Elden Ring Nightreign: Is Deep of Night Too Difficult

Everything you need to know about Elden Ring Nightreign, and whether the new mode is too difficult for new players.

Elden Ring Nightreign (Image via FromSoftware)

Elden Ring Nightreign’s Deep of Night mode is an excellent addition to the endgame. While not mandatory for the main story, Deep of Night adds a whole new way of experiencing the Expeditions, complete with its own tier of loot (Depth Relics). However, much like the Everdark Sovereigns, Deep of Night is meant to be endgame content. As such, the mode’s difficulty is adjusted accordingly.

In fact, Deep of Night Expeditions are significantly more difficult than regular or even Everdark Expeditions. In Everdark Sovereigns, only the Nightlord at the end receives a buff. However, in Deep of Night, all enemies, including the overworld bosses and the Nightlords, get a damage and HP buff. Suffice it to say, Deep of Night can be quite a challenge to take on, especially for new players. However, is the new mode a bit too overtuned in terms of difficulty?

The answer to that question is yes, Deep of Night is incredibly difficult. However, that’s by design. Here’s everything you need to know about the Deep of Night and its difficulty scaling.

Also Read: Elden Ring Nightreign: How To Start Deep of Night

What Is Deep of Night in Elden Ring Nightreign?

Structurally, Deep of Night is very similar to the regular Expeditions in Elden Ring Nightreign. However, in Deep of Night, the loot economy as well as enemy balancing is changed quite a bit. Firstly, in Deep of Night, you’ll find red enemies/bosses. These are empowered versions of regular hostile NPCs, with more HP and a higher damage multiplier. However, defeating these enemies also rewards you with more Runes as well as new red-colored loot, which comes with two passive buffs, instead of just one.

However, the two passives are complemented by a detrimental effect. As such, you now have to pay more attention to the loot you pick up from enemies and bosses. In addition to that, Deep of Night also comes with new Depth Relics, which function somewhat similarly to the new red loot. The Depth Relics come with new and more powerful Nightfarer passives. However, at the same time, these new Relics also feature permanent detrimental effects.

This adds a whole new layer to build-crafting in Nightreign. Furthermore, in Deep of Night, difficulty scales somewhat similar to the New Game+ cycles in base Elden Ring.

Also Read: Elden Ring Nightreign: Is Deep of Night Worth Playing Solo?

Deep of Night Difficulty Scaling, Explained

Similar to how difficulty is increased in New Game+ mode of FromSoftware’s Souls games (including Elden Ring). This means the only variables that get buffed on Deep of Night are enemy HP and damage. From our testing, we found that enemy poise and other attributes are unaffected. In addition to that, Deep of Night also features a Depth mechanic. There are a total of 5 Depths, and with each Depth, the difficulty increases.

In Depths 4 and 5, the enemy difficulty is comparable to that of New Game+ 7 in base Elden Ring. With each new Depth, the game adds new modifiers like randomizing Nightlords, disabling POI icons, increasing the frequency of red enemies (and bosses), and more.