How Elden Ring Nightreign Could Connect To Dark Souls 3

FromSoftware has been sneaky with the announcement of its latest title, Elden Ring Nightreign. Although Hideo Miyazaki was clear that there wouldn't be another expansion, despite the success of Shadow of the Erdtree, and firmly stated that Elden Ring 2 wasn't in development. Many believed that Elden Ring would be left on the backburner for some time, but FromSoft has come back swinging in The Game Awards with the announcement of a spin-off, promising co-op gameplay, and a continued evolution of the Soulsborne combat system.

As with anything that FromSoftware announces, there are more questions than answers after the initial announcement trailer. There seems to be a brand-new story with Nightreign, since Marika, the demi-gods, and anything to do with the Erdtree isn't mentioned at all. Instead, new characters have been shown asking for the player's assistance to avert some kind of crisis, and while this could be something convoluted and mythical, as is the case with FromSoftware titles, there are some indications that this game is linked with titles from the Dark Souls series, particularly with the third title in the series.

Elden Ring Nightreign's Reveal Trailer References Dark Souls 3

From The Nameless King To The Fire Keeper

FromSoftware revealed Nightreign with a trailer at The Game Awards, and while the game features seamless co-op, which many fans have called for, this isn't what stole the show. The return of The Nameless King caused Dark Souls 3 fans to go wild in the comments section. The Nameless King gained notoriety because of how hidden he was in Dark Souls 3 and how tough he was to beat. The trauma is being used to draw eyes to this new game, since the boss has returned exactly as he was in his prior appearance.

The Nameless King is the firstborn of Gwyn, the Lord of Sunlight, and was exiled for allying with dragons.

Although the Nameless King has come back exactly how he was in DS3 with the exact same swordspear and his Storm Drake friend, he isn't the only character that seems to have made a return. It looks like the Fire Keeper from DS3 or someone similar (perhaps another Fire Keeper) is in the trailer too, wearing the mask that covers her eyes beneath a cloak. Just like the Fire Keeper, this character might act like a guide, enlisting the player (who might not be the Tarnished) to help avert tragedy, but DS3 isn't the only game being referenced.

Amazingly, the only DS game that wasn't directed by Miyazaki (Dark Souls 2) gets a few references too. There's a spider figure in the trailer that could be a reference to Freja, a boss in Dark Souls 2; however, the more overt reference is the massive door at the end. This door looks eerily similar to the one in front of the Throne of Want at the end of Dark Souls 2, and could link this game to both Elden Ring and the other Souls games, considering that DS2 has always stood out on its own.

Could Elden Ring And Dark Souls Exist In The Same World?

Painted Worlds Could Be The Answer

Close

Fans of FromSoftware games probably know that anything is possible and everything has an answer in the lore if they search hard enough. Dark Souls 3 showed dozens of timelines and worlds crashing into each other due to the continual Linking of the Flame causing strange distortions in space and time, and this could be the result of that. It was also implied by Junya Ishizaki, in an interview with IGN, that Nightreign exists in a parallel world, and this world could just be the one from the Dark Souls series, but later on, or otherwise linked to that series.

Junya Ishizaki is a new director at FromSoftware and was given the full reign of Nightreign after Miyazaki contributed to the initial concept phase.

Painted Worlds from the Dark Souls series are like a form of parallel world and have often been a way to introduce such worlds, as with Ariandel in DS3 and Ariamis in DS1. Perhaps this parallel world Ishizaki speaks of is like a Painted World in Elden Ring, or even the world painted at the end of The Ringed City DLC, called Ash. This is far-fetched, but FromSoftware games tend to have strange lore, and it would explain why The Nameless King, Fire Keeper and the door to the Throne of Want are all in the reveal trailer.

Related Elden Ring Fans: Mark Your Calendars For The Nightreign Test Sign-Ups Elden Ring; Nightreign was only announced last night, and it's now been announced that network test beta registration will begin very soon.

Then again, the game could just be linked to Dark Souls for no good reason. Dark Souls 2 is very oddly placed in the series and the links with its predecessor are just strange, so FromSoftware could decide that these elements exist for nostalgia's sake, although almost everything usually does have a reason behind it when it comes to Soulsborne games. There are hundreds of Erdtrees at the end of Elden Ring, implying that the Greater Will has reached many other worlds, although the Greater Will isn't referenced in the trailer, it seems.

What Could This Mean For The Lands Between

A Parallel World Could Give The Game Many What If Scenarios

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

There isn't much indication of when this game takes place and if the events of Elden Ring are even relevant to this version of the Lands Between seen in Nightreign. Marika's rise to power might not be a massive event in this parallel version of the Lands Between, or this could take place either long before or long after Elden Ring's story takes place. Then again, even though the areas shown look like the Lands Between, it might not be, and Nightreign could take us somewhere else entirely that might be more recognizable to Dark Souls fans.

Related Is Elden Ring Connected to Berserk? The Evidence Doesn't Lie Elden Ring and Berserk have many undeniable connections, showing how important the bestselling manga's legacy is.

It is clear that this isn't the same world that players have already explored to death in Elden Ring and there is a chance that, beyond the fog, the lands of Drangleic and Lothric are just around the corner. This is highly unlikely, but with the Nameless King and the Throne of Want's giant door being overtly shown off in the reveal trailer, it is clear that FromSoftware wants players to know there is a connection between Elden Ring and Dark Souls. Since this is a spin-off, this link might not have been intended while Miyazaki was originally world building.

Elden Ring Nightreign seems like it will do double duty in acting as a pseudo-sequel to Elden Ring while having enough Dark Souls in it to act as an appetizer for those hoping a Dark Souls 4 might still happen. How much of Dark Souls ends up being in Nightreign remains to be seen, but it isn't going to just be hidden away Easter Eggs. Dark Souls is going to be a part of Elden Ring and that could mean so many things for both the IP and the mythical world surrounding the games.

Source: Bandia Namco/YouTube, IGN