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

In Elden Ring, the bow typically serves as a support weapon, used to draw enemy attention, weaken foes from a distance before engaging with your primary weapon, or even to exploit specific mechanics like farming runes by causing birds to fall. However, when playing as the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow transforms into the core of the class, offering a unique playstyle distinct from the other eight classes in Nightreign, and arguably the closest to a support role the game offers. Experience the Ironeye in action with our exclusive gameplay video below.

Playing as the Ironeye, you'll quickly notice their vulnerability. While they can wield any weapon, the bow is essential for maintaining distance from combat, minimizing the risk of taking damage, which can be fatal, especially in the early stages. Thankfully, the starting bow is robust, delivering solid damage and equipped with the Mighty Shot skill, enabling attacks from an impressive range, with added damage and poise impact.

It's crucial to highlight that bows in Nightreign have been significantly revamped. They now shoot faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting a locked-on enemy. Additionally, the need for a constant arrow supply has been eliminated, though you're limited to the arrow type of your weapon. This change is particularly beneficial during intense boss fights, ensuring you never run out of ammunition. Other enhancements include a new animation for shooting arrows out of a roll, the ability to perform acrobatic maneuvers like running up walls and shooting mid-leap, faster movement during manual aiming without switching to first-person view, a powerful three-arrow spread for the strong attack that can hit multiple targets, and the option to backstab or execute a visceral attack on downed enemies with an arrow. These updates make the bow a formidable primary weapon in Nightreign, addressing the shortcomings it had in base Elden Ring.

When you're playing 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 attacks. With a brief cooldown, this skill can be almost constantly applied to bosses with attentive play, enhancing mobility by allowing you to pass through foes to escape danger.

The Ironeye's ultimate ability, Single Shot, is a potent, charged shot. It offers full invulnerability during its animation and delivers massive damage that penetrates through obstacles, ideal for clearing groups of enemies.

The Ironeye's true value in a team setting lies in their ability to revive allies safely from a distance. In Nightreign, reviving an ally involves depleting a segmented circle above the downed character by attacking them. While other classes must risk close combat or expend resources to revive, the Ironeye can do so from afar without using any resources, making them invaluable in team play. However, they struggle to revive allies requiring all three segments to be cleared unless they use their ultimate for this purpose.

Although the Ironeye may not match the damage output of some classes, their utility on a team is unparalleled. From enhancing team damage with their marking ability, increasing item drop rates with their passive, to clearing mobs with their ultimate and safely reviving teammates, the Ironeye's contributions are vital to any squad in Nightreign.