Elden Ring: Nightreign Preview by IGN

Though bows remain formidable weapons in Elden Ring, they traditionally serve as support tools—ideal for drawing enemy attention, weakening foes at range before switching to melee, or endlessly farming that plummeting bird for runes. However, Nightreign's Ironeye class elevates archery to center stage, crafting a playstyle entirely distinct from the game's other eight classes while embodying Nightreign’s closest approximation to a pure support role. Explore the Ironeye in action in the exclusive gameplay footage below.

One immediate observation when playing Ironeye is their fragility. While capable of wielding any weapon, prioritizing bows allows you to maintain safe distances and avoid direct combat—essential given their low survivability early on. Thankfully, the starting bow proves reliable, delivering solid damage alongside its Mighty Shot skill, enabling extreme-range attacks with bonus damage and posture break potential.

Nightreign also overhauls bow mechanics significantly. Arrows fire faster, movement during locked-on shots is more fluid, and ammunition concerns vanish—though you’re limited to your weapon’s default arrow type. New additions include roll-shot animations, wall-run acrobatics for stylish midair attacks, faster manual aiming outside first-person view, triple-arrow spreads for crowd control, and even arrow-based stealth kills. Every enhancement addresses past shortcomings, finally positioning bows as viable primary weapons.

The Ironeye’s signature Marking ability delivers rapid dagger dashes that pierce foes, applying a damage-boosting debuff with minimal cooldown—ideal for maintaining boss pressure or escaping tight spots. Their ultimate, Single Shot, charges a devastating ranged strike that grants invulnerability during animation and pierces entire enemy groups.

Where Ironeye truly excels is long-range ally revival. Unlike other classes risking melee proximity or resource expenditure, they safely whittle down revival meters from afar—a game-changer until multiple downs compound the challenge.

While not topping damage charts, Ironeye’s squad value shines through mark-assisted team DPS, loot-boosting passives, crowd-clearing ultimates, and unparalleled revival utility—securing their place as Nightreign’s most indispensable support.