Forget fighting Night Lords; picking which of the Elden Ring Nightreign classes to try on launch is going to be the real ordeal.
Do you go basic and play Wylder with his grappling hook and stake driver? Do you jump right in the deep end with Recluse and her endlessly combinable magics? Or do you just pick Guardian because he has a literal bird head?
Though Nightreign doesn't afford players the same level of customization as the original Elden Ring, each of the Nightfarers—what the game calls its cast of heroes—have unique abilities and focused playstyles. While trying to survive three days in Limveld and take on the Night Lord at the end, these abilities, and more importantly how you combine them as a team, decide whether you get to survive to the end.
With the exception of the Executor and the Revenant, all 8 Nightreign characters have now been showcased, and we even have some details about those two that are yet to be fully revealed. Below, you'll find all of their abilities and some details about playstyle.
Wylder
As the poster boy of Nightreign, Wylder is a pretty versatile knight character who can use his grappling hook to pull enemies towards him—or him towards enemies—and perform a powerful stake driver-esque attack for big damage. Wylder is pretty balanced in terms of his kit, so might be a good first option for those unsure which class to pick, before moving onto one of the more specialised Nightfarers.
Guardian
This bird-headed bastion—or "Big Hawk Logan" as I like to call him—is a defense-focused character with a big ol' shield capable of tanking attacks with his Steel Guard passive. Guardian also has some other storm hawk-themed abilities like being able to whip up a whirlwind, or fly into the air and drop down on allies in need of rescue and revive, creating a protective AoE.
Ironeye
Similar to the Recluse, I think Ironeye is likely to be one of the strongest Nightfarers, in no small part due to their ranged-based playstyle and ability to mark enemies so your squad can deal extra damage. Though Ironeye lacks any defensive or healing-based support abilities, being able to pepper enemies with arrows at a safe distance will be a massive advantage.
Duchess
For those looking to roleplay a Bloodborne hunter, the Duchess is all about evasion and illusion, gaining an enhanced dodge, the ability to essentially repeat allies' attacks on an enemy with Restage, and a fantastic rescue ability in Finale, which makes allies invisible.
Due to Duchess' well-balanced suite of abilities, impeccable style, and Bloodborne vibes, I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up as the most popular character.
Raider
If you primarily play a strength main, then Raider will likely be for you, but it's hard to tell how good he'll actually be. His Totem Stela, summoning a giant rock that ranged characters can safely stand on and pepper enemies, seems totally cracked, but the rest of his abilities rely on taking damage, which isn't something you normally, y'know, want to do.
Sure, he can reduce incoming damage with Retaliate, but would that be enough to mitigate hits from big bosses? It's unclear, but Raider will likely be a good combo with the Recluse and her healing through damage.
Recluse
Nightreign's resident spellcaster, the Recluse, honestly seems like the game's strongest class, though with a high skill ceiling. You might be looking at her abilities above wondering what the hell any of that means. Let me explain: this witch can collect three elemental attributes attached to allies and enemies, combining them to perform different spells.
The sheer number of combinations and making them happen is why the Recluse will likely be the trickiest class to learn, but well worth it. She can also brand enemies and bosses with a blood sigil that returns health and magic to allies as they attack—extremely strong.
Executor
Since the Executor hasn't been officially revealed yet, beyond the recent overview trailer, we don't know their exact abilities. That said, it's pretty clear that they're going to be focused around parrying and deflection and following up with big attacks; potentially a kind of Sekiro-esque class.
From the footage timestamped above, we can see that they wield a katana that looks like it's alive, with little tendrils waving around (maybe they have some attack-based HP recovery like Blasphemous Blade), and a brass-looking set of armour.
Revenant
The Revenant is another character who hasn't been officially revealed, but we do know that they are a summon-based class, conjuring spirit ash creatures, as with the spirit-calling bell in Elden Ring. In this case, it looks like she uses a harp or lyre to create their summons.
Otherwise, the Revenant is doll-like, resembling Ranni to some extent, clad in a dress, a variety of trinkets, and with a crown of flowers adorning her head.