Steel your resolve, Nightfarers! The hunt must be seen to its end. FromSoftware has officially unveiled Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows, the first major DLC expansion for the standalone co-op survival action game that’s taken the gaming world by storm. As the creeping night threatens to consume everything in its path, this new expansion promises to deliver unprecedented challenges, new heroes to command, and terrifying new bosses that will test even the most seasoned Nightfarers.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything we know about The Forsaken Hollows DLC, from the confirmed release date and pricing details to in-depth breakdowns of the new Nightfarers, bosses, and gameplay features. Whether you’re a veteran Nightfarer who’s been battling the Nightlords since launch or a newcomer looking to dive into this dark fantasy universe, this article will provide you with all the essential information you need to prepare for the next chapter in the Elden Ring Nightreign saga.
| Quick Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Release Date | December 4, 2025 |
| Price | $15.00 USD |
| Platforms | PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X |
| New Nightfarers | Scholar, Undertaker |
| New Bosses | Dreglord, Artorias of the Abyss, Divine Beast Dancing Lion, Seven Angels, Blighted Abomination |
| New Shifting Earth | The Great Hollow |
| Pre-order Bonus | Digital Artbook & Mini Soundtrack |
Mark your calendars, Nightfarers! Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows is set to launch on December 4, 2025, across all major gaming platforms. This highly anticipated DLC will be available for PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam®, ensuring that players regardless of their preferred platform can join in the hunt against the new abominations threatening Limveld.
The announcement was made during Sony’s State of Play Japan presentation, with FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment confirming that this expansion represents the first major content update since the base game’s release in May 2025. The timing of this release is particularly strategic, arriving just in time for the holiday season when many players will have ample time to dive deep into the new content.
The Forsaken Hollows DLC will be priced at $15.00 USD, making it an accessible addition for players who want to expand their Nightreign experience. However, it’s important to note the various purchasing options and potential pitfalls to avoid:
For those eager to secure their copy early, FromSoftware is offering an enticing pre-order bonus. Players who purchase The Forsaken Hollows DLC prior to its release (by December 3, 2025) will receive:
These digital extras will be made available immediately after purchase, allowing you to immerse yourself in the world of Nightreign even before the DLC launches.
One of the most exciting aspects of The Forsaken Hollows DLC is the introduction of two new playable Nightfarers, each bringing unique abilities, playstyles, and strategic options to your co-op adventures. These new characters join the existing roster of eight heroes, offering fresh approaches to tackling the challenges that await in Limveld.
The Scholar represents a fascinating addition to the Nightfarer roster, bringing an intellectual and tactical approach to the brutal world of Nightreign. This academic character walks the Lands Between with impressive arcane capabilities, making him a perfect choice for players who enjoy strategic gameplay and battlefield control.
Key Characteristics:
The Scholar’s unique mechanics revolve around his ability to gain incredible advantages through battlefield observation. This suggests a playstyle that rewards patience, positioning, and strategic thinking rather than pure aggression. His ultimate ability, which appears to create a symbiotic relationship between weakening enemies and strengthening himself, could make him invaluable in prolonged boss fights and challenging encounters.
Strategic Applications:
The Undertaker brings a completely different flavor to the roster, embodying the classic strength and faith combination that FromSoftware fans know and love. This formidable abbess was mandated to slay the Nightlord, bringing divine fury and overwhelming physical power to the battlefield.
Key Characteristics:
The Undertaker’s design immediately evokes classic FromSoftware archetypes while bringing fresh mechanics to Nightreign. Her strength and faith combination suggests versatility in damage types, allowing her to adapt to different enemy resistances. The visual spectacle of her ultimate ability – manifesting a hammer from her mouth – not only looks impressive but likely delivers significant area damage, making her excellent for crowd control situations.
Strategic Applications:
| Aspect | Scholar | Undertaker |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Stats | Arcane | Strength/Faith |
| Combat Range | Medium | Close |
| Playstyle | Tactical/Support | Aggressive/Frontline |
| Team Role | Debuffer/Controller | Tank/DPS |
| Ultimate Focus | Enemy debuff + Self buff | Area damage |
| Best For | Strategic players | Aggressive players |
| Difficulty | Moderate | Beginner-friendly |
The Forsaken Hollows DLC introduces an impressive roster of new bosses that will push your skills to the limit. From returning favorites to terrifying new abominations, these encounters promise to be among the most challenging and memorable in the entire Nightreign experience. Let’s break down each confirmed boss and what we can expect from these epic confrontations.
The Dreglord stands as the flagship new boss of The Forsaken Hollows DLC, described by Bandai Namco as “one of the new final bosses” in the expansion. This abomination, born from “the souls and blood of the fallen,” represents a significant threat that will serve as a capstone challenge for the new content.
What We Know:
The Dreglord’s introduction suggests a boss encounter that will test everything players have learned throughout their Nightreign journey. As a third-day boss, it’s designed to be the ultimate challenge of an expedition, requiring perfect coordination, resource management, and mastery of your chosen Nightfarer’s abilities.
In a move that has thrilled long-time FromSoftware fans, Artorias of the Abyss makes his return in The Forsaken Hollows DLC. This legendary boss from the original Dark Souls DLC has been reimagined for the Nightreign universe, bringing his iconic moveset and tragic lore to a new generation of players.
What We Know:
Artorias’s inclusion is a masterstroke of fan service, bringing back one of the most beloved bosses in FromSoftware history. The addition of new mechanics, particularly the grab attack, suggests that this won’t be a simple port but rather a reimagined encounter that takes advantage of Nightreign’s unique gameplay systems.
The Divine Beast Dancing Lion transitions from its role in Shadow of the Erdtree to become a field boss in The Forsaken Hollows DLC. This majestic yet deadly creature will serve as a significant threat during expeditions, likely functioning as a mini-boss or major environmental challenge.
What We Know:
The Dancing Lion’s adaptation from Shadow of the Erdtree to Nightreign suggests that FromSoftware is creating connections between their different Elden Ring titles while tailoring the experience to fit Nightreign’s unique gameplay loop. As a field boss, it will likely serve as a significant challenge during expeditions rather than an end-of-night confrontation.
Perhaps the most visually striking and mechanically unique new boss is the Seven Angels, a mysterious entity that appears to consist of seven separate angel-like beings wielding polearms. This boss promises to deliver a completely different type of challenge from traditional single-entity encounters.
What We Know:
The Seven Angels represent an exciting evolution in boss design for Nightreign, potentially introducing mechanics where players must manage multiple threats simultaneously before facing a merged final form. This could require new strategies and team compositions that differ significantly from existing boss encounters.
Rounding out the new boss roster is the Blighted Abomination, a truly terrifying entity that embodies the horror elements of the Soulsborne genre. This massive boss wields a large cudgel and resides in a blighted landscape, suggesting environmental hazards and status effect mechanics.
What We Know:
The Blighted Abomination appears designed to test players’ ability to manage multiple threat types simultaneously – direct physical damage from the boss itself, environmental hazards from the blighted landscape, and potentially multiple status effects. This multi-layered challenge could make it one of the most complex encounters in the entire game.
The Forsaken Hollows DLC introduces a revolutionary new Shifting Earth environment called “The Great Hollow,” representing one of the most significant additions to Nightreign’s gameplay systems. This new environment promises to dramatically change how expeditions unfold, offering fresh challenges and strategic opportunities for veteran and new players alike.
The Great Hollow is described as “a great cavity in the depths of Limveld,” featuring a unique vertical design that sets it apart from existing environments in the game. This subterranean landscape is characterized by several distinctive elements that will create new gameplay experiences:
Key Environmental Features:
The vertical design of The Great Hollow represents a significant departure from Nightreign’s existing environments, potentially introducing new movement mechanics and traversal challenges. The presence of ancient ruins and sacred towers suggests rich lore opportunities and potentially new environmental puzzles or secrets to discover.
The Great Hollow introduces several new gameplay mechanics that will challenge players in fresh ways:
Crystal Miasma Mechanic: The giant crystals throughout The Great Hollow “exude a cursed, life-draining miasma,” creating environmental hazards that players must navigate carefully. This mechanic could work similarly to the “Night’s Tide” in the base game, creating areas of damage that force strategic positioning and resource management.
Vertical Combat Scenarios: The cavernous nature of The Great Hollow suggests combat scenarios that take advantage of vertical space. Players might need to:
Environmental Hazards: Beyond the crystal miasma, The Great Hollow likely features additional environmental challenges such as:
The introduction of The Great Hollow as a Shifting Earth environment has significant implications for how players approach expeditions:
Expedition Planning:
Resource Management:
The Great Hollow isn’t just a new gameplay environment – it represents a significant expansion of Nightreign’s lore and narrative:
Connection to Existing Lore:
Narrative Opportunities:
Beyond the major boss encounters and new environments, The Forsaken Hollows DLC introduces a wealth of additional content that will enrich every aspect of the Nightreign experience. From new enemy types to challenging raids and dynamic field events, this expansion promises to keep even the most dedicated players engaged for countless hours.
The Forsaken Hollows brings several new enemy types that will challenge players in fresh ways, including some familiar faces from other Elden Ring titles adapted for the Nightreign experience:
Fire Knight and Messmer Soldiers:
These enemies represent an interesting bridge between different Elden Ring titles, bringing content from Shadow of the Erdtree into the Nightreign universe. Their inclusion suggests that FromSoftware is creating connections between their various Elden Ring properties while adapting the content to fit Nightreign’s unique gameplay loop.
Crystalline Enemies:
The crystalline enemies appear specifically designed for The Great Hollow environment, potentially creating synergies with the environmental hazards and requiring players to adapt their strategies accordingly.
The Forsaken Hollows introduces at least one new raid that promises to deliver epic-scale encounters for well-coordinated teams:
Gladius Raid:
This new raid represents an exciting addition to Nightreign’s endgame content, providing players with new challenges that require teamwork, strategy, and mastery of game mechanics. The fact that it features a single-headed version of Gladius suggests that this raid might be more accessible than some of the base game’s most challenging raids while still providing significant rewards and satisfaction.
The DLC expands on Nightreign’s dynamic field content with new events and encounters that will keep expeditions fresh and unpredictable:
New Shifting Earth Events: Beyond The Great Hollow, players can expect additional Shifting Earth events that dramatically alter the gameplay experience:
Dynamic Field Bosses: The introduction of new field bosses like the Divine Beast Dancing Lion suggests that players will encounter significant challenges throughout expeditions, not just at the end of each night:
The Forsaken Hollows DLC naturally includes new equipment and progression options to support the increased challenge:
New Weapons and Equipment:
Progression Systems:
To ensure the accuracy and comprehensiveness of this guide, I’ve verified all information through official sources and gathered insights from the active Nightreign community. Here’s what the official channels and community discussions reveal about The Forsaken Hollows DLC.
FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Official Statements: The official announcement from Bandai Namco Entertainment confirms all the major details about The Forsaken Hollows DLC:
Official ELDEN RING Twitter Account: The official ELDEN RING Twitter account (@ELDENRING) has been actively promoting The Forsaken Hollows DLC with the pinned post stating: “Steel your resolve, Nightfarers. This hunt must be seen to its end. The Forsaken Hollows launches on December 4, 2025.” This official confirmation reinforces the release date and builds excitement within the community.
Official Website Information: The official ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN website provides additional context about how the DLC fits into the broader game ecosystem, confirming that it’s designed to expand upon the core gameplay loop while introducing new challenges and content for veteran players.
Discord Community Reactions: The official ELDEN RING Discord server (with over 500,000 members) has been buzzing with excitement about The Forsaken Hollows DLC. Community discussions reveal several key insights:
Reddit Community Analysis: The Nightreign subreddit communities have been actively analyzing the trailer and official announcements, revealing several interesting observations:
Content Creator and Streamer Reactions: Prominent content creators in the Soulsborne community have expressed enthusiasm about The Forsaken Hollows DLC, with many highlighting:
To ensure the accuracy of this guide, I’ve cross-referenced information across multiple official and community sources:
Release Date Verification:
Pricing and Edition Information:
Content Feature Verification:
Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows is officially scheduled to release on December 4, 2025, across all major gaming platforms including PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam®. This release date has been confirmed by multiple official sources including Bandai Namco Entertainment and the official ELDEN RING Twitter account.
The Forsaken Hollows DLC will be priced at $15.00 USD for standalone purchase. However, players who already own the Deluxe Edition or Collector’s Edition of Elden Ring Nightreign will receive the DLC automatically at no additional cost. It’s important to note that the Deluxe Upgrade Pack (previously available) will be renamed to The Forsaken Hollows DLC starting November 12, 2025, so players should be careful to avoid duplicate purchases.
The DLC introduces two new Nightfarers:
The Forsaken Hollows DLC features five major new bosses:
The Great Hollow is a new Shifting Earth environment introduced in the DLC, described as “a great cavity in the depths of Limveld.” It features:
Yes, you must own the base game Elden Ring Nightreign to access The Forsaken Hollows DLC. The DLC is an expansion that requires the base game to function and cannot be purchased or played as a standalone product.
Players who purchase The Forsaken Hollows DLC before December 3, 2025 will receive:
These digital bonuses will be available immediately after purchase, allowing early access to the supplementary content.
While specific details about new equipment haven’t been fully revealed, it’s highly likely that The Forsaken Hollows DLC will include:
The Forsaken Hollows creates interesting connections to other Elden Ring titles:
While specific balance changes haven’t been detailed, the introduction of new Nightfarers, bosses, and environments will naturally affect the game’s balance:
As we prepare for the December 4, 2025 release of Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows, it’s clear that FromSoftware and Bandai Namco Entertainment are delivering an expansion that honors the legacy of the Soulsborne genre while pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the Nightreign universe. From the return of legendary bosses like Artorias to the introduction of innovative new environments like The Great Hollow, this DLC promises to be a worthy addition to one of the most exciting new IPs in recent gaming history.
The comprehensive nature of this expansion – featuring new playable characters, challenging bosses, innovative environments, and rich lore connections – demonstrates FromSoftware’s commitment to delivering value to their player base. At $15.00, The Forsaken Hollows represents excellent value for the content offered, especially when compared to industry standards for DLC pricing.
For players who have been with Nightreign since its May 2025 launch, this DLC represents the perfect opportunity to rediscover the game with fresh eyes and new challenges. For newcomers, it offers an expanded experience that builds upon an already robust foundation. Whether you’re a solo player looking to test your skills against the new bosses or a cooperative enthusiast eager to tackle the new raids with friends, The Forsaken Hollows has something to offer every type of player.
As we count down the days to December 4th, I encourage all Nightfarers to prepare themselves for the challenges ahead. Study the new character abilities, plan your strategies for the new bosses, and get ready to dive deep into the mysteries of The Great Hollow. The night grows darker, the abominations grow stronger, but with courage, skill, and teamwork, we will rise to meet the challenge.
Steel your resolve, Nightfarers. This hunt must be seen to its end.
