a mixed reception from both critics and fans. The three-player PvE game is designed for just that—three-player gameplay. That design choice has resulted in a lot of fun and a lot of frustration for players. While the game can technically be played solo, the game is much more difficult, and a lot of the bosses have mechanics that were clearly designed for three people.

Despite the focus on multiplayer, the game lacks any voice communication, leading players to only be able to communicate via emote gestures and map pinging around the game's world, leading to some unspoken "rules" for the game. The game is still new and plays fairly differently than the main Elden Ring game, so there is a pretty steep learning curve. After around 20 hours of many successful and failed runs, I think there is one huge leveling tip that a lot of players are missing in the game.

Nightreign Doesn't Tell You This Useful Leveling Tip

There's No Need To Stop By Sites Of Grace Just To Check If You Can Level Up

In a very small and easily missable detail on the game's HUD, Nightreign actually does tell you when you have enough runes to level up your chosen Nightfarer. In the top-left corner of the UI, next to the health, FP, and stamina bars, there is a number in a blue circle, indicating your current level. When you have enough runes to level up, the blue circle will start to pulsate faintly and a small up arrow will fade in and out beside it.

I've personally seen quite a few players run to Sites of Grace to check if they can level, which wastes valuable time, and you may need every second imaginable in this game, especially with Nightreign's solo mode was patched today, aiming to address some of the issues, like the general difficulty of the offering and the revive system, but even so, Nightreign is specifically designed for three players, and to cooperate with one another.

The challenging solo play, despite not being ideal for the game, actually gives players more runes than if they are in a group of three. That difference is substantial, so it would be a great benefit for solo players to know when they can level, especially if they are used to playing in a group, to better plan out their routes and get even more camp raids or equipment searches finished.

Why This Little Nightreign Leveling Icon Matters

Levels Are Arguably The Most Important Key To Success

Unlike the main Elden Ring game, your Nightfarer's stats and how they increase are completely pre-determined. A character like The Duchess specializes in daggers, intelligence, and dexterity, and she possesses incredible dodging and evasion abilities. However, she has very low health, and can easily be killed in one or two hits at level one. For her, the jump from level one to level two is astronomical, and she needs the levels to give her some survivability.

Additionally, Nightreign's entire gameplay loop runs on a timer, with the map shrinking over time to eventually force all players to a specific area to fight the end-of-day boss. With that, knowing when you can level helps teams not waste any time, and can also serve as an indicator to level up at a Site of Grace on the run to the boss fight, getting to another level before the encounter, which could be the difference between winning and losing.

There is some nuance to team compositions and planning routes, but most players seem to be upgrading their healing flasks first, and then prioritizing leveling until at least level five or six before the end of day one, picking up some gear along the way. Then, when day two happens, most players seem to be concentrating on increasing levels as much as possible and searching for the best equipment before the end-of-day boss on day two.

Most players will probably want to shoot for at least level 12 before confronting one of the Night Lords in Nightreign, and, as the game ages, more players will realize that there is no need to run to a Site of Grace if you don't have the runes to level. The game has a lot of important tips to learn, and even without voice chat, fans hopefully can level and prioritize their time appropriately in Elden Ring Nightreign.