The highly anticipated duo mode is arriving in Elden Ring Nightreign later this month, accompanied by several user-friendly enhancements. A fresh trailer highlights the cooperative gameplay, but a brief moment within it cleverly mocks the established playstyles of dedicated Nightreign players. Though it lasts mere seconds, FromSoftware uses it to effectively convey a point.
Around the 34-second mark of the trailer, a Revenant can be seen positioned near an imp statue seal. The Revenant signals their partner, an Executor, to proceed. The Executor approaches, but finds themselves unable to interact. The familiar animation indicating an attempt to use a non-equipped item plays, before the trailer continues showcasing other aspects of the new mode.
The humor arises from the prevalence of the so-called “Evergaol Meta” within Elden Ring Nightreign. This strategy involves acquiring relics that permanently boost damage output with each Evergaol cleared – an effect that stacks. With up to eight active Evergaols, players can accumulate significant damage bonuses rapidly by optimizing their route. Some relics provide an initial Stoneword key, and the community has extensively documented optimal Stoneword key farming locations. Consequently, many matches this summer have featured at least one player, if not the entire group, utilizing an Evergaol-focused build.
However, this Evergaol emphasis has drastically narrowed the variety of gameplay approaches. Its ubiquity has led to some players expressing fatigue, not only from witnessing it but also from employing it themselves. A popular Reddit thread from a few weeks ago captured this sentiment:
I prefer builds focused on initial attack power. My Evergaol setup outperforms them. I try using grease items, but my Evergaol setup is superior. I experiment with stance breaking, yet my Evergaol setup deals more damage. I enjoy playing as Duchess, but her most effective build revolves around Evergaols. I’d like to use Guardian or Recluse, but they both benefit most from Evergaols.
While this might suggest that players have removed all the enjoyment from Nightreign through optimization, the reality is more nuanced. Players understand the effectiveness of Evergaols, but simply equipping the necessary relics doesn’t guarantee success. Some players rush to open an Evergaol immediately after landing, before leveling up by clearing the initial camp. While some Evergaols are manageable at low levels, even basic enemies can be deadly at level one. Attempting an Evergaol at level one is often foolish, yet it frequently occurs. On one occasion, my team immediately sprinted towards an Evergaol upon spawning, only to be wiped out within seconds of opening it. Despite causing the wipe, both teammates promptly disconnected.
Perhaps the most comical consequence of the Evergaol meta is illustrated by the duos footage. Players, accustomed to the established meta, will often immediately mark an Evergaol on the map. Everyone dutifully heads towards the location, only to discover that nobody possesses a Stoneword key. Eventually, someone redirects the team, but only after valuable time has been wasted on an inaccessible prison. I confess to being guilty of this myself, although I wasn’t aware that I had changed my loadout between matches. My apologies.
Thankfully, I haven’t resorted to repeatedly highlighting an Evergaol to influence the team, continuing until everyone is sufficiently annoyed to follow the pointer.
The Executor’s brief inability to interact with the imp statue in the duos trailer accurately captures this common frustration, and I appreciated FromSoftware’s subtle acknowledgment of their fans’ habits. The trailer is full of similarly clever details.
“I love how connected Fromsoft is with their community,” one YouTube commenter wrote. “Little details, like Ironeye shooting the seal for Recluse at 0:29 because her spells don’t reach that high, is something only players would notice.”