So, here I was, minding my own business in 2026, thinking the Lands Between had shown me all its secrets. Then, FromSoftware and Bandai Namco drop this bombshell: a brand new, fully co-op Elden Ring spin-off called Neightreign. And let me tell you, this ain't your grandpappy's jolly cooperation. The trailer even teased what looked suspiciously like the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3 strutting about—talk about a blast from the past! It's like the developers decided to throw all their greatest hits into a blender and see what glorious, chaotic soup came out.
The Co-Op We've Been Craving (Maybe)
Past Souls games treated co-op like a fragile, fleeting dream. You'd fumble with an Ember, hope your summon sign didn't get lost in the ether, and if you were lucky, you'd get a buddy for, like, one boss fight before they poofed back to their own world. Neightreign is throwing that whole system out the window. This is proper, sit-down-with-your-friends co-op. You and two other Tarnished can squad up and dive into a whole new kind of challenge. The big twist? The maps are always randomized. No more memorizing every nook and cranny of Stormveil Castle; every session is a fresh surprise. It's like the Lands Between decided to play a prank on us, shuffling the deck every time we sit down to play. Wild, right?
New Toys and Old Friends
The gameplay montage was a rapid-fire info dump, but a few things stood out:
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Sites of Grace are back! Our beloved checkpoints return, but how they function in a persistent co-op world is the million-rune question. In the main game, touching Grace was your only 'pause' button—a safe haven to level up and catch your breath. In a Monster Hunter-inspired boss rush? Who knows! Maybe it's a shared hub where we prep for the next hunt.
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We get a glider! And not just any glider. It's a magical bird you can summon, and it works with these new horizontal wind vortexes scattered around. Verticality was always a secret weapon in Elden Ring, and now they're giving us the tools to truly master it. I can already picture the shenanigans.
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The map is a condensed Limgrave. Think of all the best parts of that starting area, smooshed together and then shaken up like a snow globe for each run.
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We're hunting reimagined bosses. This is the juicy part. FromSoftware's greatest hits are getting a remix. Imagine fighting a version of the Tree Sentinel with new moves, or a corrupted Radahn, but this time with your friends by your side. The potential for chaos and triumph is off the charts.
The Gameplay Loop: Hunt, Gather, Grace?
The word on the spectral street is that Neightreign takes a page from Monster Hunter's book. The core loop seems to be: squad up, drop into a randomized slice of the Lands Between, track down a big bad boss (or several), and take it down. What role the Sites of Grace play in this loop is the big mystery. Are they just the starting point for a hunt? A place to craft items from boss parts? Or do they restore our precious Crimson Flasks mid-expedition? I'm leaning towards them being a crucial part of the prep phase—our home base between chaotic hunts.
Let's break down what we think we know vs. what we're dying to find out:
| Feature | What We Know | The Big Question |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Op | 3-player, persistent squads. | How does progression work? Shared runes? Individual? |
| World | Randomized maps based on Limgrave. | How deep does the randomization go? Enemy placements, item locations, everything? |
| Movement | New magical bird glider & wind currents. | Can the whole squad use one wind current? Glider races, anyone? |
| Bosses | Reimagined versions of past FromSoft bosses. | Will they have co-op specific mechanics? Phases that split the party? |
| Sites of Grace | They are present in the world. | Are they shared? Do they respawn enemies? Can you 'rest' while friends are fighting? |
Final Thoughts From This Tarnished
Look, I've been burned before—figuratively, and also literally by dragon fire. But Neightreign has that special glint in its eye. It's not just another expansion; it's a whole new way to experience the brutal, beautiful world FromSoftware built. The promise of tackling classic bosses with two friends in a world that's different every time? That's the stuff of legend. The inclusion of the Nameless King is just the icing on the cake, a nod to veterans that says, "We haven't forgotten the old trials."
The concept is solid, the potential for hilarious failure and epic victory with friends is massive... and I am absolutely here for it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go bother my friends and decide who's going to be the dedicated healer (probably still no one, let's be real). The hunt begins in 2025, and this Tarnished will be ready. Hopefully, my glider skills are better than my parry timing. 🙏