Elden Ring Player Conquers All Nightlords Solo Before Patch Eases Challenge

Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.01.1 is now available, refining the single-player experience to reduce the difficulty for those tackling FromSoftware’s latest title alone. One determined player, however, beat the patch to the punch, defeating every Nightlord solo before the update softened the challenge.

The solo difficulty in Elden Ring Nightreign has sparked heated discussions since the game’s release. Many players have voiced frustration over the steep challenge of playing solo compared to team-based trios. Here’s an excerpt from IGN’s Elden Ring Nightreign review addressing this:

"Solo play isn’t impossible, and I have managed a few successful runs on my own. However, the balance for solo players feels incomplete, making the frustration of going it alone outweigh the sense of triumph for me, leaving little desire to continue without a team."

This feedback prompted Bandai Namco and FromSoftware to release today’s patch, designed to lighten the load for solo players. For many, this change is a welcome relief.

On the r/Nightreign subreddit, user "Valseran" shared proof of their solo triumphs over every Nightlord, from the game’s opening expedition to its final boss. Their motivation? "I wanted to take them down before the nerf."

Managed to Solo all Nightlords before the nerf
byu/Valseran inNightreign

This feat is remarkable. While other players, like YouTuber Ongbal, have shared solo victories against specific Nightreign bosses, Valseran’s effort to conquer the entire roster before the patch is both awe-inspiring and perfectly in tune with the game’s spirit.

Their clear times, displayed on the right, show steady progress through the bosses in the days leading up to the update, as if racing against the patch’s arrival. Valseran primarily relied on the Ironeye character, with brief appearances from the Duchess and Executor early on. Fortunately, they elaborated on their strategy in the subreddit comments, offering insight beyond a single screenshot.

"Focus less on getting a perfect bow and more on stacking weapon passives in your other slots," Valseran advised when asked about Ironeye tips. "Ranged damage, damage while two-handing, and damage at full health can stack to boost your output significantly. Any purple-quality bow will perform well with solid passives. I also use Ironeye’s dash ability as a dodge for tough-to-roll attacks, and his Art for invulnerability rather than damage against bosses."

Though Valseran leaned heavily on Ironeye, the ranged archer among the Nightfarers, they occasionally preferred melee for certain bosses, even wielding melee weapons as Ironeye. Some bosses, they noted, are "an absolute nightmare solo" without ranged attacks. They ranked the final boss as the toughest but died most frequently to the centaur boss, Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow.

Extra lives were a key focus, which makes sense for solo play without teammates to revive you. Valseran prioritized buying extra lives from merchants and noted that some field bosses drop them depending on the expedition. "In one boss fight, I went in with four extra lives," they shared. "At minimum, always secure one early."

Patch 1.01.1 introduces a helping hand for solo players with the "Automatic Revival Upon Defeat" effect, granting one free revival per night during boss battles in solo expeditions. Valseran believes this extra life will be "fairly significant" for solo players, especially since stacking lives is already a strong strategy. A free one is a valuable bonus.

Every IGN FromSoftware Game Review

While solo Nightfarers may now find Elden Ring Nightreign’s tougher battles more manageable, one player has claimed undeniable bragging rights. For everyone else, Elden Ring Nightreign is available now, with a lighter burden for solo players and new challenges awaiting Nightfarers.

Check out our extensive Nightreign tips and tricks to defeat all eight Nightlord Bosses. If you’re curious about unlocking the two locked Nightfarer Classes, see our guides on How to Unlock the Revenant, How to Unlock the Duchess, and How to Change Characters.