Well, June has been quite a ride, hasn’t it fellow Tarnished? Between Nightreign’s successful launch week, FromSoftware’s ongoing campaign to make us suffer in new and creative ways, and the endless parade of soulslike games promising to crush our spirits in 2026, we’ve had more than enough material to keep our masochistic gaming hearts happy.
This month we’ve covered Nightreign‘s explosive launch (3.5 million players apparently love digital torture), the harsh transition from contemplative Elden Ring to “anxiety simulator with a blue wall of death,” beating the tutorial boss we’re meant to lose against (because FromSoftware challenges are basically personal insults), the beautiful chaos of Elden Ring’s message system where crude jokes become navigation tools, upcoming 2026 soulslike releases that’ll bankrupt our wallets, and those lovely Everdark Sovereigns that make regular Nightlords look cuddly.
So grab your flasks, steel your resolve, and let’s dive into this month’s collection of gaming wisdom, warnings, and occasional moments of hard-earned triumph. After all, we’re all just trying to make it through the Lands Between together, one rage-inducing boss fight at a time.
Elden Ring Nightreign: News and Insights (May 26–June 2)
Well, well, well—look who finally decided to grace us with their presence in Limveld! If you missed Nightreign’s launch week because you were still trying to beat Malenia for the 847th time, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered with all the chaos you missed.
Two million Nightfarers jumped into the darkness on day one, which is honestly impressive considering FromSoftware’s track record of making us suffer for our entertainment. The game hit over 313k concurrent Steam players, proving that yes, we really are gluttons for punishment who’ll buy anything with “Elden Ring” slapped on it. Can you blame us though?
But here’s where things get spicy—the community’s been throwing around mixed reviews like they’re tossing Margit off a cliff. The biggest drama? You literally cannot play this game with just one friend. It’s either solo masochism or find exactly two buddies, because apparently FromSoftware thinks we all have perfectly coordinated friend groups just waiting around. Who designed this, someone who’s never tried to schedule a three-person gaming session?
The good news is we finally met the last two Nightfarers: the Executor (who transforms into a beast because why not add shapeshifting to our list of things to master) and the Revenant (basically a necromancer support who can actually revive your teammates instead of just watching them die).
FromSoftware did throw us a bone with patch 1.01.1, giving solo players an auto-revive because they finally realized not everyone has two friends on speed dial. Will this be enough to fix the three-player mandate controversy? Time will tell, but at least we’re not completely abandoned in the darkness.
A Quick Look at Soulslike Games Coming in 2026
Oh, you thought you were done dying horribly after finally conquering Shadow of the Erdtree? Think again, fellow masochists! We’ve scoured the announcement wasteland to bring you a comprehensive look at all the ways developers plan to crush your spirit in 2026, and honestly, the lineup is looking pretty tasty.
First up, FromSoftware themselves are apparently making us buy a Nintendo Switch 2 just to play The Duskbloods—because nothing says “accessible gaming” like platform exclusivity for vampire souls. Meanwhile, Capcom’s dragging Onimusha back from the grave with Way of the Sword, letting you play as Miyamoto Musashi with an Oni Gauntlet. Finally, a game where you can live out your samurai fantasies while still getting stomped by demons!
Team Ninja surprised everyone by dropping Nioh 3 with dual combat styles and open fields, because apparently we needed even more ways to get overwhelmed by yokai. The alpha demo is sitting at 4.89 stars, which either means it’s genuinely great or players are just grateful it doesn’t crash every five minutes.
The really wild card here is The Age of Bhaarat—India’s first AAA soulslike featuring Rakshasa demons and grappling hooks. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to die repeatedly while exploring ancient Indian mythology, well, now you know what you’re doing in late 2026.
Lords of the Fallen is getting a sequel (shocking, I know), Mortal Shell II promises 60 dungeons to get lost in, and Code Vein II is bringing back anime vampires with time travel mechanics. Because why suffer in just one timeline when you can mess up the past too?
Honestly, our wallets and sanity are doomed, but at least we’ll go down swinging.
A Quick Summary of Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.01.2
Well, well, well—looks like FromSoftware decided to crush our dreams again with patch 1.01.2! If you’ve been absolutely demolishing bosses with your ridiculously overpowered elemental bow build, I’ve got some bad news for you. That sweet, sweet bug that made Magic/Lightning/Holy-infused bows deal way more physical damage than intended? Yeah, that’s getting the nerf hammer.
They’ve also fixed some weapon skills that were dealing attribute damage when they had no business doing so, because apparently FromSoftware thinks we’re having too much fun when things work in our favor. Who knew?
On the bright side, they’ve sorted out the missing “Projectile Damage Drop-Off Reduced” weapons from loot pools—so you can finally stop wondering why that gear never drops. Plus, the Demon Merchant in Limveld will actually show up now for your Guardian’s Remembrance quests instead of leaving you wandering around like a lost Tarnished.
Boss battles got some love too: Libra won’t get stuck in endless loops anymore, Adel won’t crash your game mid-fight, and you can actually rescue teammates from Wormface’s grab attack instead of just watching helplessly as your friends get munched.
Fair warning though—FromSoftware admits similar issues might still pop up because, let’s face it, this is still a FromSoftware game. At least they’re being honest about it! Make sure you’re running the latest version for online play, and remember: we’d rather have stable boss fights than crashes during clutch moments.
How to Beat the Tutorial Boss in Elden Ring Nightreign
So you’ve heard there’s a tutorial boss you’re “supposed” to lose against, and your FromSoftware-conditioned brain immediately went “hold my flask”? Good, because that’s exactly the energy we need here. Yes, you can absolutely beat Margit in Nightreign’s tutorial, and yes, there’s a unique relic waiting for stubborn Tarnished like us who refuse to accept defeat.
First things first—if you already speedran through the tutorial like most of us did, you can replay it through the Visual Codex in Roundtable Hold. Fair warning: you’re stuck playing as a low-level Wylder, so leave your endgame gear fantasies at the door.
The secret sauce? Clear absolutely everything before the boss fight. We’re talking every enemy, every chest, hit level 6, and grab two ultimate charges. This isn’t a suggestion—it’s survival. Your weapon loadout should be Rogier’s Rapier in the off-hand (those auto-targeting glintblades are your best friend) and either the Cold Katar for frostbite cheese or the Duelist Greataxe for raw stagger power.
The strategy is surprisingly straightforward: let your AI companion tank while you go ham from behind, use your ultimate early for maximum damage, keep the Duchess alive with Warming Stones, and play hit-and-run when things get dicey. If she dies, don’t panic—you can ultimate-revive her or just embrace the solo life with that Great Axe.
Your reward? The Fell Omen Fetish relic, which boosts weapon swap damage and throwing knives. Is it game-breaking? Nah. Is it worth the bragging rights of beating a tutorial boss? Absolutely. Because at the end of the day, we’re FromSoftware players—if it can be beaten, we’re going to beat it out of pure spite.
From Contemplation to Chaos: Surviving the Nightreign Shift
Let’s be real—you’ve spent hundreds of hours in Elden Ring carefully studying every enemy pattern, reading item descriptions by candlelight like some sort of scholarly masochist, and now Nightreign throws a giant blue wall of death at you that moves faster than your will to live. Welcome to FromSoftware’s version of anxiety simulator 2025!
The brutal truth? You need to stop trying to play Elden Ring in Nightreign. This isn’t your meditative journey through melancholy—this is Elden Ring’s hyperactive younger sibling that chugged five energy drinks and decided speed was the only virtue that mattered. You’ve got roughly 14 minutes per day cycle, and that blue circle (the Night’s Tide) is basically your personal trainer from hell.
Here’s the mental shift you need: embrace “good enough” as your new philosophy. That perfect build optimization you spent 20 minutes on? Forget it. Cut your losses early, use the shrinking circle as your decision-maker, and master the art of strategic retreat. Yes, it feels wrong to run from fights you could eventually win, but time is literally money here.
The map is your best friend—use it constantly to check circle progress and place pins like your sanity depends on it (because it does). Learn to love wall-running and those spectral hawks, but for the love of Marika, check your map before you hop on one or you’ll get a scenic tour of the danger zone.
Most importantly, adjust your success metrics. This isn’t about perfect no-hit runs—it’s about having fun while slowly going insane from time pressure. And if solo play feels like too much, grab some friends. The game assumes cooperation anyway, so you’re not cheating by playing with others who can share your suffering.
Remember: feeling stressed is the point. FromSoftware turned contemplative dread into mechanical urgency, and honestly? Once you stop fighting it, the chaos becomes weirdly addictive.
A Quick Summary of Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.01.3
Alright Nightfarers, patch 1.01.3 just dropped, and before you get too excited—no, it’s not the duo mode we’ve all been begging for. What we did get is a solid maintenance patch that’ll make your co-op suffering sessions run a bit smoother, so there’s that.
The headline change? More madness weapons are actually dropping now! If you’ve been grinding forever trying to build that perfect insanity-inducing loadout only to get basic steel over and over, FromSoftware finally heard your screams of frustration. More madness weapons means more ways to drive your enemies (and yourself) completely bonkers.
They’ve also fixed that absolutely soul-crushing bug where you’d get revived during Nightlord fights only to immediately die again. You know the one—”Oh great, I’m alive! Aaaand I’m dead.” No more of that particular brand of torture, thankfully. Camera issues during multiplayer boss fights got sorted too, so you won’t be staring at weird angles while trying not to get demolished.
Steam players dealing with random freezes can celebrate, and they’ve patched up some weapon-specific bugs with Ironeye’s Marking skill and the Bolt of Gransax Lightning nullification weirdness.
Look, this isn’t the content update most of you wanted—we’re still waiting on official duo mode, enhanced Nightlords, and actual DLC. But think of this as getting your car’s oil changed when you wanted a turbo upgrade: boring but necessary. At least the game won’t randomly freeze while you’re landing that perfect combo anymore.
Make sure you grab regulation version 1.01.4 before jumping back into the chaos!
New Everdark Sovereigns Hit Elden Ring Nightreign
Oh, what’s that? You thought regular Nightlords were too easy? Well, FromSoftware heard your complaints and decided to answer with what can only be described as “nightmare fuel with extra nightmare sauce.” Meet the Everdark Sovereigns—weekly rotating ultra-hard mode bosses that’ll make you question your life choices.
These aren’t just beefed-up stat monsters either. We’re talking completely new movesets, enhanced mechanics, and enough pain to make a Crucible Knight look like a cuddly pet. The current terror is Everdark Adel, Baron of the Night, available until June 26th, and early reports suggest this thing has arena-wide tornado attacks and grab combos that’ll delete you faster than you can say “I should have stayed in Limgrave.”
Here’s the kicker: you start the fight in his second phase, and at half health he immediately goes into phase three. Players are already calling this “one of the most difficult bosses currently in Nightreign,” which is saying something considering this is FromSoftware we’re talking about. One brave soul described it as having “4 grab attacks that almost install kill you in a row, no visual clarity, bloated HP pool—a true Elden Ring boss.”
The good news? If you somehow survive this masochistic marathon, you’ll earn Sovereign Sigils that can be traded for special relics. The bad news? This is online-only content, so solo offline players are stuck watching everyone else suffer from the sidelines.
Each Sovereign sticks around for a week before vanishing (though they’ll supposedly cycle back eventually), and the upcoming lineup includes enhanced versions of basically every boss you already hate. Steel yourselves indeed, Nightfarers—apparently the regular nightmare wasn’t nightmarish enough.
Player Messages in Elden Ring That Actually Helped
Let’s talk about the beautiful chaos that is Elden Ring’s message system, where “Try finger, but hole” has somehow become more useful navigation advice than half the actual tutorial prompts. You know exactly what I’m talking about—you’re standing before some ominous door, heart pounding because FromSoftware doesn’t build fancy architecture without hiding something absolutely terrifying behind it, and there’s that glowing message making the most juvenile joke possible. And yet… you actually try the door.
Welcome to the twisted genius of community-driven guidance, where the dumbest jokes often contain the smartest advice. The message system has accidentally created one of gaming’s most effective crowd-sourced help networks, disguised as endless crude humor and trolling.
The reverse psychology messages are my personal favorite. You see “Didn’t expect weak foe” in front of some regular-looking enemy and your Souls-trained brain immediately translates: “This thing is going to delete me, isn’t it?” And you’re usually right! These seemingly sarcastic warnings actually make you more cautious, better prepared, and ironically more successful than straightforward advice ever could.
Then there’s the “Hidden path ahead” phenomenon—sure, most are trolling attempts to make you waste time hitting solid walls, but enough of them mark actual secrets that the community keeps checking every suspicious surface. It’s accidentally trained an entire generation of players to be thorough explorers through trial, error, and communal paranoia.
The “dog” classification system for literally everything four-legged has taught newcomers that FromSoft plays by their own bizarre rules, while message clusters have become reliable landmarks that work better than any map marker. When someone gives directions using “the place with all the finger messages,” you know exactly where they mean.
What’s brilliant is how these messages create emotional armor against frustration. Instead of rage-quitting after your fifteenth death to Margit, you find yourself chuckling at a perfectly-placed message that captures your exact suffering. The humor builds camaraderie with fellow strugglers and reminds you that behind every message is another human who stood exactly where you are, felt what you’re feeling, and chose laughter over rage.
Final Thoughts
As we wrap up another month of FromSoftware-induced trauma, one thing becomes crystal clear: we’re absolutely addicted to this beautiful suffering, and there’s no sign of recovery in sight. Whether we’re sprinting from blue walls of death in Nightreign, decoding community memes for actual gameplay advice, or getting hyped about upcoming soulslike titles that’ll bankrupt us, we keep coming back for more punishment.
The gaming landscape keeps evolving, but our core relationship with these experiences remains wonderfully consistent. We die, we learn, we complain, we laugh, and then we immediately queue up for another round. Here’s to another month of “git gud” moments, perfectly-timed messages that may or may not be helpful, and that indescribable satisfaction of finally conquering the impossible.
Until next month, may your builds be optimized and your sense of humor remain intact. Stay strong, Tarnished—the journey continues.
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