Elden Ring Nightreign has arrived. And with it comes eight Nightfarers for players to choose from to tackle the land of Limveld. But wait, why are two missing? Well, the FromSoftware action RPG comes with six playable characters out of the box. In order to play as the Duchess or the Revenant, you’ll have to unlock them.
But have no fear! We’re hear to tell you how to unlock the Duchess, the first of the two unlockable Nightfarers. Getting the Duchess to join your team is actually more straightforward than it seems.
How to Unlock the Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign
Without spoiling too much, all you have to do to unlock the Duchess is defeat the first Nightlord. And that would be Gladius, the three-headed dog that sometimes becomes three single-headed dogs. Got that? Good.
Gladius isn’t the hardest boss in the game by any means. But if you’re not playing as a melee build, defeating this dog can be… ruff. You’ll ideally want at least two melee players on your team. A great lineup for this Nightlord would be Wylder, Raider, and Guardian. And if you can purloin any armament with holy damage during your expedition, even better. Gladius is weak to holy damage.
With that, just fight the dog head(s) on. Split up once he becomes three separate dogs, with each player taking one on. Eventually he’ll reform, so feel free to play it safe during the split and then wail on him when he’s just a single canine. If, like me, you insist on playing a ranged Nightfarer, Ironeye is a solid choice as well. His Marking skill can both pressure Gladius and serve as a nifty dodge.
Once the dog goes down, you’ll get the Old Pocketwatch. Hand it in to the Priestess back at the Roundtable Hold and the Duchess will join you.
That said, there’s also a much, much, easier way to unlock the Duchess.
How to (Easily) Unlock the Duchess in Elden Ring Nightreign
If you find yourself struggling to defeat Gladius, you can actually skip the fight entirely to unlock the Duchess. Simply go to matchmaking and select “solo” instead of “multiplayer.” And then, just play a match yourself. The Old Pocketwatch should appear at the end of your run.
In previewing the game, I heard from a Bandai Namco representative that the Old Pocketwatch should be a random drop in solo play. That said, I received it on my first ever expedition. Another previewer received it on their first round as well. And neither of us even defeated the Night 1 boss in those runs. So if it is a random drop, it appears to be quite a common one in solo play.
With that, you hand over the Old Pocketwatch to the Priestess and the Duchess joins your party. You’ll still have to defeat Gladius to advance in the game. But this time, you can do it as the Duchess.
How Does The Duchess Play?
While not a direct reference to Bloodborne, The Duchess should feel fairly familiar to those who have played FromSoftware’s gothic horror. As a dexterity class, she’s fast on her feet. She also comes equipped with a dagger.
Magnificent Pose, her passive ability, allows her to dodge repeatedly. The ability reduces the amount of stamina drained from attacks and evasive maneuvers.
Restage, her skill, allows players to “restage” attacks and status affects. When used on an enemy, the skill will reapply damage from the prior 5 seconds. It can even be used while in the middle of being attacked.
Finale, her ultimate art, turns her and any nearby allies invisible for 15 seconds. During this time, players can still be hit with any AOE or oncoming attacks. But enemies will otherwise totally lose track of the players during this time.
Who is The Duchess, Really?
Spoilers here. Once you give the Old Pocketwatch to the Priestess, she reveals that she was the Duchess the whole time. What a twist!
Admittedly, it may not be the most surprising twist for those who talk to the Priestess beforehand. When she lifts up her hand, it’ll clearly reveal her Duchess outfit under her priestess robes. So she may not exactly fool the Scooby-Doo gang. But it’s still a neat way to reveal a character.
Unlockable Characters in Elden Ring Nightreign
The Duchess is one of two unlockable characters in Elden Ring Nightreign. The other one is the Revenant. The Revenant is slightly more complicated to unlock, but the first step is unlocking the Duchess.
With the Duchess unlocked, you can dive into Limveld as the fleet-footed melee character specializing in stealth and speedy attacks.
Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30 on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.
