About

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a spin-off of the original Elden Ring game, set in a distant future in which players work in groups of three to control "Nightfarers" on a quest to dispel the reign of night. The game, developed by FromSoftware, is set in an alternative universe where the events of the original Elden Ring game never took place and the night-worshipping Nox plunged the world into darkness by defeating Marika and the Golden Order and destroying the Erdtree.

The roguelike ARPG game was released in late May 2025 to mixed reviews, with players creating fan art and memes about each character in the game. In the weeks leading up to the game's release, players created memes called Wylder "John Nightreign" and calling Guardian "Birdman." Other fans created Rule 34 fan art of Duchess and Recluse, two female playable characters in the game.

History

Elden Ring: Nightreign is a roguelike spin‑off of the original Elden Ring action-role-playing game, set in a distant future of the Lands Between. The game was officially revealed at The Game Awards on December 12th, 2024,^[1] with a trailer showcasing the game's three-player team, game mechanics and lore being released on YouTube^[3] on May 2nd, 2025.

The game follows players as they become "Nightfarers," warriors fighting in a world trapped in eternal darkness. Instead of exploring a vast open world like the original Elden Ring, the game is structured around short, intense runs that last about 48 minutes. These runs are designed to be replayed, with changing challenges each time. Combat keeps the familiar tough, strategic "Soulsborne" style, but the focus is on fast-paced action and teamwork, with up to three players joining forces in co-op.^[2] The game was officially released on May 30th, 2025.

Reception

Nightreign received mixed-to-positive reactions upon release in late May 2025. The game sold over 2 million copies on launch day and reached 3.5 million downloads within five days.^[4]

As of June 9th, 2025, the game also held a Metacritic score of 78, notably lower than the original game, with critics praising its fast-paced, replayable format and co-op design, while noting issues with solo play balance.^[5]

Online Presence

John Nightreign

Similar to the precursor meme John Darksoul, several internet users jokingly referred to Wylder as "John Nightreign" before his character announcement, based on his presence on the game's official artwork. Videos of Wylder dominating during boss fights began to spread soon after the game's release, reinforcing his "titular protagonist" narrative.

Redditor /u/CesurRhino posted a video of Wylder in a boss fight to the /r/Nightreign subreddit^[6] on May 30th, 2025, gathering over 6,000 upvotes on a post titled, "Certified John Nightreign moment."

TikToker^[7] @tastyhusband posted a video of a Wylder player saving his teammates on June 2nd, 2025, gathering over 190,000 views and 12,000 likes on a post calling him "John Nightreign."

Guardian / Birdman

Several internet users posted memes about Guardian being a "Birdman," given his anthropomorphic bird-headed build. On February 17th, 2025, X^[9] user @JOWAN_JW posted fan art showing Guardian being hounded by other playable characters, all saying Hawk Tuah.

On February 20th, X^[8] user @1280x720_ posted fan art captioned "bird guy," that portrays Guardian showing his childhood photos to other playable characters in the game. The post gathered over 34,000 likes in four months.

Recluse Rule 34 Fan Art

The playable character "Recluse" became the focus of Rule 34 fan art soon after the game was announced, with players being drawn to her long white hair, dark skin and large bust size.

On February 18th, 2025, X^[11] user @deceased_asf posted a photo cosplaying as Recluse from Elden Ring: Nightreign in February 2025, gathering over 18,000 likes in four months.

On June 3rd, 2025, X^[10] user @neonparadoxgame posted a GIF showing pixel fanart of Recluse from Elden Ring: Nightreign, gathering over 29,000 likes in a week.

Search Interest

External References