FromSoftware has already confirmed DLC is on the way for Elden Ring multiplayer spin-off Nightreign, though we're yet to see a release date beyond Q4 2025.

After its release last month, FromSoftware has added weekly challenges against Everdark Sovereigns, which it will rotate for the rest of the month, along with balance adjustments. With this - and the now-promised duos mode - the studio is dipping its toes into live-service, though players are eagerly awaiting the forthcoming DLC for a big chunk of new content.

At present, we don't know what the DLC will include, beyond "additional playable characters and bosses", as previously leaked on the game's Steam page. Still, that leaves room for a bit of speculation and fantasising, especially now the game has been released. What - or who - is currently missing from Nightreign? What sort of complimentary additions might FromSoftware have in store?

New Nightfarers

First up, let's address what we do know from that leaked information - the DLC will have "additional playable characters". The base game has eight Nightfarers who loosely relate to the typical starting classes of a Souls game: knight, rogue, mage etc. So what's missing?

There are perhaps two obvious omissions: the Prophet and the Wretch. While existing Nightreign characters are capable of using Faith magic, at present the game doesn't have a character focused solely on this school of spells. Alongside damage dealing, Faith magic is focused on healing and buffs, which would make for an interesting Prophet-esque support class, be it a white mage or paladin. Such a character would certainly add to the co-operative line-up, but may make solo play tricky.

As for the Wretch, they're something of a low level blank slate from which to build a character. If Nightreign introduced a Nightfarer of this type, it could potentially cherry-pick from the abilities of existing characters. I'd love to see this take the form of a Mimic Tear, able to morph into others.

There's another option though. Nightreign's DLC could follow that of the base game and focus on Shadow of the Erdtree. That expansion introduced a number of new weapons, including explosive elemental perfumes and the whirling punches and kicks of the Dryleaf Arts. Of these, I'd love to see the latter turned into a martial artist or pugilist Nightfarer, focused on speed and close-quarters combat. I played Shadow of the Erdtree this way with extra bleed damage on my fists and it was an absolute blast. Throw in some dragon magic and you've basically got Bruce Lee, right?

More bosses

The second point to address: "additional bosses". This could mean extra Nightlords (more on that in a minute), but also further field and night bosses. While Nightreign boasts a wealth of randomised boss encounters, there are still too many repeats - I know I'm tired of beating Freja and those Tree Sentinels again and again. Long-term, the game needs more diversity in its menagerie of bosses to maintain interest in each run. There are already references to both Elden Ring and multiple Dark Souls games, so who's left to add in?

Plenty, to be honest. Personally I think Malenia is the most shocking Elden Ring omission in Nightreign, being arguably its most iconic boss. Then again, Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki stated in an interview: "Story and lore were a central focus throughout development, as they influenced various aspects of world-building and gameplay design". That would explain why no major, godly story bosses from Elden Ring appear in Nightreign, as it would break from lore. I'd love to see Malenia as an exception to that rule - she'd make for a terrifying invasion.

Radahn would be another iconic addition, especially as it's possible to face him as a group in Elden Ring. In fact, I could picture him being a Nightlord for that reason, though I doubt FromSoftware would want to repeat itself.

Then, as with the Nightfarers, there's the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. As much as I'd love to see Messmer, I suspect he'll go the way of Malenia with some sort of lore excuse. But the Divine Beast Dancing Lion already recurs in the expansion, so would make a great candidate for a field boss - we already have the Golden Hippopotamus after all. Perhaps Commander Gaius or the Putrescent Knight could make an appearance as mounted alternatives?

Then there are the bosses taken from the Dark Souls games, of which there are plenty to choose from. From Dark Souls 1, Artorias is certainly a popular choice among the fanbase, though we've already got his armour as a costume for Wylder. Sif would also be a great option, though is arguably too similar to the Tricephalos Nightlord. As a legendary stumbling block in the original game, though, it's Ornstein and Smough I'd love to see included as a night boss, albeit with some souped up moves suitable for battling three players. Pontiff Sulyvahn would also be a suitable addition from Dark Souls 3 with his twin fire and magic blades, while The Pursuer from Dark Souls 2 would be an intimidating presence chasing players out on the field.

New Nightlords

Though not confirmed by FromSoftware, more Nightlords seems to be a given for the Nightreign DLC. There are currently eight, not including the Everdark Sovereign variants, but once these are beaten there's not quite enough reason for players to return. With a bit of extra narrative purpose, there's no reason more Nightlords couldn't be added.

However, as these bosses are all unique to Nightreign, it's hard to speculate on what any additions might be, leaving the developer with plenty of creative freedom. Each of the existing Nightlords relates to a specific element: Augur is sleep, Equilibrious Beast is madness, Fissure in the Fog is ice, for example. One element that's missing, though, is Scarlet Rot, which I'd argue absolutely should be represented - Caelid is one of the most remarkable areas from Elden Ring, even if it's treacherous to explore. What form this boss takes is anyone's guess, but I look forward to some sort of highly poisonous abomination (and not another dragon).

FromSoftware has already done an excellent job with the Nightlords, balancing sweeping AoE attacks with more direct combos alongside some twists - the Equilibrious Beast's opening quiz, for instance. At times Nightreign can feel more like an MMO raid in this respect, so I'd love to see the studio continuing to push the boundaries of its boss formula. Give us a Nightlord that manipulates the environment more, forcing us to use parkour mid-battle - just please don't make it a cursed tree (I'm looking at you Bed of Chaos).

Extra Shifting Earth events

While Nightreign takes place on a static map, Shifting Earth events can randomly spawn to shake up the environment. So far there are four types that can occur - The Crater, The Mountaintop, The Rotted Woods, Noklateo - and cover four areas of the map, leaving an open space to the north-east. As one of the game's most innovative and dynamic features, why not throw in another?

I've got three ideas as to what these could be. The first would be the Haligtree from Elden Ring. It would certainly be recognisable and different enough from the existing events, and would rival the spectacle of the mountaintop or erupting crater as a giant tree sprouting from the ground. Plus, it would add some welcome verticality to the map to make use of Nightreign's parkour abilities and lack of fall damage. Heck, throw in a Malenia fight in there and give us the ability to regain health with each hit as a reward.

The second would once again follow the logic of basing the DLC on the gorgeously horrifying Shadow of the Erdtree. Give us a Shifting Earth event based on The Land of Shadow, filled with ghostly gravestones and wandering Furnace Golems. Perhaps that could morph into the bright blues of the Cerulean Coast, the lush temples of the Ancient Ruins of Rauh, or even the cursed Abyssal Woods. Gaining extra buffs through Scadutree Fragments for defeating bosses here would also be a fun nod to the expansion's levelling system.

Lastly, considering the various regions of Elden Ring, how about expanding the underground of Nightreign's map? So far we've only got a couple of winding caverns, which feel underutilised. But imagine if this expanded into that twinkling night sky of the Siofra River - in my opinion, one of the most beautiful areas of the base game. There the encroaching storm would force us deeper into that pit of twilight, where we could face a version of Mohg, Lord of Blood, to tick off another missing status effect: bleed damage.

Bloodborne!

Look, the dream scenario here is FromSoftware ties in an entire Bloodborne-themed DLC alongside the release of a remaster, but we all know that's never going to happen. Sony owns the rights and Nightreign is multiplatform. It's just a pipe dream.

Still, it is fun to dream. And while I do think Bloodborne's gothic nightmare doesn't match the dark fantasy of Nightreign, fans would be ecstatic to see the game represented further beyond some obviously coded costume options. Give us an invading Father Gascoigne in the graveyards of Limveld. Give us night boss battles against Vicar Amelia, or Ludwig, or Orphan of Kos. Give us a Hunter Nightfarer with a pistol and whip, and a Shifting Earth event into the dreaded spires of Yarnham. Give us a multiplayer game with sexy vampires thirsting for blood, with jet pack robots and dinosaur transformations, with menacing frogs boasting giant breasts, with a disturbing world we can explore with our friends on the go.

Oh dammit, just give us The Duskbloods already!