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Pros

The Three Main Approaches and Their Pros and Cons

by admin August 24, 2025

Ether (ETH) is trading near record highs and bullish forecasts like Tom Lee’s $15,000 year-end target have put a spotlight on how investors can best gain exposure to ETH.

Market Context

According to CoinDesk Data, ether, the second-largest cryptocurrency, is trading at about $4,783 at the time of writing, near its all-time highs, reflecting strong investor demand amid growing institutional adoption.

Tom Lee, head of research at Fundstrat, CIO of Fundstrat Capital and chairman of BitMine Immersion Technologies (BMNR), told CoinDesk last month that ETH could reach $15,000 by the end of 2025. His comments highlight renewed optimism around Ethereum’s growing importance for stablecoins, decentralized finance (DeFi) and real-world asset (RWA) tokenization.

Direct ETH ownership: the purest play

Owning ETH outright is the most straightforward way to participate. Holders gain full control of the asset and direct access to Ethereum’s decentralized finance (DeFi), NFT and staking ecosystems. ETH trades 24/7 across global markets, but investors must manage custody and security — whether through self custody wallets or third party custodians — and contend with evolving regulations. Costs are generally limited to exchange fees and gas.

Spot ETH ETFs: regulated simplicity, with staking proposals pending

Spot ether ETFs have made it possible for traditional investors to gain regulated ETH exposure through brokerage accounts. Some issuers are now seeking permission from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to add staking to their products.

If approved, staking would allow funds to earn additional yield by securing Ethereum’s proof-of-stake network and pass that income to shareholders. That would represent a first for U.S. crypto ETFs.

Prominent ETF analyst Nate Geraci said on July 30 that staking-enabled ether ETFs are likely to be “the SEC’s next hit list” before it takes up applications for other spot crypto products.

His point reflects a broader expectation that regulators will scrutinize staking first, since it blends DeFi-native mechanics with traditional fund structures. For investors, that means staking-enabled ETFs could reshape exposure by adding income streams beyond price appreciation — but only if regulators are satisfied that custody, transparency and market manipulation concerns are addressed.

For now, the SEC has acknowledged amendments to allow staking but has not yet granted approval, leaving timing uncertain.

Corporate treasuries: equity exposure with added volatility

Another path is investing in shares of publicly-traded companies that hold ether in their treasuries. BitMine Immersion Technologies, for example, disclosed on Aug. 18 holdings over 1.5 million ETH currently worth around $7.3 billion.

This approach ties shareholder value to ETH price movements and, potentially, corporate staking income. But equity exposure adds new risks:

Capital raising risk: Companies need strong share prices to issue new equity for ETH purchases. A weak stock price directly limits their ability to grow treasuries.
Double volatility: Even if ETH rises, the company’s stock might fall due to unrelated factors (earnings, sentiment, governance), meaning investors face risks beyond ETH’s price swings.

Comparing the options

Direct ETH

Pros: Full control, access to DeFi/NFTs, 24/7 liquidity
Cons: Custody and security risks, regulatory uncertainty
Best for: Hands on investors comfortable with wallets

Spot ETH ETFs

Pros: Regulated, simple brokerage access, potential staking yield (if approved)
Cons: Fees, SEC hurdles, no DeFi access
Best for: Traditional investors seeking simplicity

Corporate Treasuries

Pros: Exposure to ETH plus potential corporate growth/staking returns
Cons: Double volatility, dilution risk, governance exposure
Best for: Equity investors looking for a hybrid play

Choosing a path

With ETH near record highs and bold forecasts fueling investor interest, the question for 2025 is less about whether to own ether and more about which vehicle best fits each investor’s risk appetite.

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August 24, 2025 0 comments

Esports

Poker pro’s Kill Tony debut stuns crowd after $40K bet with Tony Hinchcliffe

by admin June 12, 2025

Poker star Doug Polk, one of the best heads-up players in the world, risked $40,000 against Tony Hinchcliffe for the chance to appear on Kill Tony.

Kill Tony is the internet’s most popular comedy podcast and has been a staple on YouTube for many years, with the show only recently putting special episodes on Netflix.

The show features amateur comedians performing one-minute sets in front of comedy legends such as Ari Shaffir, Joe Rogan, Tom Segura, and sometimes mainstream celebs like Tucker Carlson and Ric Flair.

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Typically, the amateurs only get to perform if their name is pulled out of a bucket, but poker pro Doug Polk had a different strategy in mind to appear on the podcast. It almost cost him a lot of money.

Tony Hinchcliffe beat Poker pro for $20K but loses double or nothing bet

According to Tony, he was at a bar drunk when he was informed that Doug Polk was in attendance and decided to compete against him.

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Polk risked $20,000 and in return, Tony offered him the chance to do a minute on Kill Tony. Well, despite being drunk, Tony was able to take round one after just 20 minutes.

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However, the overconfident Hinchcliffe wasn’t done there. Up $20K, he challenged the poker star to go double or nothing, meaning he could win $40K, but in return, Tony put two KT appearances on the line.

“So, I won $20,000 and we doubled the bet to $40,000 and any day now he’s going to be popping in on this show,” Tony recalled. “So yeah, he won that second game.”

On June 9, Polk made his Kill Tony debuted and absolutely crushed it and had the best set of the night according to Tony and the guests.

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“Obviously people who can play poker professionally are already living a lot of people’s dreams. The fact you’re chasing this rush and it is, as you can probably feel, a crazy adrenaline rush, same type of thing as when you’re in a big hand and you don’t f**king know what’s going on,” Hinchliffe commended him. “But you got it.”

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Polk still has one more Kill Tony appearance set to happen, but it’s not clear yet when that will be. However, given the success of his first set, there’s always a chance he returns for one of the show’s future Netflix specials, especially with the poker star chasing that aforementioned rush.

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June 12, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Okay, Apple Vision Pro’s ‘Spatial Personas’ Don’t Look Like Trash Anymore

by admin June 11, 2025

For the average person, $3,500 is still too much money for Apple Vision Pro. The price is even more exorbitant when you compare it to a $300 Quest 3S or $500 Quest 3 headset with similar VR and XR capabilities, though the visual fidelity and responsiveness are not on the same level. At WWDC 2025, Apple announced visionOS 26 with a slew of new features, including “spatial Personas,” widgets that you can anchor into your physical space like your walls, and a new spatial web browsing feature that converts 2D photos on websites into 3D ones. As genuinely cutting-edge as these features are (I kept saying “wow,” “whoa,” and “holy sh*t” my entire demo time), it still costs you three-and-a-half grand to experience them.

When Apple Vision Pro launched last year and then added spatial Personas—a 3D-generated avatar of yourself that can be used during FaceTime or in a virtual meeting—everybody laughed at them. Literally pointed and (in Nelson Muntz’s voice) Ha-Ha-ed at how comically bad they could look. Many people’s Personas had holes in the back of people’s heads, hair without volume, and skin tones that looked just a bit too bright and clinical. And despite resembling the uncanny valley, there was something just a bit off about them. Here’s what my Persona looked like at the time:

I’m happy to report that spatial Personas are getting a, um, major facelift (pun intended). The capture process still involves holding the Vision Pro in front of you and using the cameras to 3D scan your face, but the detail of the avatar is so much more realistic. Here’s what my new spatial Persona looks like in visionOS 26:

There are still some imperfections (like the crookedness of my striped shirt), but my face—my god—it’s almost like staring into a mirror. My long hair part was rendered accurately, and when I smiled and laughed, my teeth, cheeks, and eyebrows moved more naturally as opposed to before, which was kind of stiff. My Persona no longer looks like a PS3 character. If you’re paying $3,500 for Vision Pro, your virtual self damn well better look more realistic than a console from almost 20 years ago!

Apple’s not saying what it did specifically to improve the quality of Personas (perhaps using more polygons?), but here’s what the press release says: “Taking advantage of industry-leading volumetric rendering and machine learning technology, the all-new Personas now have striking expressivity and sharpness, offering a full side profile view, and remarkably accurate hair, lashes, and complexion.”

The rest of my Vision Pro demo was comparably mind-blowing (as Vision Pro still tends to be), but it also further drove home the fact that you need to have deep pockets in order to enjoy visionOS 26. I saw various widgets—clocks, calendars, a Lady Gaga poster that I could pinch with my fingers to play music, and even a framed window with a #shotoniPhone panorama of Japan’s Mount Fuji that I could look “into.” The higher resolution of Vision Pro’s displays and the ability for the widgets to stay anchored or pinned on a wall without jittering or moving made them look very convincing as real objects. The only thing that broke the illusion was almost walking into walls trying to look more closely at the widgets.

I also tried out the new spatial browsing in Safari. When toggled on, it turns the browser window into a Reader-ish mode view that removes all of a website’s design and only shows the text and the media. As I scrolled down a page, 2D photos would convert into 3D ones with depth—Apple calls these “spatial scenes.” And man, do they look good. The depth isn’t like some cheapo 3D movie conversion. They look like they’re shot with expensive 3D cameras, and unlike most 3D content that has a certain sweet spot for feeling the depth, you can actually view them from different angles. It’s really neat.

Before I took the Vision Pro off my head, I was teleported to the shore and taken ski gliding via 360-degree videos. Apple says visionOS 26 can play native 180-degree and 360-degree videos from Insta360, GoPro, and Canon cameras. There’s no need to convert the video files into a compatible format for Vision Pro—they just work out of the box. While not as professional as Apple’s own “Immersive Video” content, this should at least get the ball rolling on expanding user-created content. It’s a baby step, but a necessary one considering one of the biggest roadblocks to the Vision Pro, besides the large price tag, is having enough spatial/immersive content for users to consume.

Apple didn’t have a demo for using PlayStation VR2 Sense controllers to play games in Vision Pro, but I’m sure I’ll get to try that out at some point. I have the controllers at home, so whenever that’s ready to go, I’ll give it a whirl.

I left my visionOS 26 demo impressed at the progress Apple’s making. Spatial computing is starting to take a more solid shape. I just wish Apple would drop the price on Vision Pro or hurry up and release a cheaper version so more people could try out this cutting-edge tech. I always feel like nobody believes me when I tell them how awesome Vision Pro and visionOS on a technological level. They just look at the price and stop listening, which is a real shame.

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June 11, 2025 0 comments

Esports

NBA coaching carousel – Pros, cons, what’s next for every open job

by admin June 4, 2025

The fifth coaching change of this summer’s job cycle happened in stunning fashion Tuesday afternoon, as the Knicks — fresh off making the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in a quarter century — parted ways with Tom Thibodeau.

Thibodeau leading the franchise to what has easily been its best stretch of success since the 1990s — winning at least one playoff series in three straight seasons and advancing to the conference finals to culminate his five-year run with the team he grew up rooting for — was not enough for him to get a chance to end New York’s 26-year Finals drought and 52-year championship drought next season.

That task will instead fall upon whomever president of basketball operations Leon Rose chooses to replace him — that person will walk into the job with sky-high expectations.

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It was the latest move in what’s been a relatively busy summer for off-the-court moves across the league. The Phoenix Suns fired Mike Budenholzer after the first year of a five-year contract. Before that, the Denver Nuggets moved on from Michael Malone, along with general manager Calvin Booth, with less than a week to go in the regular season.

Denver’s decision came less than two weeks after the Memphis Grizzlies fired longtime coach Taylor Jenkins. Memphis has since removed the interim tag on coach Tuomas Iisalo.

The Sacramento Kings became the first franchise to fire its coach this season when they dismissed Mike Brown amid a losing streak in late December.

Will more jobs open over the next several weeks? Last season, seven teams changed coaches, including three — the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns — that did so after making the playoffs.

Here’s our annual look at the NBA’s coaching carousel, with the pros and cons of each vacancy and who could fill them:

Open coaching jobs

Positive: Ready-to-win roster, finances
This is the kind of job opening that coaches dream of. New York has a roster featuring a couple of All-NBA players in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, a trio of versatile wings in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, and a pair of strong reserves in Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride. New York will also likely — with some creative maneuverings this summer — have the taxpayer’s midlevel exception available, as well as the bright lights of New York City, a contending roster and open playing time to entice veteran free agents to sign on minimum deals to bolster the franchise’s depth beyond that.
There also is low-hanging fruit for a new coach to latch on to. That starting five, despite the talent across it, got outscored by 31 points in 335 minutes in the playoffs and had a negative net rating in 379 minutes from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season. New York also was 27th in 3-point attempts per game and 26th in pace — numbers that could potentially change with a different offensive philosophy on the sidelines.
And the Knicks have long been known as a franchise that will spare no expense in building out a staff, so that shouldn’t be an obstacle to getting whomever the Knicks want to patrol the sidelines at Madison Square Garden in Thibodeau’s place.
Negatives: Expectations, roster limitations
If the Knicks fired a coach after one of the best stretches of success for the franchise in recent history, the expectations are high for his successor. And New York didn’t mince words in its statement announcing the decision to fire Thibodeau: “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.”
So, the person replacing Thibodeau will have no doubts about their expected mandate. And, when they do inherit this team, there will be some ability to improve the roster, as we laid out above. But, they will also need to construct a defense good enough to reach those championship aspirations with both Brunson and Towns on the court — something Thibodeau was unable to do across six games against the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals. It’s also a task that would’ve been even more difficult against the Oklahoma City Thunder had New York reached the NBA Finals.
And, if there are any stumbles along the way, there will be immediate questions about whether moving on from Thibodeau was the right move.
— Tim Bontemps

Phoenix Suns

2024-25 record: 36-46 (No. 11 in West)
Previous coach: Mike Budenholzer
Lead executive: James Jones (hired in 2018)

Positive: Veteran talent

While owner Mat Ishbia’s proclamation less than a year ago that “26 out of 29” teams wouldn’t trade places with the Suns was way off base, the Suns still do — at least for now — have both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant on their roster, which is a pretty good place to start in terms of evaluating a coaching vacancy.

Beyond its stars, Phoenix has solid veteran depth in Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen, Nick Richards and Royce O’Neale, plus a couple of rookie finds in Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro that could form the core of a decent NBA rotation.

Negatives: Instability, plus lack of roster, monetary and draft flexibility

Where do we start?

Phoenix is headed toward its fourth coach in as many seasons after firing Budenholzer, who was hired with great fanfare last spring. Ishbia has owned the team for a little over two years and has already fired three coaches — not exactly an inspiring track record for whomever replaces Budenholzer.

Overall, the Suns are stuck in a multitude of ways. The team has traded control of its draft picks for the next several seasons and is well over the dreaded “second apron” of the NBA’s salary cap, creating a wildly expensive roster with few tools to improve it. There’s a chance Durant is traded this summer, after Phoenix flirted with the idea at the trade deadline, but it remains to be seen how much value the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer will have as he enters the final year of his contract. Durant will be looking for an extension at more than $60 million per season.

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The numbers behind Mike Budenholzer’s firing

Take a look at the key numbers to know after Mike Budenholzer was fired following one season with the Suns.

Who could get the job?

After weeks of interviews, ESPN’s Sham Charania reported Monday that the Suns’ search for their next head coach is down to two candidates, both from the Cleveland Cavaliers: associate coach Johnnie Bryant and assistant Jordan Ott.

Bryant has served as an assistant with the Utah Jazz (2012-20) and New York Knicks (2020-24), while Ott has worked for the Atlanta Hawks (2013-16), Brooklyn Nets (2016-22) and Los Angeles Lakers (2022-24).

After firing Budenholzer on April 14, new GM Brian Gregory has led a multiround hiring process that began with more than 15 candidates, sources told Charania. A group of five finalists — including Bryant, Ott, Miami assistant Chris Quinn, Oklahoma City assistant Dave Bliss and Suns assistant David Fizdale — had in-person interviews with team officials last week.

— Bontemps

Hired jobs

Denver Nuggets

2024-25 record: 50-32 (No. 4 in West)
Previous coach: Michael Malone (fired April 8; assistant David Adelman took over on interim basis)
Lead executive: None (GM Calvin Booth, promoted in 2020, was also let go)

Positive: Championship-level talent

These kinds of jobs rarely come available. Nikola Jokic might lose out to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for this season’s Most Valuable Player award, but he’s nearly universally seen as the best player on the planet. Jamal Murray is an elite pick-and-roll partner and, after struggling in the playoffs, is back to playing at a high level — over the summer with Team Canada and at the start of this season. Aaron Gordon is a versatile defender who fits perfectly next to Jokic at both ends, and Christian Braun has come on and had a terrific season, putting him into Most Improved Player consideration.

While the Western Conference is deep with contenders, Denver still arguably was set to enter the playoffs as a favorite behind Oklahoma City before Tuesday’s shocking news of Malone’s dismissal after 10 years and unparalleled success with the Nuggets. Whoever walks into this job will believe they can win a championship immediately.

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Shelburne details how Malone, Booth dissension led to exits

Ramona Shelburne reacts to the Nuggets firing head coach Michael Malone right before the playoffs.

Negatives: Limited financial and roster flexibility

Denver has never been known to open the checkbook to pay for coaches and executives, but that’s a secondary concern to the long-term constraints on trying to keep this team at a championship level. Like most longtime championship contenders, this is a franchise that has traded away a lot of draft picks and is locked in on long-term contracts. The good part about that is the team’s core players are all under contract for at least a couple more years. The bad? The roster has few means to improve and might not be good enough to get where Denver wants to go now.

Who got the job:

After serving as the interim coach since Michael Malone was let go last month, David Adelman, son of Hall of Fame coach Rick Adelman, was promoted to head coach Thursday. The 44-year-old Adelman was Malone’s assistant for eight seasons and led the Nuggets to a Game 7 against the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason. He will be part of team owner Stan Kroenke’s vision of capitalizing on the prime years of superstar Nikola Jokic.

— Bontemps

2024-25 record: 34-48 (No. 13 in West)
New coach: Mitch Johnson
Previous coach: Gregg Popovich (transitioning to full-time role as president of basketball operations)
Lead executive: RC Buford (promoted to CEO in 2019)

Positives: Thrilling young core, loads of assets

San Antonio is the definition of a stable and supportive organization with a history of strong ownership. The Spurs have drafted the Rookie of the Year in back-to-back years with potential superstar Victor Wembanyama and guard Stephon Castle. They have two lottery picks in this year’s draft, both theirs and the Atlanta Hawks, combined giving them about a 30% chance of getting a top-four pick. They own all their future draft picks, both first and second round, going forward and beyond this year have two additional first-rounders, nine additional second rounders, and first-round pick swaps with the Hawks in 2027, the Mavericks or Wolves in 2030 and the Celtics in 2021. The Spurs also traded for a franchise point guard, De’Aaron Fox, who is in position to sign a long-term contract extension later this year.

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Stephen A. reacts to Gregg Popovich stepping down as Spurs head coach

Stephen A. Smith details why he is happy that Gregg Popovich will still be in basketball as team president for the Spurs.

Negatives: Market size, ownership spending power, big shoes

Though San Antonio is a growing city, it still is one of the league’s smaller markets and has various effects on acquiring players, though the Spurs’ organization enjoys an excellent reputation. The ownership has paid just $5 million in luxury tax in the past 13 years and with big contracts coming for Fox and Wembanyama plus the new challenges that come with high payrolls, spending is something to monitor. That said, since the Spurs were last contenders they have taken on new deep-pocketed partners, including billionaire computer magnate Michael Dell and investment firm Sixth Street. There is also the challenge of coming behind Popovich, someone who won five championships and established a massive legacy over the previous 29 years.

Who got the job:

Johnson, who was named acting coach after Popovich suffered a mild stroke in November, now takes over head coaching duties on a permanent basis. Popovich had leaned on Johnson over the past several years, giving him increasing responsibility both in terms of preparation and in-game. Johnson has developed a strong relationship with Wembanyama already as well. Johnson led San Antonio to a 31-45 record in Popovich’s absence.

— Brian Windhorst

Memphis Grizzlies

2024-25 record: 48-34 (No. 8 in West)
New coach: Tuomas Iisalo (hired on May 2)
Previous coach: Taylor Jenkins (fired March 28; Iisalo took over on interim basis)
Lead executive: Zach Kleiman (hired in 2019)

Positive: A promising young core

Despite suffering injuries throughout the season, the Grizzlies are still in the top five in the Western Conference standings, and with the league’s fifth-best net rating — trailing only the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.

With Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis’ core is entering its prime, which should give the Grizzlies runway to contend for the rest of this decade. Kleiman has shown that he can find talented second-round and undrafted players, giving Memphis a deep and versatile roster behind that star talent.

One NBA executive said this is a team that, if things break right, is reminiscent of the Cleveland Cavaliers last season before Kenny Atkinson came in and the franchise improved this season. That’s the kind of boost Kleiman and the Grizzlies believe is possible.

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Shams breaks down what led the Grizzlies to fire Taylor Jenkins

Shams Charania joins “NBA Today” to detail why the Memphis Grizzlies parted ways with head coach Taylor Jenkins after six seasons.

Negatives: Small market, recent instability

Memphis is far from an NBA glamour market, and this team has had a lot of friction and uncertainty over the past year.

The Grizzlies fired virtually Jenkins’ entire coaching staff last summer, bringing in — among others — Iisalo and Noah LaRoche to fill it out. Then, not only was Jenkins dismissed Friday, but so was LaRoche, who hired several player development coaches.

Now, on to the roster. In addition to numerous injuries, the Grizzlies have had a series of off-court issues with Morant over the years. The team had mitigated Morant’s absence thanks to its other two stars, Jackson and Bane, its impressive depth and, until he was fired, Jenkins’ work on the sidelines.

Who got the job: Tuomas Iisalo

The expectation around the league was that Iisalo would get a long look for the job after the franchise moved on from Jenkins in late March. The Grizzlies brought him from Europe last offseason and put him on Jenkins’ staff, and he showed enough through the team’s final stretch of games and run to the first round. Iisalo is now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history.

— Bontemps

2024-25 record: 40-42 (No. 9 in West)
New coach: Doug Christie
Previous coach: Mike Brown (fired in December; assistant Doug Christie takes over on interim basis)
Lead executive: GM Scott Perry (hired on April 17 after Monte McNair parted ways with the team)

Positive: Veteran, ready-to-win talent

It’s hard to project Sacramento winning a title with its roster. But a coach taking over a team with Domantas Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray and Malik Monk has a chance to be competitive in each game. That gives the Kings’ vacancy a boost, given the typical level of talent at open jobs.

With all of those players under team control for at least a couple of more seasons, there is some runway for them to play together, adding to the appeal for a new coach.

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Shams: Kings felt Mike Brown had ‘underperformed’

Shams Charania details the factors that led the Kings to fire coach Mike Brown after a disappointing start to the season.

Negatives: Small market, decades of instability

Here’s all you need to know about the Kings: Since moving to Sacramento in 1984, two coaches have had at least one full season with a winning record: Rick Adelman, who did it for eight straight seasons from 1999 to 2006, and Mike Brown the past two seasons. Sacramento has made the playoffs in three of the 33 seasons not coached by Adelman, underscoring the difficulty of this job.

Longtime NBA executive Scott Perry Perry now replaces McNair, who parted ways with the Kings following their elimination in the play-in tournament. The team had also seen the departure of assistant general manager Wes Wilcox, who took the GM job for the Utah Utes earlier this month. Another drawback is the club’s unwillingness to pay into the luxury tax, something owner Vivek Ranadive has avoided.

Who got the job: Christie is finalizing a multiyear contract to become the franchise’s next coach, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday. Christie has long-standing ties to the organization, going back to being a starter on those iconic teams of the early 2000s under Adelman, and he had done a solid job the past few months since taking over for Brown. Sacramento went 27-24 this season under Christie, ranking ninth in offensive efficiency during that span and going 13-10 in clutch-time games compared to 6-13 earlier in the campaign under Brown, according to ESPN Research.

— Bontemps

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June 4, 2025 0 comments

Game Reviews

Elden Ring Pros Are Already Destroying Nightreign Bosses Solo

by admin June 2, 2025

Elden Ring Nightreign turns FromSoftware’s best-in-class boss fights into multiplayer affairs, so now your shame and frustration can be shared with others. But while lots of players have been going hours without beating the roguelite RPG’s first major encounter, others are in a race to be the sweatiest solo player out there.

The Most Sought After Elden Ring Sword Has A Storied History

“8 hours in and still haven’t beaten the first nightlord…” reads one of the most popular threads from the Nightreign subreddit over the weekend. “Took me 15 hours to beat the first nightlord with randoms,” one fan responded. “Surprisingly I didn’t angrily tilt once, im having a blast shit is fun as hell.” Another wrote, “I’ve done 20 tries and still haven’t got that wolf killed very frustrating but I just gotta get good.”

My favorite post from Nightreign players sharing their long overdue Ws is from a player who went on 30 total expeditions before finally beating the first boss, a fire-wielding, three-headed hound called Gladius. But while many players have spent the opening weekend of the game’s release bleeding out on cosmic shores, some have been making the game look trivially easy.

YouTuber Youwy decided to take on Fulghor, Champion of Nightglow solo and—most importantly—without gaining a single level (via PC Gamer). He played Executor, the dexterity-based Nightfarer who can parry attacks. The fights revolve around jumping, dodging, and managing stamina consumption like a farmer in a drought. Even more crucial was a starting build that included the Night of Miasma and Night of the Wise relics, giving a base weapon with tons of starting status ailments that can just be upgraded through the run. “I sometimes can’t beat the 1st night and bro is out here doing this solo and level 1…WP,” one fan wrote in the comments.

Then there was YouTuber Ongbal, who used the Executor class to take out the Nightreign’s final boss without any outside help (so spoilers, obviously, if you don’t want to know anything before playing it for yourself). Ongbal is well-known for Elden Ring hitless runs, but he hasn’t gotten there just yet with Heolstor, a boss you can really tell FromSoftware had fun designing. Once again making use of Executor’s parry, which lets players treat Nightreign more like Sekiro, he takes the final boss down in less than six minutes. And this was before a new patch making solo play easier went live on Monday (which is already making a big difference for some players).

One thing that makes Nightreign’s boss fights so tough is the work players have to do to get to them. Unlike past games, where you can beeline for the encounter and practice over and over until you’ve mastered it, Nightreign requires players to engage in a 40-minute open-world farming session beforehand. As a result, most players probably only spend about a ninth of their playtime actually learning how each Nightlord works. Some have already called for a practice mode to make training easier. That’s one request I don’t see FromSoftware’s granting anytime soon though.

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June 2, 2025 0 comments