Elden Ring Players Struggle with Muscle Memory

Elden Ring Nightreign has arrived, and players are plunging into its ever-changing world to challenge the Nightlord. However, even those who brushed up on their skills with the original Elden Ring might find themselves adjusting to several control modifications.

The control scheme in Elden Ring Nightreign remains largely faithful to its predecessor, though a handful of adjustments have been implemented—some to support new abilities, others merely to reconfigure existing inputs. While many of these updates relate to fresh combat maneuvers or upgraded versions of familiar gear, one alteration in particular is generating some confusion: the flask.

In FromSoftware's Souls series and the original Elden Ring, the flask is a staple of your inventory—a reusable potion container that serves as your primary means of healing during battle. Typically, the flask is one of several consumable items, and you'd cycle through them to activate mid-fight. In Elden Ring Nightreign, however, the flask is now a fixed element. By default, you press the left-most face button (X on Xbox, Square on PlayStation) to drink from it, while the Up button on the D-Pad is assigned for using other items.

I keep pressing 'X' to use items.
byu/The_Mudddler inNightreign

It appears some players are already grappling with muscle-memory mix-ups. There’s a certain irony in veterans of Elden Ring—whether warming up for Nightreign or coincidentally transitioning between the two—retraining their instincts due to this single change.

In addition to the flask adjustment, Nightreign introduces a super-sprint ability mapped to L3. Though your reliable mount, Torrent, is absent in this expansion, FromSoftware has compensated with an impressively swift sprint option. The catch? There’s also a standard sprint activated by holding the dodge button. As one player pointed out, they frequently revert to Elden Ring’s original sprint control instead of using the new one.

That was just rude of them
byu/Justanotherkiwi21 inNightreign

Perhaps the most curious change, though, is the apparent removal of the crouch function. I launched Elden Ring Nightreign to verify this and, indeed, found no crouch option in the controller settings. While crouching was previously assigned to left-stick click by default, it seems the feature wasn’t just reassigned—it was cut entirely. That said, Nightreign does emphasize rapid movement and overwhelming enemies over stealth.

Other players have mentioned that the default mouse-and-keyboard controls also feel unusual compared to the original game. Of course, this isn’t the first time FromSoftware has reworked its control layout. Each Souls or Souls-like title tends to introduce some variation, particularly in games like Bloodborne, which featured significant mechanical and systemic differences from other entries in the genre.

Thankfully, controls are fully rebindable, so you can customize the setup to your preference. Consider this article a friendly reminder to spend some time getting familiar with Elden Ring Nightreign’s control scheme and fine-tuning it before embarking on your first journey. And maybe spare a thought for those players who keep accidentally drinking their Estus in the heat of battle—we’ve all been there.

For more guidance, we have a wealth of Nightreign tips and tricks to help you defeat all eight Nightlord Bosses. If you're curious about unlocking the two initially locked Nightfarer Classes, check out our guides: How to Unlock the Revenant, How to Unlock the Duchess, and How to Change Characters.