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Everything you need to know about Elden Ring Nightreign’s upcoming Duos Mode, and how its difficulty is scaled compared to single-player.
The Duos Mode is something fans of Elden Ring Nightreign have been asking for, well, even before the game’s release. Ever since FromSoftware announced Nightreign, the game has always been marketed as a three-player co-op experience. While FromSoftware did mention that Nightreign will feature a single-player mode, it’s a game that is primarily balanced for co-op.
Having played the game for more than 300 hours, in both co-op and single-player mode, I can clearly see why FromSoftware chose to market Nightreign as a “co-op first” title. However, despite the three-player (and even the solo mode) being incredibly fun, the game always felt incomplete due to the lack of a dedicated two-player mode.
In fact, Nightreign actually has dedicated balancing for two-player lobbies, which is precisely why the lack of a Duos Mode always felt odd. However, is the Duos Mode going to be easier than solo or three-player modes in Elden Ring Nightreign? Let’s find out in this article.
How Is Difficulty Balanced for Duos Mode In Elden Ring Nightreign?
As of the writing of this article, the Duos Mode isn’t available in Elden Ring Nightreign. However, the game does have a system in place that dynamically introduces balance changes based on the number of players in a run. And that’s precisely how we are going to gauge the difficulty changes in the Duos Mode.
Essentially, when you’re playing the game in multiplayer, the game balances itself for three players by default. However, if for some reason, a player leaves, Nightreign dynamically changes the difficulty based on the number of players. In terms of balance, the primary changes are enemy HP and poise, which have a direct impact on combat.
As of our testing, Rune acquisition isn’t affected by the number of players in multiplayer. Only in the Solo Mode, Rune acquisition is affected, i.e., increased Rune acquisition for single-player.
However, during our testing, we found that with two players, bosses do get a significant HP debuff. This does make the game feel a tad easier. However, there are also factors that can make having just two players a disadvantage during an Expedition.
Is Duos Mode Easier Than Solo?
Based on enemy HP and attributes, both Duos and Solo Mode seem to be identical. During our testing, we found that bosses have roughly the same amount of HP when two players are left as in the single-player mode. Even the Enhanced Nightlords are affected by the HP debuff, making Duos Mode feel significantly easier.
And on a technical level, if FromSoftware keeps the same balance changes for the official Duos Mode, then it will feel significantly easier than three-player or even the single-player modes. However, having just two players can be a challenge as well.
Additional Notes
Some of the overworld bosses and even Night bosses are designed for three players, and their AI, as well as attacks, don’t really take player numbers into account.
For instance, the Bell-Bearing Hunter, Death Rite Bird, Fell Omen, Draconic Tree Sentinel, and Ancient Dragon are all examples of bosses that retain their aggression and attacks across both three, two, and single-player modes. Even Nightlords like Libra and Heolstor are quite a challenge to take down with just two players.
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