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

While the bow has long been a potent tool in Elden Ring, it traditionally serves as a support weapon—used to draw enemy attention, soften foes from a distance before closing in with your primary weapon, or even to exploit environmental hazards for rune farming. However, when you choose to play as the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow becomes central to your gameplay, offering a unique experience distinct from the other eight classes. The Ironeye class brings you closer to a support role than any other class in Nightreign. 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. Although they can wield any weapon, the bow is essential for keeping a safe distance from combat, as they can't withstand many hits, especially early in the game. Thankfully, the starting bow is robust, delivering solid damage and equipped with the Mighty Shot skill, which allows for long-range attacks, increased damage, and additional poise damage.

It's important to note that the mechanics of bows have been significantly revamped in Nightreign. Bows now shoot faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting locked-on enemies. Additionally, the need for a constant arrow supply has been eliminated, though you're limited to the arrow type of your equipped bow. This change is a relief, especially during intense boss battles. Other enhancements include a new animation for shooting arrows during a roll, the ability to perform acrobatic feats like running up walls and shooting mid-leap, the option to aim without switching to first-person view, and a strong attack that fires a spread of three arrows to hit multiple targets. Moreover, you can now execute backstabs or visceral attacks on downed enemies with arrows. These updates make the bow a formidable primary weapon, addressing the shortcomings it had in the base version of 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, you can keep this debuff active on bosses continuously if you're vigilant. It also serves as an excellent mobility tool, allowing you to escape dangerous situations by passing through enemies.

The Ironeye's ultimate ability, Single Shot, is a powerful, concentrated attack. It's an enhanced version of Mighty Shot, requiring a brief charge time during which you're invulnerable. Once released, it delivers massive damage and penetrates through obstacles, making it ideal for clearing groups of enemies.

The Ironeye truly excels in team play, particularly with their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving a downed ally involves depleting a segmented circle above their character through attacks. While most classes must risk close combat or use mana and ultimate skills for ranged revival, the Ironeye can do so safely and without resource expenditure. This capability can be crucial for the success of a run. However, reviving an ally becomes challenging if multiple segments need clearing, as the Ironeye's long-range damage output isn't sufficient without using their ultimate for revival.

Although the Ironeye may not match the raw damage output of other classes, their impact on a team is undeniable. From enhancing team damage with their marking ability, boosting item discovery for the group, clearing mobs with their ultimate, to their unparalleled ability to revive teammates safely, the Ironeye's utility is unmatched among Nightreign's classes.