DLC REVIEW: ‘Elden Ring Nightreign’ “The Forsaken Hollows” Is Just More To Love

With the release of Elden Ring Nightreign over half a year ago, developer FromSoftware proved that they can deliver a fun yet brutal experience in a wholly new format. Now, the Bandai Namco published title has received its first DLC in the form of The Forsaken Hollows, an expansion that adds new characters to master, a new map to explore, and several new challenges to overcome.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, The Forsaken Hollows excels by giving players more stunning boss battles to overcome, a beautiful setting inspired by Elden Ring’s sprawling underground zone, and a pair of Nightfarers with which to face it all.

Like Elden Ring Nightreign, The Forsaken Hollows is a bit more straightforward in its accessibility. You don’t have to play through half of the game or find an obscure painting or courtyard to access your new challenges. Rather, once you’ve defeated the first Nightlord from the base game, a brief message lets you know something in the Roundtable Hold is amiss, and you’ll soon unlock the new Nightfarers.

The Forsaken Hollows is a refreshing change of pace from the base game.

Unlocking the first new boss requires you to defeat any two Nightlords from the base game. This is a refreshing change of pace and makes sense, given that Elden Ring Nightreign removed some of the usual hindrances of the series, all in the name of getting you into the action and fun sooner.

Once you’ve gained access to the new Nightfarers, the Undertaker and the Scholar, you’re able to select the first of two new bosses from your expeditions. If you have the right Shifting Earth, you’ll also get to witness the gorgeous new map as part of The Forsaken Hollows. Shifting Earths are conditions that change the appearance of Limveld, adding a massive volcanic crater in the center, or a giant frosty mountain in one corner of the map.

This new variant, called Great Hollow, alters the map more than any other iteration so far, turning the remote island into a group of enormous subterranean landmasses, connected via Spiritsprings, massive crystalline ramps, and spectral hawk trees.

The Great Hollow has its own depth of mysteries to plunge.

Of course, like any other map, the Great Hollow has its own mysteries to solve, with powerful equipment waiting for anyone capable of conquering its locales. It bears repeating that the map is absolutely beautiful, with towering cliffs hiding a pair of fortresses way up high, and magic crystals and places of interest scattered throughout.

Despite this, one of its frustrations is the series of chasms that snakes its way around the new Limveld. Falling into one of these spells instant death, which means respawning minus a level and all of your runes. Normally, you can respawn and retrieve your runes without much trouble.

That is, unless a nearby enemy has laid claim to them, but more than once on this new map, I found myself unable to return to the runes, whether it’s the geography, the storm closing around me, or just a very tough enemy. It’s definitely part of the learning curve, but it’s a unique frustration when exploring the map.

The Scholar and Undertaker offer new remembrances and stories as added playable characters.

Naturally, one of the main draws of The Forsaken Hollows is the addition of two new playable characters, each with their own remembrances and story to go with them. The Scholar, who excels when supporting their teammates, and the Undertaker, who prefers slow, heavy weapons and dodging up close attacks.

I preferred the Scholar, who could observe their enemies to drain their strength or empower their own capabilities. Their ultimate ability connected all nearby enemies, causing them to share damage taken.

Additionally, they have a unique ability to empower the items they use, increasing their effectiveness dramatically. As someone who doesn’t use items very often, the Scholar was a good exercise in learning the game’s items and practicing builds that share my item effects.

The new bosses call upon older Dark Souls and Elden Ring tropes.

Similarly, the Undertaker promotes a high-risk, high-reward playstyle for those who feel confident in their knowledge of enemies’ movesets. The Forsaken Hollows felt like it raised the difficulty considerably, so I didn’t spend too much time as the Undertaker.

However, like the rest of the playable characters, it’s nice to have more options when I’m comfortable with my current favorites. These two additions are a good example of the archetypes that Elden Ring players gravitate to, with fun abilities baked in to reward those who lean into their strengths.

Almost as important as the new pair of heroes is the new enemies you’ll be fighting. These bosses also call upon older tropes from past Dark Souls and Elden Ring entries, while putting a twist on them to avoid feeling like a cheap rehash of older content.

The Forsaken Hollows is a great excuse to jump back into Limveld.

That said, there’s still something exciting about seeing a towering boss pulled straight from another game, especially when you can bring some friends to beat it into submission. The end-of-cycle bosses aren’t the only additions to the boss pool; the end of the first two nights in an expedition sees your team facing off against a larger array of enemies.

In at least one case, a two-phase boss splits its time between the two nights, recontextualizing an old foe in a fun new challenge. Whatever the case, boss fights are equally daunting and fun, in true FromSoftware fashion.

Even if you aren’t using the new characters to tackle the new challenges, there’s plenty to take in, and conversely, facing off against old bosses feels new again when using the new pair of Nightfarers.

If you found Elden Ring Nightreign lacking, there’s little here to change your mind, unless you really click with one of the new characters. Otherwise, The Forsaken Hollows is a great excuse to jump back into Limveld and fight gnarly bosses in beautiful arenas and feel cool doing it.

Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows is available now on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.