Elden Ring: Nightreign - Ironeye Preview - IGN First

In Elden Ring, bows typically serve as support weapons, used to draw enemy attention, weaken foes from a distance, or even exploit environmental hazards for rune farming. However, in Nightreign, when you choose to play as the Ironeye class, the bow becomes central to your gameplay, distinguishing it from the other eight classes and positioning it as the closest thing to a support role in the game. Dive into the exclusive gameplay video below to see the Ironeye in action.

Playing as the Ironeye, you'll notice their vulnerability; they are a squishy class that benefits greatly from keeping a safe distance. While they can wield any weapon, the bow is essential for staying out of harm's way, especially early in the game when even a few hits can be fatal. Thankfully, the starting bow is robust, offering solid damage and the Mighty Shot skill, which allows for long-range attacks, increased damage, and additional poise damage.

In Nightreign, the mechanics of bows have been significantly revamped. They now shoot faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting locked-on enemies. Moreover, the need for arrows has been eliminated, although you're limited to the arrow type of your equipped bow. This change is particularly beneficial during intense boss fights, eliminating the worry of running out of ammunition. Other enhancements include a new shooting animation from a roll, the ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers like wall-running and shooting mid-leap, the option to aim without entering first-person view, a powerful three-arrow spread for the strong attack, and the ability to execute backstab or visceral attacks on downed enemies with arrows. These improvements make the bow a formidable primary weapon in Nightreign, addressing the shortcomings felt in the base Elden Ring game.

The Ironeye's primary skill, Marking, is a swift dagger dash that pierces through enemies, applying a debuff that amplifies damage from all sources. With a short cooldown, this skill can be maintained on bosses with careful timing, enhancing your team's damage output. Additionally, it serves as an effective mobility tool, allowing you to escape dangerous situations.

The Ironeye's ultimate, Single Shot, is a highly potent attack that, once charged, grants invulnerability during its animation and can penetrate multiple enemies or obstacles, making it ideal for clearing groups of foes.

One of the Ironeye's standout features in team play is their ability to revive allies safely from a distance. In Nightreign, reviving a downed ally involves depleting a partitioned circle above their character through attacks. While most classes must risk close combat or expend resources to revive teammates, the Ironeye can do so efficiently from afar without using any resources. This capability can be crucial for the success of a run, although reviving allies who have fallen multiple times can be challenging due to the Ironeye's limited damage output at range, unless their ultimate is used specifically for revival.

Although the Ironeye may not match the raw damage output of some other classes, their utility on a team is unparalleled. From enhancing team damage with their marking ability, boosting item discovery for the group, to their crowd-clearing ultimate and unique revival capabilities, the Ironeye is an invaluable asset to any squad in Nightreign.