How to Become Powerful Early in Elden Ring Nightreign – Best Guide for Winning Runs Easily

In Elden Ring Nightreign, every expedition is a battle for survival, and the earliest decisions you make will echo throughout your entire run. Whether you're braving the dark alone or attempting a co-op expedition with random players, your success depends on your preparation, resourcefulness, and strategic execution. This guide on "How to Become Powerful Early in Elden Ring Nightreign" will walk you through the most powerful early-game strategies and secrets to increase your chances of Winning every run easily in Elden Ring Nightreign, from weapon optimization and relic hunting to power-farming locations and class unlocks. If you're tired of failed runs and want a reliable path to early power, this is the guide you've been waiting for.

1. Choose the Right Starting Relic in Nightreign

Before launching into your expedition, you should always ensure you're equipping a starting relic that modifies your weapon’s status effect.

Bleed and Frost Nightreign Relics are your best early options due to their rapid buildup and burst damage potential. Even if you replace your weapon later, these effects can carry you through the critical early encounters.

If you haven’t unlocked these relics yet, head to the Jar Bazaar and purchase Scenic Flatstones for 600 Merc Points each.

These have a chance to drop the status relics you’re looking for. For a more consistent grind, you can also back up your save and repeat the process (a method known as save scumming) until you get what you need.

2. Prioritize Churches and Boss Fights on Day One

Once the expedition begins, your first priority should be locating and securing at least one or two churches.

These grant additional healing potions, which are vital for survivability, especially in co-op runs with random players.

After that, shift your focus entirely toward boss encounters, particularly those in minor ruins or outposts. These early bosses are manageable when fought as a team and reward large chunks of XP along with powerful Dormant Powers and potential weapon upgrades, much more valuable than farming regular mobs.

Dormant Powers often include passive buffs, procs, or stat increases that can make or break your late-game performance.

3. Match Boss Weaknesses With Elemental Drops in Nightreign

Throughout the map, you’ll notice enemy areas marked with elemental icons: fire, frost, bleed, holy, and more. These symbols indicate what kind of elemental weapon the boss will drop upon defeat.

Keep a close eye on these, because Elden Ring Nightreign boss weaknesses rotate every three days, and equipping weapons that align with those weaknesses can massively increase your damage output.

Before you enter an expedition, check the day’s boss affinity on the expedition screen. If, for instance, many field bosses are weak to fire or holy, focus on farming areas that drop those weapon types.

This lets you tailor your loadout around the current cycle and gives you a substantial edge in combat.

4. Activate Offhand Passive Effects in Nightreign

One of the most overlooked systems in Nightreign is the off-hand passive weapon activation. If you pick up a weapon with a red passive icon, meaning it’s inactive, you can activate its passive simply by equipping it in your offhand.

You don’t even need to use the weapon. For example, if your main weapon is a bow and your offhand is a hammer with “Storm of Red Lightning,” that passive will still trigger while your bow is equipped.

Many of these passives heal on hit, spawn spells, or provide damage buffs. Stacking one or two of these can significantly enhance your effectiveness without changing your primary weapon at all.

5. Always Visit at Least One Mine

Every expedition should include a visit to a mine, ideally on the first or second day. Inside, you’ll fight a unique boss that rewards a Smithing Stone Level 2.

This item is essential for promoting rare weapons to epic status, granting major damage increases and new passive bonuses.

Even if you're unlucky with early weapon drops, upgrading your starter weapon with these stones can push your damage to competitive levels. It’s a guaranteed way to stay viable while you hunt for better loot.

6. Farm the Central Castle for XP and Dormant Powers

One of the most efficient farming locations in Nightreign is the central castle, a large, multi-tiered structure filled with bosses, loot, and hidden areas.

On average, you’ll find up to seven bosses within a small radius, each one granting dormant powers and XP.

Notably:

• Four troll bosses on the ground floor

• One sewer boss (with an extra dormant power in a chest)

• One rooftop boss

• One side-merchant who sells Smithing Stones

This location is ideal for farming Dormant Powers quickly, gathering XP, and preparing for the next stage of your expedition.

Even better, you can immediately promote your starting gear if needed.

7. Stack Churches for Potion Scaling

Return to the strategy of collecting churches again on Day 2. By the time you reach Day 3, you can easily accumulate six to seven healing potions, enough to survive extended fights and final encounters.

Combine this with your upgraded gear and elemental loadout, and you’re well-positioned for success.

8. Farm Field Bosses for Epic Drops

From Day 2 onward, Field Bosses become more visible and more dangerous, but also more rewarding. These bosses often drop epic-quality loot, including high-tier weapons and relics.

Don't let their strength intimidate you. With a solid loadout, proper elemental affinity, and upgraded potions, they become manageable and rewarding sources of gear progression.

9. Exploit Shifting Earth Events for Special Buffs in Nightreign

After completing your first expedition, you unlock Shifting Earth events, special map variants that grant one-time, powerful buffs.

There are four types:

• Lava Crater: Lets you upgrade one weapon to Legendary

• Frost Mountain: Boosts frost resistance and damage vs dragons

• Scarlet Woods: Grants HP regen, max HP boost, and a temporary absorb shield

• Shrouded City: Allows one-time resurrection during battle

These buffs are marked with glowing red icons on the map. You can force new Shifting Earth events by sleeping in the waiting room between expeditions.

Use this system to chase specific buffs that support your build or objectives.

10. Follow Nightreign Character/Class Storylines for Hidden Unlocks

Each class in Elden Ring Nightreign has a unique story progression, tied to specific journal entries and remembrances.

Following these quests grants new relic slots, bonus chalices, and even unlocks new classes like the Duchess and Revenant.

• Duchess: Unlocks after giving the Old Pocket Watch to the hooded lady at Roundtable Hold (watch is often rewarded after the first expedition).

• Revenant: Requires purchasing the Besmirched Frame from the Jar Bazaar after unlocking the Duchess. This unlocks a new battle in Roundtable Hold—defeat the Revenant to gain access to the class.

Progressing through these stories also adds new objectives to your map, marked clearly and often overlapping with other expedition targets.

Efficient routing through these can save time and supercharge your run.

#	Tip	Summary
1	Choose the Right Starting Relic	Equip a Bleed or Frost relic to add strong status effects to your starter weapon. Use Scenic Flatstones to farm them if needed.
2	Prioritize Churches and Bosses	Secure 1–2 churches early for extra healing potions. Focus on bosses in small ruins to gain XP and Dormant Powers efficiently.
3	Match Elemental Weaknesses	Check elemental icons on boss areas and match them with expedition boss weaknesses for optimal damage.
4	Use Offhand Passives	Equip weapons with red-passive icons in your offhand to activate their effects—even while using a different main weapon.
5	Visit at Least One Mine	Mines reward Smithing Stone Level 2 for upgrading rare weapons to epic quality—critical if no good drops occur.
6	Farm the Central Castle	This area contains 6–7 bosses, tons of XP, Dormant Powers, and a merchant. Ideal for compact, high-reward farming.
7	Stack Churches by Day 2	Aim for more churches to build up 6–7 potions by Day 3, boosting your chances of surviving late-game encounters.
8	Hunt Field Bosses for Epics	After Day 2, field bosses appear on the map and can drop epic-quality loot—plan routes around them for massive upgrades.
9	Exploit Shifting Earth Buffs	Seek out Shifting Earth events for powerful, one-time area buffs like Legendary upgrades or resurrection abilities.
10	Follow Character Storylines	Progress character quests to unlock new classes (Duchess, Revenant), get better relic slots, and add bonus map objectives.

Conclusion

Dominating the early game in Elden Ring Nightreign isn’t about grinding endlessly, it’s about making high-value decisions early on. Equip a status relic, chase elemental bosses, farm central zones and mines, and exploit passive synergies. Stack churches, follow story objectives, and use Shifting Earth buffs to shape your ideal run.

Whether you're pushing solo or leading a team of randoms, these strategies will give you the edge you need to convert more runs into wins.