As a dedicated gamer, let me assure you that while Elden Ring: Nightreign may be categorized as a spin-off, it’s far from a mere offshoot. It’s more like a sturdy branch extending from the colossal Erdtree of Elden Ring, rooted in the same world but offering an alternative timeline to explore.
Just like Nightreign, this spin-off presents its own captivating lore and intriguing characters that enrich the universe of Elden Ring. Although the events of Nightreign don’t directly align with the original game, trust me when I say that you’ll start to understand the connections once we delve into its compelling ending.
This article contains spoilers for the ending of Elden Ring Nightreign.
Is Nightreign Canon?
In Nightreign, the course of events in The Lands Between is altered, branching from a crucial event in the lore to provide insights into a scenario where things turned out significantly worse. It’s more accurate to consider Nightreign as an alternate timeline rather than a main storyline. While familiarity with Elden Ring isn’t necessary to appreciate it, you will need to invest time exploring and battling Nightlords to fully understand the narrative. Once you do, you’ll begin to see how Nightreign fits (and doesn’t fit) within the broader story of The Lands Between.
Elden Ring Nightreign Ending Explained
In the opening sequence, we learn that Nightreign unfolds in a realm where the Tarnished are absent. A conflict among gods, referred to as The Shattering, ensues following Marika’s actions of creating havoc in the Lands Between by shattering the Elden Ring. Over countless years, no one ascends the throne, leading to the arrival of an ominous entity known as the Nightlord. This unidentified being is essentially a destructive force of nature, leaving devastation in his wake. The Night follows wherever he goes, and a relentless downpour gradually erodes the world into oblivion.
It’s no surprise that FromSoftware would create an even more dismal narrative than what was initially presented in the game, given their reputation for dark storytelling. In this new take, the Elden Throne lies vacant amidst the decaying remnants of a world on the brink of annihilation. There’s no kingdom to govern or lands to dominate. However, an unusual faction has been selected by some mysterious force to challenge the Nightlord and bring an end to the eternal night.
Here we step into the fray. The Nightfarers unite to pursue and eliminate lesser Nightlords who are headed towards the catastrophe’s origin. This mission takes us to what remains of Limgrave, where we engage in combat with monsters and bosses familiar from both Elden Ring and the Dark Souls series. Although the game doesn’t give a clear explanation for why the worlds have merged, I prefer to imagine it as the consequence of tears in reality as the universe shrinks and collapses.
When you manage to take out a sufficient number of the Nightlords, it is Heolstor – a man-like husk – who is unmasked as the real villain. In one of his three arms, he wields a weapon that resembles the Moonlight Greatsword from Dark Souls, and fighting him is an incredible, epic battle, one of FromSoftware’s best creations. Overcoming him grants you the Primordial Nightlord’s Rune, which shares similarities with the Great Runes found in Elden Ring but possesses a dark, ink-like appearance.
Normally, upon defeating a Nightlord, you find yourself back at Roundtable Hold where your allies gather. However, slaying Heolstor leaves you standing before an abandoned Roundtable Hold, its emptiness echoed by a petrified corpse within. When you set down the rune before this still form, it triggers the dissipation of your Nightfarer into beams of light that ascend towards the heavens.
After the credits roll, the world of Elden Ring, including the Erdtree, is depicted with golden leaves floating around. One of these leaves lands on a branch atop a wooden figure resembling Heolstor. The figure rises from the sea, pauses to gaze upon the Erdtree, then moves away.
It strongly suggests that by overcoming Heolstor, we’ve effectively prevented the Night from ever occurring in the first place. To put it another way: We’ve permanently severed the branch of the Elden Ring storyline associated with Nightreign, allowing the events of the game to unfold as originally presented.
Who is Heolstor and what happens in the alternate endings?
From what we can gather, there isn’t much information available about Heolstor beyond the artifact you acquire after vanquishing him. This artifact provides a concise narrative of a knight who was tragically killed by a hero, only to resurface and curse the world in a shroud of mystery. The story leaves room for multiple interpretations, but it appears that Heolstor might be purposely portrayed as an insignificant figure, a universal inevitability like the sun setting each evening.
As a gamer, I’ve discovered that completing the Wylder’s remembrance quests sets up a thematic parallel with an alternate ending for him. Instead of altering the timeline, he assumes the role of the Nightlord by employing a Larval Tear, an artifact from Elden Ring symbolizing rebirth. Earlier in his journey, I learned that the Roundtable Hold is sustained because the Nightlord exists, and his sister, the Duchess, shares an unavoidable destiny. In a selfless act to keep her alive, he surrenders himself to the Night.
In the distinctive conclusion of Ironeye, he slits the neck of the frozen corpse within the vacant Roundtable Hold, thus extending the Night. His objective is to safeguard his band of eternal warriors, who you might recall from Elden Ring as Those Who Embrace Death. In the chronology of Elden Ring, Those Who Embrace Death are pursued by the devotees of the Erdtree. By making this choice, Ironeye spares them from that fate, but at the cost of condemning the world instead.
Among all possible endings, The Recluse’s conclusion is one of the most optimistic you might encounter. Her recollections hint at a past where she had a child that she forsook, allowing it to perish in an unending famine and transform into a creature consuming everything around it, even her own sibling. Following her victory over Heolstor, The Recluse locates the Night-touched infant within Roundtable Hold and lovingly holds it. Her affection appears to quell the baby’s turbulent energies and prevent another Nightlord from arising.
Remaining Nightfarers lack unique conclusions in their narratives. They adhere to the standard ending sequence, vanishing alongside all other elements when the timeline is wiped clean. However, the tale of Nightreign isn’t entirely concluded: FromSoftware plans to introduce additional Nightfarers as downloadable content, offering potential revelations about this dismal universe— potentially through their own alternate endings.
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2025-06-16 17:42