Elden Ring Nightreign shares quite a bit with its predecessor Elden Ring, from its gameplay to its lore and history. It also seems to carry some of its technical nuances, according to a new breakdown from the tech experts at Digital Foundry.
Digital Foundry published an analysis of the tech details behind FromSoftware's latest, and while Nightreign remixes a lot of what Elden Ring was into something new, it sounds like the state of Nightreign's technology is fairly reminiscent of Elden Ring's.
"This is really nothing new to those familiar with FromSoftware's Elden Ring engine, and how it operates on consoles," wrote Digital Foundry's Thomas Morgan.
Digital Foundry characterized the optimization for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles as "disappointing," as Nightreign continues to "often fall short of a target 60 frames per second while exploring." Additionally, the tech analyst noted there's no listed support for PlayStation 5 Pro, which bore out in tests, meaning the PS5 Pro is just running the base PS5 code with no additional modes or optimizations.
I recommend visiting Digital Foundry for the full numbers breakdown, as there's quite a bit to go through, but all of it is best summed-up by Morgan here: "Ultimately, using the quality mode makes no practical sense on any console." The base PS5 typically hovers in a lower 30-45 frames per second range in this mode, compared to a 40-60 range on the framerate mode, and the Xbox consoles mirroring similar gaps.
While the PS5 Pro seems to benefit from having a little extra horsepower to run Nightreign, there are still "lurches" while exploring the world that stuck out to Digital Foundry. The article concludes by saying there's "so much left to be desired on the technical front" when it comes to Elden Ring Nightreign, as 60 frames per second performance on consoles is "all too often out of reach."
In other Elden Ring Nightreign news, FromSoftware has confirmed further updates in the pipeline for the co-op exprience, including tougher versions of existing Nightlords and a Duos mode somewhere down the line. This news arrives alongside confirmation that Elden Ring Nightreign has cleared the 3.5 million sales mark.
We’ve got plenty of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you take down all the eight Nightlord Bosses, and if you’re wondering how to unlock the two locked Nightfarer Classes, check out How to Unlock the Revenant and How to Unlock the Duchess, plus How to Change Characters.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
