Elden Ring Nightreign, The Forbidden Path Into The Forsaken Hollows Has Been Revealed (And Most Players Will Miss It)

A Suspenseful, In-Depth Breakdown of How to Unlock the DLC, What the Trailers Really Mean, and the Hidden Secrets Behind the Nightfarers

The world of Elden Ring has never been darker, and Nightreign The Forsaken Hollows marks a dramatic turning point in the Lands Between. FromSoftware’s newest DLC is more than an expansion it’s a descent into the forgotten layers beneath the Erdtree, where ancient Nightfarer clans once ruled before the Golden Order erased them from history.

Early trailers have teased new enemies, cursed landscapes, and a mysterious faction tied to “The Endless Dusk,” but the real twist is this

Nightreign cannot be accessed unless you uncover a hidden ritual path and it’s easy to miss even if you’ve beaten the game.

Below is the definitive in-depth guide to unlocking the DLC, understanding the lore, deciphering the Nightfarer secrets, release details, and everything FromSoftware didn’t tell you.

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What Is Elden Ring Nightreign? (Deep Lore Breakdown)

Nightreign explores the darkest truth the Golden Order tried to hide

Before Marika rose to power, the Forsaken Hollows were home to the first Nightfarers warriors who drew their strength not from grace, but from dusk.

They lived in a realm where

• The sun never rises
• Magic breathes like a living organism
• Shadows have memory
• Death does not end suffering

The DLC reveals why they vanished and why their return marks the beginning of the Lands Between’s fall into perpetual twilight.

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How to Unlock the Nightreign DLC FULL In-Depth Method

Unlocking the DLC requires completing a hidden chain of events never mentioned in-game before the update.

Below is the full, detailed path

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Kill Mohg, Lord of Blood (Mandatory)

Mohg’s defeat is non-negotiable.

After killing him

• A new cutscene plays (exclusive to DLC owners)
• His arena reveals a glowing sigil
• The room fills with black-red fog as “voices of the Lost” whisper

Interact with the sigil.

You’ll receive

“Blood of the Hollowed” the first key item required for entry.

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Journey to Deeproot Depths (A New Chamber Hidden Under the Map)

The update secretly added a new cavern below the Nameless Eternal City.

Inside, you must defeat

Umbral Watcher Guardian of the Forsaken

A tall, skeletal figure wrapped in dusk-smoke, wielding two floating shadow spears.

Drops

Nightfall Ember A fragment of condensed dusk energy

This is the true DLC key that unlocks the Forsaken Hollows.

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Return to Stormveil Castle (A New Fog Door Appears)

Go to

Stormveil – Secluded Cell

A massive obsidian fog wall now blocks the hallway.

Use the Nightfall Ember to open it.

A short cinematic plays

“The dusk remembers you, Tarnished. Enter, and be unmade.”

You are transported into

THE FORSAKEN HOLLOWS The DLC Map

A colossal underground realm larger than the Haligtree, with

• Duskfall Towers
• The Hollow City
• The Nightfarer Catacombs
• The Abyssal Roots of the Erdtree
• The Twilight Frontier

This is the true beginning of Nightreign.

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Nightfarers Who Are They Really? (Deepest Trailer Lore Explained)

The trailers reveal fragments, but here is the full picture

1. Nightfarers come from an era before the Golden Order existed.

They were rulers of a world without grace.

2. Their souls fuse with dusk neither alive nor dead.

3. Their weapons mutate depending on how much “Night Essence” you absorb.

4. The Order didn’t defeat them it sealed them beneath the Elden Roots.

Nightreign is their vengeance.

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Release Date & Access Timing

• Midnight UTC – December 12, 2025
• Available on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PC (Steam)
• Installed automatically after patch 1.21.0

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ltas Opinion “Nightreign Is FromSoftware Returning to Its Darkest Identity”

Nightreign might be the DLC that finally blends

• Bloodborne’s horror
• Dark Souls 3’s cosmic rot
• Elden Ring’s open-world dread

The design philosophy feels intentional

Nightreign is punishment. Not for players but for the Lands Between.

Everything about the DLC suggests a world collapsing under its own forgotten sins.

The Nightfarers are not villains.
They are the original owners of a world stolen from them.

FromSoftware hasn’t just added a DLC
They’ve rewritten the mythos of Elden Ring.

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FAQs

1. Can you enter the Forsaken Hollows before defeating Radagon/Elden Beast?

Yes the DLC bypasses the main Elden Throne path entirely.

2. Will Nightreign add new Great Runes?

Yes two

• Rune of Endless Dusk
• Rune of Fractured Night

3. Can Night Essence corrupt your character?

Yes. Using too much causes “Nightfall Sickness,” altering stats and NPC reactions.

4. Does the DLC add new spirit summons?

Three Nightfarer spirits, each with unique dusk-infused skills.

5. Will the DLC add a new ending?

Leaked text suggests an “Age of Hollow Stars” ending.

6. Are Nightfarer armor sets upgradeable?

Yes but only at new “Duskforges” inside the Hollows.

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