Why Nightreign Players in Elden Ring Must Prioritize This First

With the release of Elden Ring Nightreign now live worldwide, players are diving into crafting their own strategies and builds, and it’s exciting to witness the community’s creativity unfold. In the lead-up to launch, many players have discovered effective strategies, some of which are sure to be useful once the full version is available. A key focus for many is prioritizing visits to churches during their journeys.

Like other games in the Souls series, aside from Demon’s, flasks hold significant importance in Elden Ring Nightreign. While players can stumble upon ways to enhance the effectiveness of these flasks, the only way to acquire additional flask charges is by visiting churches. As soon as you start, familiarize yourself with the locations of all the churches to plan your route effectively in the first couple of days.

Visit Each Church as Soon as Possible in Nightreign

Before you even set foot in Elden Ring Nightreign, make it a habit to open your map and mark a nearby point of interest. Often, there’s a church conveniently close to your starting point, allowing for a quick first level-up. No matter the situation, locating churches should be a top priority, and you should start planning your route to visit them ASAP.

In my initial runs, my teams frequently overlooked one or two churches while focusing on other spots for upgrades, leading to inevitable deaths. Eventually, the community shifted towards making church visits a standard part of their strategy. Churches quickly became the first destinations targeted during runs.

For instance, in the image above, you could head east, grab a flask, then follow the flight path south for another, and then go slightly east for the last one. Interacting with the altar in a church to gain a flask charge is one of the simplest and safest actions in Nightreign. Just interacting with the altar gives you an additional flask charge, boosting your base of three to four, and so on with each church visit. In my experience, a maximum of four churches can appear on the map.

Keep in mind that you don’t have to visit every church right away. Securing one or two extra flasks on the first day can be valuable during boss fights. You technically have until the end of day two to explore the map before facing the night boss and entering the Nightlord’s realm. Sometimes, prioritizing locations that offer better gear for upcoming battles is a smarter use of your time.

Every Flask Counts Against Nightreign Bosses

You’ll Need as Many as Possible, Especially While Learning Fights

Having just one extra flask on-hand during each Elden Ring Nightreign encounter can make all the difference between victory and defeat. Anyone familiar with the Souls games knows how crucial every flask can be, especially after numerous tries against challenging bosses. Remember, securing flasks early on is not just beneficial against the Nightlord at the end; it’s crucial for handling every enemy, encounter, and boss throughout your run.

A crucial piece of advice from over 40 hours of Nightreign gameplay: understand how long each area takes to clear. Churches can be fully explored in mere seconds (as you only need to claim the flask from the altar, no combat required), so if time is running short before a night phase begins, opting for a large castle and leaving without defeating the boss is not the best use of your limited hours.

Completing a run in Elden Ring Nightreign can be exhausting, but it’s a rewarding experience. Each time you enter the map, you’ll glean the strengths and weaknesses of various locations as you prepare for the Nightlord. Always keep in mind that churches are a reliable ally in your journey.