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Elden Ring Nightreign has eight original playable heroes, called Nightfarers, plus two additional Nightfarers marked as DLC on Bandai Namco’s gameplay guide. Each has a distinct passive, skill, and ultimate art—but none is locked to a particular weapon type. Pick by the abilities and playstyle you want, not by assuming a character can only use one kind of gear.
Expeditions unfold over three days and end in a Nightlord confrontation. The game supports three-player teams and solo play, so a Nightfarer’s team utility can matter in co-op without making co-op a requirement. Bandai Namco says every Nightfarer can use every weapon type and combat tool; the characters’ abilities shape how they approach fights rather than imposing rigid equipment classes. See the official game overview and gameplay guide for the publisher’s descriptions.
The eight original Nightfarers
The following eight make up the original roster. Their role labels are practical shorthand based on the official ability descriptions, not rankings or difficulty ratings.
Wylder: versatile fighter with grappling mobility
Wylder is the balanced, mobile option. Claw Shot pulls eligible enemies toward him or retracts to move him, and can help break an enemy’s guard. Onslaught Stake launches an explosive iron stake; holding the input increases its impact. His passive, Sixth Sense, lets him cheat death once, until it is restored by revival or by reaching a Site of Grace.
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Guardian: shield defense and protection
Guardian can withstand attacks behind a shield. Whirlwind draws enemies inward and sweeps away light projectiles. Wings of Salvation is a leaping dive that creates a protective area; holding the ability shields nearby allies, and the dive can help rescue them. Steel Guard improves guard boost while Guardian is planted, but prevents running with the shield raised.
Duchess: evasion and rapid attacks
Duchess is built around efficient evasion and quick consecutive attacks. Restage repeats a recent reprisal as damage to nearby foes; damage dealt to its phantom also affects the original target. Her ultimate, Finale, obscures Duchess and nearby allies so enemies lose track of them. Magnificent Pose reduces stamina costs for attacks and evasive actions and allows two consecutive evasions.
Rank #2
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- Playstation 05 (PS5)
- A New Fantasy World – Journey through the Lands Between, a new fantasy world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki, creator of the influential Dark Souls video game series, and George R. R. Martin, author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Unravel the mysteries of the Elden Ring’s power. Encounter adversaries with profound backgrounds, characters with their own unique motivations for helping or hindering your progress, and fearsome creatures
- World Exploration in the Lands Between – Elden Ring features vast fantastical landscapes and shadowy, complex dungeons that are connected seamlessly. Traverse the breathtaking world on foot or on horseback, alone or online with other players, and fully immerse yourself in the grassy plains, suffocating swamps, spiraling mountains, foreboding castles and other sites of grandeur on a scale never seen before in a FromSoftware title
- Genre-Defining Gameplay – Create your character in FromSoftware’s refined action-RPG and define your playstyle by experimenting with a wide variety of weapons, magical abilities, and skills found throughout the world. Charge into battle, pick off enemies one-by-one using stealth, or even call upon allies for aid. Many options are at your disposal as you decide how to approach exploration and combat
Recluse: affinity-based spellcasting
Recluse’s magic revolves around collecting affinity residues. Elemental Defense lets her gather residues created by affinity attacks to replenish FP, and allies can collect them too. Magic Cocktail consumes three residues to create a spell; more complex affinity combinations produce more powerful spells. Soulblood Song places short-lived blood sigils on nearby enemies, increasing the damage they take while restoring HP and FP to Recluse.
Ironeye: archery, weak points, and loot utility
Ironeye attacks from range with pinpoint archery. Marking cuts an enemy to create a temporary weak point. Hitting it can break and stagger the target, and further damage extends the weak point’s duration. Single Shot fires an arrow that, according to the guide, pierces enemies, terrain, and structures. Eagle Eye increases items obtained from defeated foes and benefits allies as well.
Rank #3
- Enter a brutal mega boss encounter where the Erdtree Avatar unleashes crushing power, relentless aggression, and battlefield dominance that demands precision and nerve.
- Ride into combat with enhanced mounted mechanics, gaining overwhelming mobility and striking freedom that reshape your tactical identity and open high-risk attack windows.
- Battle ruthless guardian warriors whose unwavering devotion, deadly weapon mastery, and uncanny resilience turn every clash into a desperate struggle for survival.
- Fight on a dramatic, atmospheric encounter map, designed to heighten tension, reward clever movement, and transform each moment into a cinematic showdown.
- Unlock powerful rewards and exclusive equipment, earning new cards and gear that expand your Tarnished progression and deepen long-term campaign impact.
Raider: heavy weapons and durable close combat
Raider favors enormous weapons and can take an attack stance with Retaliate, reducing incoming damage. Enhanced Retaliate can make even large enemies recoil. Totem Stela summons a giant tombstone whose protective aura boosts nearby allies’ strength and blocks arrows. Fighter’s Resolve strengthens Retaliate after Raider takes damage, prevents knockdown while it is in use, and lets him remain standing at a sliver of HP after heavy damage.
Executor: precision melee and timed deflections
Executor wields a cursed katana. Cursed Sword enables deflections; repeated successful deflections reveal the blade and unlock powerful living-sword attacks. The ready stance prevents running, so the kit asks for deliberate timing rather than constant movement. Aspects of the Crucible: Beast transforms Executor for gauge-draining beast attacks. Tenacity grants attack and stamina-recovery boosts when Executor is cleansed of status ailments.
Rank #4
- Elden Ring board game campaign featuring tactical combat, exploration, treasure hunting, and cinematic boss encounters for 1–4 players
- 20+ hour replayable campaign that can be played as a standalone adventure or combined with other Elden Ring: The Board Game content
- Card-driven, diceless combat system rewards strategic positioning, timing, resource management, and tactical decision-making
- New playable Tarnished classes including the Confessor and Prisoner, adding fresh character options and strategic play styles
- Detailed tabletop miniatures include 22 figures and a massive Godrick the Grafted miniature on a 120mm base, with components varying by selected edition
Revenant: spirit summons and emergency support
Revenant calls on spirits to fight. Summon Spirit brings in one of three family members—Helen, Frederick, or Sebastian—while Necromancy raises temporary ghosts from defeated enemies as allies. Immortal March makes Revenant and nearby allies immortal, revives near-death allies, and turns the summoned family into immortal warriors. The kit combines damage from summoned fighters with strong emergency team support.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Two DLC Nightfarers on the official guide
Bandai Namco’s live gameplay guide labels Scholar and Undertaker as DLC. They are additional characters, not part of the original eight.
Scholar: observation, target linking, and item use
Scholar is described as an academic with high Arcane. Analyse observes a target and leaves spirit symbols with different effects. Continued observation advances analysis; the guide says progress improves by analyzing multiple enemy specimens, finding special notes, and including allies. Communion threads enemies and allies: damage to one threaded enemy affects the others, threaded allies can be healed, and attacks from a threaded enemy damage its attacker. Bagcraft increases the number of items Scholar can carry and levels items through use, with each item category leveling independently.
Undertaker: aggressive attacks and art interactions
Undertaker is described as an abbess with impressive Strength and Faith. Trance increases agility, repeated attacks boost attack power, and exhausting the Ultimate Art gauge triggers an additional loathsome hex. Loathsome Hex rushes toward a target and strikes, with fast attacks and airborne movement. Confluence lets an ally’s art execution enable another art activation regardless of gauge; absorbing certain darkness-imbued enemy attacks can also enable an art.
Which Nightfarer should you choose?
Match the character to the combat loop you want to use. These are playstyle matches inferred from the official ability descriptions, not measured difficulty ratings or claims about who performs best.
- Balanced mobility and a grappling tool: Wylder.
- Shield defense and protective rescues: Guardian.
- Fast evasion and repeated attacks: Duchess.
- Spellcasting built around gathering elemental residues: Recluse.
- Ranged attacks, weak points, and extra team loot: Ironeye.
- Heavy weapons and a durable close-range stance: Raider.
- Timed deflections and precision melee: Executor.
- Spirit summons and emergency ally protection: Revenant.
- Observation, target linking, and item handling (DLC): Scholar.
- Repeated aggression and team art interactions (DLC): Undertaker.
For a deeper reference, Bandai Namco’s official store lists the ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN Official Companion Guide, a 400-page hardcover by Future Press (ISBN-13 9783869931357). Its listing says it covers the original eight Nightfarers’ stats, skills, and playstyles, includes example builds, and also covers systems, maps, enemies, items, equipment, art, and lore. The listing does not establish current price or availability through other retailers.
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