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Elden Ring Nightreign is one of the most highly-anticipated games on the show floor at PAX East this year. The upcoming standalone Elden Ring title features a 3-player co-op mode, where gamers will have to band together (or split up, if they’re brave enough) to take down two bosses and one final boss over the course of a three day journey. It’s a beast of a game, and I got to watch about half an hour of gameplay at PAX East earlier today. 

While the (air-conditioned!) Elden Ring Nightreign dome on the show floor had two designated players - called Influencer Lord and John Reign respectively - ready to go, the demo still needed one more player. The MCs of the demo asked if there was anyone there who had play-tested the game, and one attendee named Sophie put their hand up. (Note to Sophie: I am so sorry if I misspelled your name.) Sophie valiantly jumped into the game as a Raider, a big and burly character who doesn’t move as quickly as others, but delivers devastating blows. 

Despite having zero time to warm up, Sophie killed it in the demo. They spent at least the last third of the first boss fight on 1 HP, masterfully hitting their dodges and fearlessly jumping in to help their teammates despite the clunkiness of their Raider. All of us in the dome were cheering them on as they did tons of damage, possibly more than their other teammates.They managed to achieve this while also staying out of harm’s way for most of the demo, which is no easy feat considering how difficult the combat in Nightreign is. It felt like being at a karaoke bar and seeing a stranger take the stage, and out comes the voice of Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, or some other groundbreaking, iconic singer you adore. 

Congratulations, Sophie, on a job well done. You made all of us in the Nightreign dome proud! 

You don't need to beat the game to prepare for the next one—here are all the major new and upcoming games coming our way.