign is structured like a rogue-lite, with every run featuring some key differences or surprises to keep you on your toes. The general flow stays the same, but the final boss (called a Nightlord here) will change, depending on which Expedition you embark on. Here’s everything you need to know about Expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign.
All Expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign
There are a total of eight Expeditions available in Elden Ring Nightreign. I’ve listed them all below, along with how to unlock them.
| Expedition | How to Unlock |
|---|---|
| Tricephalos | Unlocked at the start. |
| Gaping Jaw | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Sentient Pest | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Augur | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Equilibrious Beast | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Darkdrift Knight | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Fissure in the Fog | Unlocked after clearing Tricephalos. |
| Night Aspect | Unlocked after defeating four different Nightlords. |
Tricephalos is the very first Expedition that becomes available to you in Elden Ring Nightreign. It pits you against Gladius, Beast of Night as the Nightlord on Day 3. After clearing it for the first time, the next six Expeditions become available from Roundtable Hold. After that, you simply need to beat three more Nightlords (for a total of four, including Gladius in Tricephalos) to unlock the eighth and final Expedition, Night Aspect.
When you’ve unlocked Night Aspect, a cutscene will play in the Roundtable Hold, indicating that the final Expedition is now available to you.
Easiest Bosses for Unlocking the Final Expedition
If you want to make a beeline for Night Aspect and see the ‘ending’ of Elden Ring Nightreign, here are the easiest bosses to beat from my experience:
- Adel, Baron of Night – Gaping Jaw
- Ghoster, Wisdom of Night – Sentient Pest
- Maris, Fathom of Night – Augur
I found that the Nightlords tended to scale up in difficulty as I unlocked them, so I guess it makes sense that the first three Nightlords after Gladius would be the next easiest ones. Of course, you don’t have to go for the ones I’ve suggested here. The only requirement is that you defeat any four Nightlords including Gladius, so go crazy if you find another boss you think would be easier for you and your chosen Nightfarer.
All Nightlords in Elden Ring Nightreign
There are unique Nightlords for each Expedition in Elden Ring Nightreign. I’ve listed all eight below, along with their vulnerabilities to help you plan out your attack:
| Nightlord | Expedition | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Gladius, Beast of Night | Tricephalos | Holy |
| Adel, Baron of Night | Gaping Jaw | Poison |
| Ghoster, Wisdom of Night | Sentient Pest | Fire |
| Maris, Fathom of Night | Augur | Lightning |
| Libra, Creature of Night | Equilibrious Beast | Madness |
| Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow | Darkdrift Knight | Lightning |
| Caligo, Miasma of Night | Fissure in the Fog | Fire |
| Heolstor the Nightlord | Night Aspect | Holy |
General Expedition Tips
Elden Ring Nightreign can feel very daunting at the beginning, so I’m giving you a few tips and an overview of the game flow to help you out. Expeditions will run for three in-game days. Enemies will get a lot tougher on subsequent days, and you’ll also need to spend your time wisely. During the day, you’ll be given freedom to roam around the map and fight mini-bosses and gather resources. At night, you and your team will need to gather together to fight off a horde of enemies and a mini-boss.
Do note that there’s a barrier around the map that will gradually shrink as time progresses, Fortnite-style. Make sure to always stay within the barrier so you don’t take damage. Squads consist of three players, all of which must choose a different Nightlord. You’re free to move around together, or split up so you can cover more ground.
Day 1
Day 1 of the Expedition should be fairly easy. Pick any spot to land at, then start exploring. Try to find a Site of Grace as soon as you can, since you’ll be racking up Runes pretty quickly and you’ll want to level up when you can.
I recommend checking out the Church, Ruins, and Castle key locations on Day 1. You should be able to get some useful upgrades here, like Smithing Stones for your armaments, or even a Flask upgrade that gives you an extra healing charge. Hold off on weapon upgrades though. Wait till you find some better equipment, then consider investing in those.
Day 2
On Day 2, your focus should be to fight as many bosses as you can to try to get some better equipment. I recommend fighting Evergaol bosses, or just random mini-bosses you might encounter in the open-world. These have the chance to drop buffs, Relics, and weapons. I’d also recommend trying to find armaments that correspond to the boss’ weakness.
Day 3
After defeating the Day 2 boss, you’ll be able to access the Spirit Shelter. This is basically your last chance to upgrade your armaments before you face off against the final Nightlord. There will be a merchant you can purchase items from with Runes, as well as a Smithing Table for upgrades. If you still have leftover Runes, use them to level up if you can. When you’re ready, head forward to fight the Nightlord.
How to Play Multiplayer Expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign
Nightreign is very much a multiplayer experience, whether you’re queuing with randoms or playing with friends. I’ll go over how to use the matchmaking system and the password system here. Before you can do any of that, though, you’ll first need to finish the tutorial and reach the Roundtable Hold. Then, interact with the big table in the Roundtable Hold to bring up the list of available Expeditions.
Playing With Friends
When choosing an Expedition, use the shoulder buttons to go to the Matchmaking Settings tab. Here, you’ll be able to invite players directly from your friends list. Do note, however, that there’s no cross-play functionality.
You can also set a password here. Share the password with anyone you want to play with, and you’ll only matchmake with people who have set the same password.
Playing With Randoms
Finally, if you don’t have anyone to play with, that’s fine too. You don’t have to mess with the matchmaking settings at all. Just pick an Expedition and queue up, and the game will automatically match you with two other players. Once the game finds you a team, the run will start immediately.
Can You Play Solo Expeditions in Nightreign?
You can indeed playing Elden Ring Nightreign alone. When you boot up the game, go to your settings and make sure you’re set to offline instead of online. This will prevent matchmaking from kicking in, and you can enjoy the whole game solo.
That being said, I must warn you that Nightreign can be pretty brutal as a solo experience. Given the time limit and how hard the bosses hit, you’ll likely have a tough time even reaching Day 3 on your own.
When you clear an Expedition for the first time, you’ll be rewarded with a unique Relic, which can then be equipped for subsequent Expeditions.
