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

In the world of Elden Ring, the bow traditionally serves as a support weapon, ideal for drawing enemy attention, softening foes from a distance, or executing strategic moves like knocking birds off cliffs to farm runes. However, when playing as the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow transforms into the core element of the class, offering a gameplay experience distinct from the other eight classes in Nightreign. The Ironeye class is perhaps the closest Nightreign has to a support role. Dive deeper into the Ironeye's unique gameplay in the exclusive video below.

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 tool, allowing them to keep a safe distance from combat. This is crucial because the Ironeye doesn't take many hits before going down, especially in the early stages. Thankfully, their starting bow is robust, delivering solid damage with the Mighty Shot skill, enabling long-range attacks, increased damage, and additional poise damage.

It's important to note that Nightreign has significantly revamped the bow mechanics. Bows now fire more rapidly, and movement speed while targeting enemies is enhanced. Moreover, there's no longer a need to manage arrow supplies, although you're limited to the type of arrow your bow uses. This change is particularly beneficial during intense boss battles. Other enhancements include a new animation for shooting arrows while rolling, the ability to perform acrobatic feats like running up walls and shooting mid-leap, and the option to aim without switching to first-person view, allowing for faster movement. The strong attack now releases a spread of three arrows, capable of hitting multiple targets, and you can even perform backstabs or visceral attacks on downed enemies with arrows. These updates transform the bow into a viable primary weapon, a role it struggled to fill in the base version of Elden Ring.

For the Ironeye, the bow isn't just a weapon; it's the essence of the class. Their primary skill, Marking, is a swift dagger dash that pierces through enemies, leaving a debuff that amplifies damage from all sources. With a short cooldown, this skill can be consistently applied to bosses, enhancing team damage output. It also serves as an excellent mobility tool, allowing the Ironeye to swiftly escape dangerous situations.

The Ironeye's ultimate, Single Shot, is a powerful, concentrated arrow attack. Similar to Mighty Shot but significantly enhanced, it requires a brief charge-up period during which the user is invulnerable. Once released, it deals massive damage and can penetrate through multiple enemies, making it ideal for clearing groups of foes.

The Ironeye truly excels in a team setting thanks to their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving a downed ally involves depleting a segmented circle above them by attacking. While most classes must risk close combat or expend resources like mana or their ultimate ability, the Ironeye can do so safely from afar without using any resources. This capability can be the deciding factor between victory and defeat. However, the challenge lies in reviving allies who have multiple segments to clear, as the Ironeye's long-range damage might not suffice without using their ultimate for revival.

While the Ironeye may not match the raw damage output of some other classes, their presence in a squad is invaluable. From enhancing team damage with their marking ability, increasing item drops for everyone, to their effective crowd control ultimate, and their unmatched ability to revive teammates safely, the Ironeye's utility is unparalleled among Nightreign's nightfarers.