Following its brief network beta in February we now have the final release of Elden Ring Nightreign, giving us a fresh chance to assess the console versions. To cut to the chase, there is both good and bad news for console users. The positive side ultimately comes down to Nightreign’s winning gameplay design because, against all the odds, developer FromSoftware’s multiplayer spin-off works surprisingly well. Barring ongoing issues with network latency during its first week – causing lag on NPC reactions after a strike at points – this is a well crafted, Fortnite-inspired twist on Elden Ring. The combat mechanics are instantly familiar, and there’s plenty of strategic depth as you spend a one hour session levelling up in anticipation of a Night Lord boss. It compels repeat attempts, and crucially, rewards a trio of players to co-ordinate their character builds towards that final point.
On the downside there’s the state of Nightreign’s technology. This is really nothing new to those familiar with FromSoftware’s Elden Ring engine, and how it operates on consoles. Its optimisation on PS5 and Xbox Series machines is still disappointing and, much like the network beta, the game continues to often fall short of a target 60 frames per second while exploring the Limveld map. Added to that, there is no support for PS5 Pro. The PlayStation store page makes no mention of enhancements for Pro hardware even on release, and that bears out in our tests where there are no extra modes or optimisations of any sort. It simply runs the base PS5 code, which, as I’ll get to, does at least yield some benefits in frame-rate and image quality depending on which graphics mode you use. Finally, it’s worth noting that the ray tracing mode – included in the main Elden Ring game to allow RT shadows and ambient occlusion – is still absent in Nightreign all round which is a shame.
In terms of how the consoles compare, FromSoftware sticks to its tried and tested settings from the network beta. PS5, PS5 Pro and Series X each run at a fixed 4K in their quality modes – while the frame-rate mode uses a dynamic setup that drops their resolution to 1440p lowest in order to better hit 60fps. On the other hand, for Series S, 1440p is a fixed target on its quality mode, while the frame-rate mode allows for a 1008p to 1440p range to improve performance. Beyond resolution differences all machines run at identical settings with a few exceptions. Firstly, comparing PS5 and PS5 Pro, the Pro side has a small benefit in image quality. By running the base PS5 code on more powerful hardware, PS5 Pro tends to hit higher numbers along that 1512p to 4K range. On average it’ll trend higher, though this only applies to the frame-rate mode of course, and shadows, textures, and world draw are identical.
Secondly, the Xbox Series consoles show a greater divide in visual quality. The 4TF Series S inevitably takes a bigger visual downgrade in comparison to Series X: it runs with lower resolution global shadows, plus a dropped ambient occlusion setting – affecting the shading under grass. Most visible, of course, is that drop to a 1440p target. Honestly the turnout is still more than acceptable for Series S, and using the opening tutorial area to match weather and time of day, you’re getting the full fat Nightreign experience otherwise.