Elden Ring Nightreign: Forsaken Hollows DLC Launches December 4

FromSoftware drops new content for Elden Ring Nightreign less than seven months after launch. The Forsaken Hollows DLC arrives December 4 on PlayStation 5 and PS4, expanding the co-op survival spin-off with two new playable characters, a massive new map zone, and challenging bosses designed to test even veteran Tarnished.

Elden Ring Nightreign repositions the franchise's punishing combat into three-player co-op expeditions. Unlike the base Elden Ring's open-world exploration, Nightreign focuses sessions around racing against an encroaching nightfall event while building toward confrontation with the Nightlord. It's Elden Ring's mechanics repurposed for replayable runs rather than sprawling adventure—think roguelike structure with FromSoftware's signature difficulty curve.

New Playable Characters

The DLC introduces two distinct playstyles to the roster. The Scholar enters as an academic traversing the Lands Between with high arcane stats, gaining what FromSoftware describes as "incredible advantages through battlefield observation." Translation: expect intelligence-scaling spells and abilities that reward tactical positioning and enemy pattern recognition.

The Undertaker brings a more direct approach. This abbess carries a divine mandate to slay the Nightlord, sporting high strength and faith stats that suggest heavy weapon builds combined with holy incantations. The faith-strength hybrid archetype tends to excel in FromSoftware games when you need both burst damage and sustained pressure—crucial for the time-limited structure Nightreign employs.

These aren't just stat spreads with different starting gear. Each character brings unique abilities tied to their background and role, affecting how runs unfold from early encounters through the final Nightlord confrontation. The Scholar might identify weaknesses faster while the Undertaker pushes through with raw power and divine intervention.

The Great Hollow: New Territory

The Forsaken Hollows expansion centers on The Great Hollow, a vast cavity carved into Limveld's geography. FromSoftware describes exotic ruins, temples, sacred towers, and cursed crystals populating this underground expanse. If past Elden Ring areas are precedent, expect vertical level design that forces constant spatial awareness—the kind of architecture where a wrong roll sends you plummeting into an ambush three platforms below.

Cursed crystals suggest environmental hazards or mechanics tied to the area's lore. Sacred towers typically house powerful enemies or boss encounters in FromSoftware's design language. The ruins and temples mean labyrinthine pathways with hidden routes and shortcuts that unlock after multiple runs—essential knowledge when racing against Nightreign's time pressure.

New Boss Encounters

The DLC adds two formidable bosses, though FromSoftware keeps specifics under wraps. Given Nightreign's co-op focus, these fights are likely tuned for three-player coordination rather than solo mastery. Expect attack patterns that punish clustered teammates, phase transitions that split aggro management, and mechanics that demand role specialization among your party.

FromSoftware's track record with DLC bosses—Artorias, Fume Knight, Midir, Malenia—sets expectations high. These aren't just harder versions of base game encounters. They're conceptual showcases that push mechanical understanding and force adaptation. The question is whether Nightreign's time-limited structure allows the deliberate learning curve those fights demand, or if the DLC bosses integrate more directly into run completion requirements.

Pre-Purchase Bonuses

Buying before December 3 includes a digital artbook and mini soundtrack as downloadable apps. Standard DLC bonus material, but appreciated if you're invested in FromSoftware's environmental storytelling and Yuka Kitamura's compositions. The artbook typically reveals design iterations and lore connections that enrich subsequent playthroughs.

Seven Months In

Elden Ring Nightreign launched May 2025 as FromSoftware's first cooperative-focused spin-off. Previous updates introduced enhanced boss variants and the Deep of Night difficulty mode for players who found the base game too forgiving—a sentence that only makes sense in FromSoftware's ecosystem.

The Forsaken Hollows represents significant post-launch support for what started as an experimental departure from the studio's formula. Whether this DLC model continues or if FromSoftware returns focus to the main Elden Ring timeline remains to be seen. For now, Nightreign players get substantial new content less than eight months after launch.

Check out the DLC announcement trailer below.

Game Information