Elden Ring Nightreign Brings Dark Souls Bosses Back, Just Don't Think Too Hard About the Lore Implications

Elden Ring Nightreign's bosses blend familiar faces from previous FromSoftware titles with new encounters, a design choice the director has now explained. Let's delve into why these classic foes have returned.

Elden Ring Nightreign: A Gameplay-Focused Approach to Boss Design

Bosses: Gameplay Over Lore

Nightreign features a roster of bosses spanning the Elden Ring universe and its predecessors. While lore implications might spring to mind for dedicated FromSoftware fans, director Junya Ishizaki clarified the reasoning behind this choice in a February 12, 2025, Gamespot interview.

Ishizaki emphasized that the inclusion of these returning bosses is primarily a gameplay decision. "The primary reason for these existing bosses in Nightreign is from a gameplay perspective," he stated. "With this new structure and style, we needed a diverse range of bosses to enrich the experience, leveraging what we felt was appropriate from our previous titles."

He continued, "We understand players' affection for these characters and their battles, so we avoided overly complex lore integration. Our goal was to make them feel natural within Nightreign's atmosphere." Ishizaki also added that incorporating these familiar bosses was simply "kind of fun."

While the lore connections between Elden Ring and other FromSoftware games might be loose regarding these returning bosses, players can focus on the main antagonist, the Night Lord, and its potential significance within the broader Elden Ring narrative.

Nightreign Bosses: A Look at Familiar Faces

Two bosses from previous FromSoftware games are confirmed for Nightreign: the Nameless King from Dark Souls 3 (DS3) and the Centipede Demon from Dark Souls (DS). The Duke's Dear Freja, a massive two-headed spider, is also heavily speculated to appear.

The Nameless King, Gwyn's firstborn son, is a challenging optional boss in DS3, known for his wind and lightning attacks. His location, Archdragon Peak, is easily missed due to the associated side quests.

The Centipede Demon, hailing from the original Dark Souls, is a six-headed monstrosity that unleashes fireballs. Its origins are speculated to be linked to the Witch of Izalith and the Flame of Chaos.

Finally, Nightreign's trailer hints at The Duke's Dear Freja's presence through a large spider in a swamp environment, reminiscent of the boss fight in Dark Souls 2. This spider is believed to be the pet of Duke Tseldora, a character known for his affinity for arachnids.

While directly connecting these bosses' lore to Elden Ring's narrative might prove challenging, remembering their inclusion is primarily for gameplay enhancement allows players to fully enjoy these iconic encounters within Nightreign's unique context.