Elden Ring: Nightreign - Ironeye Hands-On Preview - IGN First

In the expansive world of Elden Ring, the bow traditionally serves as a support weapon, often used to pull aggro, weaken enemies from a distance, or even farm runes by strategically downing creatures like birds. However, in the unique universe of Nightreign, the bow takes center stage when playing as the Ironeye class, offering a playstyle distinct from the other eight classes and positioning Ironeye as the closest thing to a support class in the game. Dive into the exclusive gameplay video below to see the Ironeye in action.

One of the first things you'll notice about the Ironeye is their vulnerability. While they can wield any weapon, the bow remains their go-to due to their fragility, especially in the early game. Staying out of the fray is crucial, and fortunately, the starting bow is robust, delivering solid damage and featuring the Mighty Shot skill, which enables attacks from an impressive distance, deals extra damage, and inflicts significant poise damage.

Nightreign has significantly revamped the mechanics of bows. They now fire more rapidly, and you can move more quickly while targeting locked-on enemies. The need for arrow supplies has been eliminated, although this means you're limited to the arrow type of your chosen bow. Among the enhancements, there's a new animation for shooting while rolling, the ability to perform acrobatic feats like running up walls and shooting mid-leap, the option to aim without entering first-person mode, and a strong attack that releases a spread of three arrows to hit multiple foes. Additionally, you can now execute backstabs or visceral attacks on downed enemies with arrows. These improvements transform the bow into a viable primary weapon, addressing its limitations in the base Elden Ring.

As the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow is not just a tool but the essence of the class. The Ironeye's primary skill, Marking, is a swift dagger dash that pierces through enemies, marking them for increased damage from all sources. With a short cooldown, this skill can be consistently applied to bosses, enhancing your team's offensive capabilities. It also serves as a handy mobility tool, allowing you to navigate through enemies and escape perilous situations.

The Ironeye's ultimate, Single Shot, is a potent, singular attack. Essentially an enhanced version of Mighty Shot, it requires a brief charge time during which you're invulnerable. Once unleashed, it delivers massive damage, penetrating through obstacles and enemies alike, making it ideal for clearing groups of foes.

The Ironeye truly excels in team play, particularly with their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving an ally involves depleting a partitioned circle above the fallen character. While other classes risk themselves to get close, use mana for ranged spells, or expend their ultimate, the Ironeye can revive allies safely and resource-free. This ability can be the deciding factor between a successful and failed mission. However, reviving becomes challenging if an ally requires all three partitions cleared, as the Ironeye's long-range damage output may not suffice without using their ultimate.

Although the Ironeye may not match the damage output of other classes, their impact on a squad is undeniable. From the marking ability that amplifies team damage, to a passive that boosts item discovery for all, to their crowd-clearing ultimate, and their unparalleled ability to safely revive teammates, the Ironeye's utility is nearly unmatched among Nightreign's nightfarers.