Elden

Usually when I pick up a new FromSoftware game, I opt to build my character into the biggest, strongest guy alive. In Bloodborne, I swung around the Hunter’s Axe from beginning to end, and in Elden Ring, I beelined to the first colossal swords I could find, which include some of the game’s best weapons.

I’m happiest when I have enough poise to stand my ground against any attack and just keep swinging a blade at the bad guy. I was planning on playing a big, strong character in Elden Ring Nightreign, too. Perhaps I would tank the hits for my team as the Guardian or power through them as the Raider. And then my DualSense controller’s USB cable busted right as the review period started.

Have you ever tried to play Elden Ring with a keyboard and mouse? It’s not the most intuitive control scheme. Off the rip, I was having trouble with simple tasks like flicking between enemies and swiftly changing my equipment in the heat of battle.

I quickly gave up on trying to make a melee character work, and decided to try out Ironeye, the roguish assassin carrying a bow and dagger. What I found was a character that made me feel surprisingly useful as part of a three-person squad, especially as a gamer more well-versed in shooters than in roleplaying games — and I could play the archer just like third-person shooters I’m familiar with.

That’s right: While most Ironeye players are using lock-on, I’m firing with free-aim crosshairs. And it’s incredible.

Free aiming with a two-handed bow feels smooth and responsive in Nightreign.

Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET

Archery has never felt more intuitive in a FromSoftware game

My previous forays into picking up a bow in Elden Ring were stymied by the fact that I needed to manage my inventory of arrows on the fly. While it’s cool to craft trick arrows (it makes me feel like Hawkeye or Green Arrow) to inflict elemental damage or status afflictions, it’s not cool to run out of arrows in the middle of combat. I never felt that I could pick a fight with only my bow and come out on top.

In Elden Ring Nightreign, you have infinite arrows — your attacks are only limited by your stamina and focus points (aka mana) if using special abilities. In a three-person squad, I was able to constantly pressure enemies from afar, pincushioning bosses in their weak points as my allies hacked at their legs.

The arrows don’t do the highest damage per second in the game, but I was able to land consistent hits on our opponents and chip away at the health bar even during more dangerous phases of the battle. And since I was farther away from the boss, I was safer from danger — a genuine concern when the effectiveness of the team largely depends on everyone staying up. Perhaps most usefully, I could shoot my fallen squadmates from a distance to revive them without drawing the boss’s attention.

The best part of Nightreign’s archery is the generous free aim camera. I wasn’t joking when I said that I played the game as if it were a third-person shooter. While the camera lock reliably let me hit center mass on most enemies, wielding a bow with two hands let me aim with my mouse and loose arrows across any of my sightlines on the battlefield.

Many foes would stumble when I shot them in the head, and I used this to stun-lock smaller enemies and clear the fodder during hectic boss fights. As it turns out, all of the time I’ve been putting into Marvel Rivals has resulted in me picking up some transferable accuracy skills that aid my survival in The Lands Between.

If and when a boss focused on me instead of my allies, I would revert to using the camera lock and kite the monster around the outside of the arena. Ironeye is dexterous, and can dodge through many attacks. If I’d created a large enough gap between myself and the beast, I weaved in a volley or two from my quiver before continuing my retreat.

Eventually, my allies would peel the boss away from me, and I’d get back to work doing what I’m best at — needling the giant bad guy in the face until it stopped moving.

Ironeye’s dagger dash keeps him safe while letting him do extra damage to any foes he cuts through.

Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET

A Nightfarer with utility and survivability

While Ironeye’s damage-per-second isn’t as high as other Nightfarers, I never felt like a mere nuisance on the battlefield. My ranged capabilities let me target weak points that my teammates couldn’t hit, even on certain Nightlord aspects (the final boss of an expedition).

I was able to do remarkable damage to flying enemies, and certain bosses — like dragons — would quickly fall to a flurry of well-aimed arrows.

When enemies didn’t have an obvious weakness, I’d create one myself with Ironeye’s class ability. He can dash forward with his dagger, exposing an enemy’s weak spot and granting a damage multiplier to any arrows landed there.

When I’m able to destroy the mark, the team is able to take advantage of a unique enemy stagger, opening a crucial window of opportunity for free damage. I felt rewarded for approaching the battle and passing quickly through an enemy, before returning to the outskirts of the arena to double my DPS.

The dagger dash is also a great survival tool, because Ironeye gets invincibility frames during the full animation and repositions himself on the other side of an approaching foe. The ability recharges within seconds, so I never felt like I was left high and dry with no way to defend myself against a particularly aggressive brawler.

If one of those enemies happened to down my squadmates, all I had to do was fire a handful of arrows at an ally to get them back into the fight. There’s no doubt in my mind that Ironeye is the best Nightfarer for reviving teammates — the Recluse needs to expend FP to do similarly, and even the Revenant needs to use her ultimate to match the value the archer brings to the table in this regard. While any class can equip a bow, they likely won’t have the Dexterity stat advantage that Ironeye has to do more revival “damage” to pick up teammates.

Ironeye’s ultimate ability cleaves through the battlefield to hit its intended target.

Bandai Namco/Screenshot by CNET

Most importantly, Ironeye provides great utility to the melee-focused members of his squad. His ultimate ability, Single Shot, pulls out a massive great bow that takes a couple seconds to set up, but fires through any enemies and terrain to spear its intended target.

This ability absolutely clears fodder that might be crowding your allies, but I also found that it does great poise damage against bosses — opening them up for devastating critical hits from your team.

If you want to find success in Elden Ring Nightreign, half the battle is putting together an effective team composition. While archery might be a load of bunk in Elden Ring, Ironeye more than holds his own in this game. Grab your bow and arrows and play Nightreign like a third-person shooter — you’ll be able to DPS and support the squad without breaking a sweat.

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