Elden Ring Nightreign Patch 1.03: The Forsaken Hollows DLC

Table of Contents

TL;DR

Update Version: Patch 1.03
Release Date: December 3, 2025 (PC at 6:00 PM EST) / December 4, 2025 (Console at 12:00 AM EST)
DLC Support: The Forsaken Hollows officially launches December 4
New Content: Two new Nightfarers (The Scholar, The Undertaker), new bosses, Shifting Earth area
Key Features: Relic preset naming, improved relic display, expanded co-op compatibility
Balance Changes: Enhanced passive effects, broadened trigger conditions, weapon adjustments

Quick Read: Key Details

Elden Ring Nightreign receives Patch 1.03 on December 3-4, 2025, adding support for The Forsaken Hollows DLC alongside substantial quality-of-life improvements. The update introduces relic preset naming, enhanced character selection displays, improved co-op expedition matching, and numerous balance adjustments to passive effects and relic triggers. Bug fixes address teleportation issues, visual glitches, and skill interruptions across multiple Nightfarer classes.

The Forsaken Hollows DLC: Release Details

Regional Release Times

The Forsaken Hollows launches at different times depending on your platform and region:

PC (East Coast America)

Release: December 3, 2025, at 6:00 PM EST
Early access compared to console versions

Console (PlayStation, Xbox – East Coast America)

Release: December 4, 2025, at 12:00 AM EST
Midnight launch following PC release

Players in other time zones should adjust accordingly. The staggered release means PC players gain approximately six hours of early access to the new content.

What’s Included in The Forsaken Hollows

Two New Nightfarers

The Scholar – New playable character with unique abilities
The Undertaker – Second new character expanding playstyle options

New Boss Encounters Two previously unannounced bosses will challenge players with fresh mechanics and combat patterns, expanding endgame content for experienced players.

Shifting Earth Area A completely new region providing additional exploration opportunities and environmental challenges. This new Shifting Earth offers alternative expedition routes and unique points of interest.

Expanded Enemy Roster The DLC introduces numerous new enemy types scattered throughout expeditions, increasing variety and unpredictability in each run.

New Points of Interest Additional landmarks, secrets, and discoverable locations enhance the exploration aspect that defines the Nightreign experience.

DLC Identification

Players who own The Forsaken Hollows will see confirmation displayed in the lower right corner of the title screen, making it easy to verify ownership before launching expeditions.

Major New Features in Patch 1.03

Relic Management Improvements

Equipped Relics Display in Character Selection The character selection menu now shows currently equipped relics, with the ability to toggle between viewing equipped items and checking their specific effects. This eliminates the need to enter menus mid-expedition to verify loadouts.

Relic Preset Naming System Players can now assign custom names when registering relic presets in the Relic Rites menu. These names can be changed later in the All Presets section, allowing for descriptive labels like “Boss Build,” “Speed Run,” or “Co-op Support.”

Preset Reordering The order of presets for each character can now be rearranged in the All Presets section of the Relic Rites menu. Note that while preset order is customizable, character order itself cannot be changed.

Results Menu Relic Display At the conclusion of expeditions, players can now view the relics equipped by each participant in the Results menu. This feature only applies to sessions played in version 1.02 or later, helping teams analyze successful builds and strategies.

Enhanced Co-op Expedition Matching

Personal Objective Compatibility A significant quality-of-life improvement addresses a frustrating matchmaking limitation. Players with Personal Objectives requiring them to defeat specific targets while Reliving a Remembrance can now embark on Expeditions with players whose Personal Objectives don’t require specific target defeats.

Important Restriction: Personal Objectives that don’t require destroying specific targets will only appear for one player per Expedition, preventing objective conflicts.

UI and Visual Improvements

Flask Count Highlighting The flask count now highlights in two specific situations:

When flask count reaches maximum capacity
When enemy-induced effects that influence flask usage are triggered

This provides clearer feedback during intense combat scenarios where tracking resource availability is critical.

Compass Rune Icon Vertical Positioning The compass now displays vertical positioning for rune icons when dropped runes are significantly above or below the player’s current elevation. This three-dimensional awareness helps players navigate the game’s complex vertical environments when retrieving lost runes.

Map Layer Event Highlighting Players can now highlight specific events occurring on map layers different from their current character location. This aids in coordinating with teammates across Nightreign’s multi-layered environments.

Dormant Power UI Adjustment The Dormant Power selection screen has been modified so HP gauges and other UI elements remain visible during selection, allowing players to make informed decisions without losing awareness of their character’s status.

Shop and Inventory Changes

Adjusted Limveld Shop Weapon Lineup The weapon selection available in Limveld’s shops has been modified, though specific changes aren’t detailed in the patch notes.

Deep Large Scenic Flatstone Added This new item is now available for purchase at the Collector Signboard shop.

Fire Pots in Spirit Shelter Fire Pots have been added to the shop inventory inside the Spirit Shelter, providing easier access to this consumable damage option.

Map Menu Enhancement

Results Menu Map Layer Toggle Players can now toggle the map’s layer display in the Results menu, making it easier to review expedition routes and identify unexplored areas across multiple elevation levels.

Raider Target-Lock Preservation The target-lock on enemies positioned behind the player when Raider’s Ultimate Art tombstone appears no longer automatically releases, maintaining combat flow during this ability.

Balance Adjustments

Philosophy Behind Changes

The patch notes emphasize a general philosophy of broadening trigger conditions for effects that activate at low HP, including relic effects, equipment passive effects, and special effects. This makes these mechanics more accessible and useful across a wider range of gameplay situations.

New Passive Effects

Improved Melee Attack Power A new passive effect specifically enhancing standard melee combat damage.

Improved Dash Attacks Dedicated passive effect boosting the power of dash-initiated attacks, encouraging aggressive mobility-based playstyles.

Improved Rolling Attacks New passive supporting roll-cancel attack strategies, rewarding skillful dodge-into-attack combos.

Enhanced Existing Passive Effects

The following passive effects received power increases:

Improved Attack Power when Two-Handing – Stronger bonus for dedicating both hands to a single weapon
Attack Up when Wielding Two Armaments – Enhanced dual-wielding damage boost
Improved Chain Attack Finishers – Better damage on combo-ending strikes
Improved Charge Attacks – More powerful fully-charged attacks
Improved Jump Attacks – Increased aerial assault damage
Improved Guard Counters – Stronger counterattack damage after successful blocks
Improved Skill Attack Power – Enhanced weapon skill damage across the board
Physical Attack Up – General physical damage increase

Passive Effect Trade-offs

Improved Damage Negation at Low HP

Change: Broadened trigger conditions (activates at higher HP thresholds)
Trade-off: Decreased effectiveness (less damage reduction when active)
Philosophy: More accessible defensive bonus with reduced power to balance increased uptime

Blue-Feathered Branchsword Talisman

Change: Broadened trigger conditions
Trade-off: Decreased effectiveness
Impact: Follows the same philosophy as Improved Damage Negation at Low HP

Relic Effect Improvements

The following relic effects received power increases:

Physical Attack Up – Enhanced damage bonus
Improved Initial Standard Attack – Stronger opening strike in combat sequences
Improved Critical Hits – Higher critical damage multiplier
Improved Guard Counters – Better counterattack power (mirrors passive effect buff)
Improved XXX Damage (excluding bow weapons) – Increased damage for all non-bow weapon types
Improved Attack Power with 3+ XX Equipped (excluding bow weapons) – Stronger set bonus for equipping multiple items of the same category

Relic Effect Trade-off

Improved Damage Negation at Low HP (Relic Version)

Change: Broadened trigger conditions
Trade-off: Decreased effectiveness
Consistency: Matches the passive effect adjustment philosophy

Incantation Buff

Wrath of Gold

FP Consumption: Reduced (more efficient to cast)
Power: Increased (deals more damage per cast)
Impact: Significant viability improvement for Faith-based builds

Bug Fixes and Improvements

Critical Gameplay Bugs Fixed

Augur Invasion Teleportation Bug Fixed an issue where performing a critical hit during the Augur invasion event’s teleportation trigger would prevent proper transport to the battle area, potentially soft-locking progress.

Sites of Grace and Church Activation Issue Mitigated a problem where Sites of Grace or Churches wouldn’t activate under certain conditions, preventing Leveling Up and Adding Charges to Flask. This was a significant progression blocker that’s now resolved.

Night’s Tide Range Desync Corrected a bug where Night’s Tide range would differ from other players’ perspectives upon rejoining a session, causing confusion in co-op coordination.

Missing Hammer Weapons Fixed a bug preventing Hammer weapons with the Prayerful Strike skill from appearing in the game, restoring access to this weapon category.

Nightfarer-Specific Bug Fixes

Ally Healing/Enhancement During Dodges and Ultimate Arts Resolved an issue where effects that heal or enhance allies didn’t apply to characters actively dodging or performing their Ultimate Art, improving support build effectiveness.

Ironeye’s Marking Skill Inconsistency Fixed a problem where weak points created by Ironeye’s Marking skill would appear for some players but not others under certain conditions, ensuring consistent team coordination.

Raider’s Retaliate Skill Interruption Corrected a bug where Raider’s Retaliate skill would be canceled and the character would flinch when receiving zero-damage enemy attacks during skill activation.

Recluse’s Elemental Defense Visual Bug Fixed an issue where affinity residues spawned by Recluse’s Elemental Defense passive ability wouldn’t appear when hit by certain enemy attacks, improving visual feedback.

Executor Parry Stagger Damage Resolved a bug where Stagger damage wasn’t applied when parrying some enemy attacks with Executor, restoring the character’s defensive capabilities.

Enemy Interaction Fixes

Darkness-Imbued Attack Roll Range Corrected the dodge roll range required to avoid some enemies’ darkness-imbued attacks, which was different than intended and causing inconsistent evasion results.

Menu and UI Bug Fixes

Depths Relics Display Bug Fixed a bug in Depths Relics where the “Greenspill Crystal Tear in possession at start of expedition” effect didn’t display properly.

Expedition Menu Deep of Night Gauge Corrected an issue where the gauge indicating Deep of Night rating wasn’t displayed when performing Reduce Depth, causing the subsequent gauge to reflect the rate incorrectly.

Relic Rites Placement Icon Fixed incorrect display of the icon indicating placement in other Vessels within the Relic Rites menu.

Dormant Power Rarity Display Resolved missing rarity UI indicators on equipment and item icons in the Dormant Power selection screen.

Sparring Grounds Sort Function Fixed incorrect FP Consumption sorting in the Sparring Equipment menu and Visual Codex menu when displaying Sorceries and Incantations lists.

Results Menu Weapon Attribute Display Corrected inaccurate reflection of attributes added by Relics to characters’ weapons during Expeditions in the Results menu and Victor’s Record menu.

Special Effects Recording Limit Fixed a bug in the Results menu where special effects held by other players weren’t recorded beyond a certain threshold, ensuring complete data capture.

Session Disbandment Message Loop Resolved an issue where the title screen message confirming return to a session would repeatedly appear after selecting OK if the session disbanded immediately after a player left.

Technical Improvements

Graphical Rendering Issues Fixed various unspecified graphical rendering problems affecting visual quality.

Sound Effect Playback Corrected issues where certain sound effects didn’t play correctly, improving audio feedback.

Text Corrections Updated various text elements for accuracy and clarity throughout the game.

General Performance Improvements Implemented several unspecified performance optimizations and additional bug fixes to enhance overall stability and responsiveness.

Elden Ring Nightreign: Game Overview

Original Release

Elden Ring Nightreign launched on May 30, 2025, as a live-service spinoff of FromSoftware’s critically acclaimed Elden Ring. The game reimagines the Soulsborne formula with a co-op-focused roguelite structure.

Platform Availability

PlayStation 4
PlayStation 5
Xbox One
Xbox Series X/S
PC

Live-Service Model

Since launch, the community has consistently requested additional bosses and Nightfarers to expand the game’s variety. The Forsaken Hollows DLC directly addresses this feedback, demonstrating FromSoftware and Bandai Namco’s responsiveness to player desires.

The Forsaken Hollows Announcement

The DLC was first revealed during Sony’s State of Play Japan broadcast on November 11, 2025, less than a month before its December 4 release—a relatively short marketing window suggesting confidence in the established player base’s enthusiasm.

Community Optimism

With The Forsaken Hollows DLC arriving and Patch 1.03 addressing numerous quality-of-life concerns, balance issues, and bugs, the Elden Ring Nightreign community is feeling optimistic about the game’s future. The combination of substantial new content and meaningful improvements to existing systems demonstrates ongoing developer commitment to the live-service title.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to purchase The Forsaken Hollows DLC to benefit from Patch 1.03?

No. All bug fixes, balance adjustments, quality-of-life improvements, and new features (except DLC-specific content like new Nightfarers and bosses) are available to all players regardless of DLC ownership. Only the new areas, characters, and bosses require purchasing The Forsaken Hollows.

Why does PC get The Forsaken Hollows six hours earlier than consoles?

The staggered release reflects different platform certification and deployment processes. PC platforms typically allow more flexible release timing, while console releases often align with regional midnight launches. This pattern is common across many multi-platform releases.

Will my relic presets from before Patch 1.03 be preserved?

Yes. The patch notes don’t mention any reset to existing relic configurations. The new naming and reordering features are additions to the existing preset system, not replacements, so your current loadouts should remain intact with the option to customize their names and order.

Can I play with friends who don’t own The Forsaken Hollows if I do?

While the patch notes don’t explicitly address cross-DLC-ownership play, typical live-service implementations allow players with and without DLC to play together in base game content, with DLC-specific content (new Nightfarers, bosses, areas) restricted to DLC owners. Check official Bandai Namco communications for confirmation of this policy.

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