Elden Ring: Nightreign Network Test Review – A Surprise Success with Some Familiar Tech Hurdles ⚔️🔥
FromSoftware’s Elden Ring: Nightreign has taken fans by surprise. The network test, which gave a select group of players early access to the game on PS5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X/S, has already sparked widespread excitement ahead of its May 30 release.
With Soulsborne combat meeting Fortnite-inspired PvE mechanics, Nightreign feels like a fresh yet familiar evolution of Elden Ring’s open-world gameplay. But with this new spin on the formula comes with some technical challenges particularly in performance, optimization, and graphical fidelity.
Despite all its compelling rogue-like structure, the game still suffers from some of the same technical limitations seen in Elden Ring, raising questions about how well it will run on current-gen consoles at launch.
So how does Nightreign play, and how well does it run? Let’s dive into the details!
Also Read: Elden Ring Nightreign Will Get Post-Launch DLC – Here’s What We Know So Far
🎮 The Gameplay – A Faster and More Accessible Elden Ring Experience
Nightreign brings a faster-paced, PvE-focused twist to Elden Ring, introducing rogue-like mechanics that make each playthrough feel unique and unpredictable.
Unlike the original Elden Ring, which is a long-form RPG with an open-ended progression, Nightreign is designed for shorter, high-intensity PvE sessions.
🔹 Your mission: Surviving two full in-game days in Limveld, a condensed remix of Limgrave featuring major landmarks from Elden Ring.
🔹 Game length: Each run lasts 40 minutes to an hour, making it more accessible than the original Elden Ring’s sprawling world.
🔹 Final boss battle: If you and your two allies survive, you will face one of eight powerful Night Lords available in the beta.
🔄 Know the Gameplay Adjustments: A Faster and More Forgiving Souls Experience
To accommodate this new rogue-like structure, FromSoftware has made some major adjustments to traditional Souls mechanics:
✅ Mantling & No Fall Damage: You can now climb obstacles and survive falls from any height—a significant departure from the punishing fall damage of Elden Ring.
✅ Unlimited Sprinting: Stamina management is no longer an issue while sprinting, making exploration and combat movement feel smoother.
✅ Simplified Leveling System: Instead of manually upgrading stats, leveling up increases all attributes in a predefined way, streamlining progression.
✅ Death Penalty: Dying causes you to lose a level upon respawning, making each encounter a high-stakes decision.
These tweaks speed up gameplay, making Nightreign feel more dynamic and intense than its predecessor—while still preserving the weight and strategy of Soulsborne combat.
Also Read: Elden Ring Nightreign: Everything You Need to Know
🎭 Graphics & Performance – Familiar Strengths and Weaknesses
Visually Nightreign is built on Elden Ring’s existing engine, and while it retains FromSoftware’s signature art direction, it also inherits some of its predecessor’s technical struggles.
🔹 The Two Performance Modes:
1️⃣ Quality Mode: Fixed 4K resolution (PS5 & Series X), 1440p (Series S)
2️⃣ Frame-Rate Mode: Dynamic scaling from 1512p–4K (PS5 & Series X), 1008p–1440p (Series S)
However there are noticeable compromises between the two modes:
🔹 Quality Mode:
- Sharper image quality but suffers from frame-rate drops—often dipping to 35-45fps in the open world.
- Struggles during intense boss fights, occasionally dropping into the mid-20s on base PS5 and Series X.
- Series S fares worse, averaging 30-40fps, with occasional dips into the mid-20s.
🔹 Frame-Rate Mode (Recommended):
- Higher FPS stability, averaging 55-60fps in most areas.
- Dynamic resolution scaling helps maintain performance, but at the cost of softer image quality and lower shadow detail.
- Still not a locked 60fps, but VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) on Xbox and PS5 Pro helps smooth things out.
🖥️ Technical Limitations of The PS5 Pro Dilemma & Xbox Series S Trade-Offs
One of the biggest surprises from the network test was the lack of PS5 Pro optimization.
🕹️ PS5 Pro – More Power, Same Limitations
Despite launching months after the PS5 Pro’s release, Nightreign doesn’t officially support Sony’s mid-gen upgrade. That said, the PS5 Pro’s higher GPU clock speeds still provide some improvements:
✅ Higher native resolution in frame-rate mode (hits 4K more frequently than base PS5).
✅ Slightly better frame-rates in quality mode (averages 45-60fps instead of 35-45fps).
✅ Shadows and textures remain unchanged from the base PS5, as settings are locked at a software level.
While PS5 Pro users benefit from smoother performance, it’s disappointing that FromSoftware didn’t release an official patch to take full advantage of the hardware.
💻 Xbox Series S – Know The Struggles of a 4TF Machine
The Series S faces the biggest compromises in both image quality and performance:
🔹 Resolution dips as low as 1008p in frame-rate mode, making it less sharp on 4K displays.
🔹 Shadow quality is cut even further, making lighting look noticeably flatter than on PS5/Series X.
🔹 Quality mode runs at 30-40fps, but frequently drops into the mid-20s in open-world areas.
While the Series S version is still playable, performance suffers significantly compared to its more powerful siblings.
Also Read: Elden Ring Weapons Guide – Everything You Need to Know!
📊 Full Performance Breakdown – Which Console Runs It the Best?
To get a fair comparison, we tested Nightreign in a controlled area (Roundtable Hold) before testing it in Limveld’s open world.
📍 The Roundtable Hold (Benchmark Test – Stable Environment)
🔹 PS5 Pro: 55fps average
🔹 PS5 / Series X: 39fps average
🔹 Series S: 35fps average
PS5 Pro leads in frame-rate stability, while Series X and PS5 perform similarly, and Series S struggles the most.
🌍 The Limveld (Open-World Gameplay – Dynamic Conditions)
🔹 PS5 & Series X (Quality Mode): 35-45fps, but can drop into the 20s during boss fights.
🔹 Series S (Quality Mode): Mostly 30-40fps, often mid-20s in demanding scenes.
🔹 PS5 Pro (Quality Mode): 45-60fps, but still has occasional dips to 40fps.
🔹 Frame-Rate Mode (All Consoles): Typically 55-60fps, with VRR helping smooth out drops.
The Elden Ring: Nightreign network test has exceeded expectations, offering a faster-paced, multiplayer-driven Souls experience that retains the heart of the original game.
🔹 Gameplay: A successful fusion of Soulsborne combat & rogue-like mechanics.
🔹 Performance: Frame-rate mode is the best option, but 60fps isn’t fully locked on any console.
🔹 Technical Limitations: Lack of PS5 Pro optimizations and Series S performance struggles.
🏆 The Best Way to Play Nightreign?
✔ PS5 Pro or Xbox Series X with VRR enabled on frame-rate mode.
With its May 30 release approaching, we’ll be watching to see if FromSoftware improves optimization before launch. Until then, Nightreign remains an addictive, high-risk, high-reward Souls-like adventure worth keeping an eye on. 🔥
Also Read: Elden Ring Guide: How to Complete Ranni the Witch’s Questline