Elden Ring Nightreign DLC Flooded With Negative Reviews
Elden Ring Nightreign fans are leaving negative reviews for the game’s DLC in mass, dramatically dropping its score. FromSoftware’s Elden Ring took the gaming world by storm, delivering one of the most expansive and memorable RPG experiences in years. Expectations skyrocketed for Elden Ring Nightreign ahead of its release, and while it’s not a game for everyone, it delivered what it promised and then some. The introduction of the highly anticipated Nightreign DLC was expected to elevate the game even further with two new Nightfarers (Scholar and Undertaker), new bosses, a new map, and more.
The DLC, called Forsaken Hollows, was released in early December 2025. Initially, the community’s perception was not as negative. However, it didn’t meet expectations because it didn’t include core, gameplay-altering features such as new weapons, spells, Ashes of War, and so on. Things have rapidly taken a turn for the worse now, with Elden Ring Nightreign‘s DLC’s Steam page having a “Mostly Negative” average in recent user reviews. This is due to several reasons, but the most common grievances all include the same aspects.
Elden Ring Nightreign Players Want Changes to Frustrating Reviving Mechanic
Elden Ring Nightreign players want improvements to the revival mechanic, a core feature that impacts co-op gameplay significantly.
Why Elden Ring: Nightreign DLC Is Facing a Review-Bombing Crisis
If you’re wondering why exactly this DLC is drawing so much ire from its fanbase, the answer is threefold, with a main culprit. Based on the recent reviews for Elden Ring Nightreign‘s DLC, fans are unhappy with the following:
- The Great Hollow Map
- Lack of Content and Price
- Balance, Glitches, and Performance Issues
Elden Ring Nightreign‘s new DLC Shifting Earth events include several changes to the core gameplay loop by altering one area of the map significantly, but the Great Hollow variation provides an entirely different zone instead. This is a vertical map that has multiple levels and makes it nearly impossible to drop in and have a clear, good route from the get-go, making it very frustrating for players. Many players complain that the map feels tedious to traverse, and falling into pits leads to lost runes or chaotic respawns.
While the Great Hollow map is the most lamented issue across the board, possibly because of how infuriating it can feel, one of the most common complaints regarding the Nightreign DLC is that it feels more like a patch than an expansion. With the aforementioned lack of new Nightreign weapons, spells, and other customization options that increase replayability, many fans are unhappy with the $15 price of the expansion.
Finally, some reviews call new bosses overly difficult/out-of-place, attribute frustrating RNG encounters to the DLC’s design, or simply say it amplifies problems from the base Nightreign experience without smoothing them out. This was already discussed in earlier stages of the game, when Elden Ring Nightreign‘s Everdark boss, Gnoster, Wisdom of Night, made Ironeye the best and most obvious choice of the bunch.
Why Elden Ring Nightreign is Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place With Its DLC’s Review Bombing
The backlash surrounding Nightreign‘s DLC is a complex situation, and it’s unclear what will come out of it, if at all. While it’s clear that FromSoftware’s expansion has fallen short of many players’ expectations, it would also need significant improvements and adjustments to address all the feedback from recent reviews, to the point that the DLC would be dramatically different. If the technical issues and content gaps are addressed in future patches, Nightreign might still find its place among the highlights of Elden Ring‘s expansive journey, but if not, fans may not stick around for more content if and when it drops.
Ultimately, the Nightreign DLC’s reception proves that even with an established and beloved game like Elden Ring, there’s a fine line between player expectations and developer vision. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how FromSoftware handles the community’s feedback and whether the DLC can be transformed into the experience fans originally hoped for.