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

In the expansive world of Elden Ring, the bow traditionally serves as a supportive tool, often used to draw enemy attention, weaken foes from a distance, or strategically eliminate certain creatures for resource farming. However, when you step into the shoes of the Ironeye class in Nightreign, the bow transforms into the core of your gameplay, offering a unique playstyle that distinguishes it from the other eight classes. The Ironeye class embodies the closest thing to a support role in Nightreign, as you can see in the exclusive gameplay video below.

Playing as the Ironeye, you'll quickly notice their vulnerability. While they can wield any weapon, the bow is indispensable for maintaining a safe distance from combat, crucial since the Ironeye can't withstand many hits, particularly early in the game. Fortunately, the starting bow is reliable, offering solid damage and the Mighty Shot skill, which allows for long-range attacks with increased damage and poise impact.

Nightreign has significantly revamped the bow mechanics. Bows now shoot faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting enemies. A notable change is the elimination of arrow management; you're equipped with a fixed arrow type, simplifying your focus during battles. New animations add flair, such as shooting arrows from a roll, executing acrobatic feats like wall-running and leaping shots, and the ability to aim in third-person mode with enhanced mobility. The strong attack now releases a spread of three arrows, capable of hitting multiple targets, and you can even perform backstabs or visceral attacks with arrows on downed enemies. These enhancements make the bow a formidable primary weapon in Nightreign, unlike its role in base Elden Ring.

The Ironeye’s main 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 is invaluable for maintaining constant pressure on bosses and serving as an effective mobility tool to escape danger.

The ultimate ability, Single Shot, is an enhanced version of Mighty Shot. Though it requires time to charge, it grants invulnerability during the animation and delivers a powerful, piercing shot capable of obliterating groups of enemies.

On a team, the Ironeye truly stands out with their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving involves depleting a segmented circle above a downed ally by attacking them. While most classes must risk close combat or expend resources to revive, the Ironeye can do so safely and resource-free from afar. This capability can be pivotal to a team's success. However, reviving becomes challenging when an ally requires all three segments cleared, as the Ironeye's long-range damage might not suffice without using their ultimate.

Despite not matching the raw damage output of other classes, the Ironeye's utility is unmatched. From enhancing team damage through marking, increasing item discovery, clearing mobs with their ultimate, to safely reviving allies, the Ironeye is a vital asset to any squad in Nightreign.