Elden Ring Nightreign Class Ability Tier List: Best Character Skills

Nightreign DLC brings a fresh and intense multiplayer experience to Elden Ring, and with it comes a diverse set of character skills that can shape the tide of battle. Some class abilities provide strong utility, while others focus purely on dealing raw damage. Below is a ranked list of the best character skills in Elden Ring Nightreign, evaluating their effectiveness in both solo and team play.

Elden Ring Nightreign Character Tier List - Best Class Abilities

During the Elden Ring Nightreign playtest, four Nightfarers (classes) were available, offering distinct playstyles and strengths. Recluse, the only spellcaster, struggled due to FP management issues and reliance on finding the right spells, making her the most challenging to play effectively. Duchess, a dexterity-based class, excelled in speed and bloodloss buildup, though she had trouble against heavily armored enemies. Guardian, the tankiest Nightfarer, could absorb massive damage while still dealing solid offense, making him ideal for beginners. Lastly, Wylder was a powerhouse with great mobility and devastating two-handed attacks, offering a balanced mix of offense and survivability. While Recluse was the weakest in the playtest, Duchess was solidly A-tier, and both Guardian and Wylder earned S-tier rankings for their overall effectiveness.

Now, let’s examine the best character skills in Elden Ring Nightreign, ranking them based on their utility, power, and impact in both solo and team play.

1 - Restage (Duchess's Signature Ability)

This is the boss shredder—if you want nightly bosses to go down fast, you need a Duchess on your team.

It’s almost comical how obvious it is that Restage will be nerfed multiple times. Even if it gets hit with balancing changes, the ability is so fundamentally strong that it will still be a must-pick.

Reage replays all damage that an enemy has taken in the past two seconds. That may not sound like much, but in a fast-paced combat system, two seconds is an eternity. Against stance-broken enemies, this ability amplifies damage to absurd levels.

A simple strategy? Find the strongest player in the match, stick to them, and wait for them to deal massive damage. As soon as they do, activate Reage, and the speedrun takes care of itself.

2 - Wings of Salvation

Every time this ability is used, it proves just how well it integrates with Nightreign’s mechanics. It’s essentially Storm Assault on steroids, combining high mobility, strong AoE damage, and support capabilities.

One of its best aspects is that it allows a tank-class character to still deal solid damage, avoiding the common MMO trap where tanks are limited to just standing still and absorbing hits.

Additionally, area-of-effect attacks are king in Nightreign since teammates can be revived simply by hitting them. Wings of Salvation capitalizes on this, as its dive-bomb attack revives allies while also providing a damage reduction aura if you hold the AL button after landing.

It’s hard to find a situation where this move is bad. The only way to mess it up would be to intentionally spike yourself into the ground.

3 - Magic Cocktail

This ability is insanely versatile, offering a variety of effects based on the combination of magic orbs used:

• Three Magic Orbs → Massive magic missile for raw damage

• Three Fire Orbs → Large fire AoE with lingering burn effect

• Three Lightning Orbs → Enhanced dodging

• Gravity Bomb, Ice Effects, and More → Additional effects still being tested

There’s no official guide explaining how to optimize Magic Cocktail, making it one of the most fun abilities to experiment with. While it may not be the strongest in terms of raw damage output, it is easily the most well-designed skill in the game so far. If this is the level of creativity in Nightreign’s abilities, the future looks promising.

4 - Finale (Duchess's Ultimate Ability)

Finale is an invisibility ability that allows Duchess to disappear mid-fight, even if an enemy is already locked onto her. Attacking doesn’t break stealth, making it an excellent tool for setting up surprise damage.

Initially, it seemed ideal for clearing camps quickly, but the long charge time makes it impractical outside of nightly boss fights. Even with minor bosses, a bit of teamwork is enough to clear them without relying on Finale.

It would be great if it lasted longer during boss fights, but considering Duchess's overall strength, it’s understandable why it doesn’t.

5 - Onslaught Stake

This ability is pure damage—no utility, no tricks, just a massive hit with an equally massive cooldown. If you catch an enemy at the right moment, this can deal an enormous amount of burst damage.

One bad idea? Thinking it can revive teammates by dealing damage. Tested or not, that’s just not how it works. However, if coordinated properly—especially with Duchess’s Reage—it can annihilate anything that isn’t a nightly boss in a single strike.

6 - Soulblood Song

This ability requires strong team coordination to use effectively since the summoned aura disappears almost immediately. When playing with random teammates, getting everyone to use it efficiently is a challenge, making it primarily a solo ability in most cases.

Against bosses, it's risky—teammates are often too focused on survival to take full advantage of it. However, during pre-boss encounters, it can be a useful tool to restore health before stepping into the final fight of the night.

If you’re playing with a coordinated team, Soulblood Song has the potential to shift the momentum of a match, but in most cases, it’s best treated as a personal sustain tool rather than a team-wide buff.

7 - Claw Shot

Expectations weren't high for Claw Shot, but it turned out to be surprisingly useful. Its main benefits include faster traversal and stunning smaller enemies, making it easier to line up attacks or prevent foes from overwhelming teammates.

Unexpectedly, Claw Shot also counters scarabs extremely well, breaks enemy guards, and zips you toward larger enemies to close the distance quickly. While not flashy, its fast cooldown and consistent utility make it a solid pick. However, it feels like Wilder needs this ability to compensate for his lack of ranged options.

One minor quirk: if you’re locked onto an enemy but move to the side, the grapple fires in the direction you're running instead of toward the target. It doesn’t provide any major advantage, but it does look cool.

8 - Whirlwind

At first glance, Whirlwind appears underwhelming, dealing roughly the same damage as a standard R1 attack with a heavier weapon. The Guardian already has Shield Bash, which is a strong enough stun to control even larger enemies. Unless you plan to drop your shield for a better weapon in Elden Ring while still wanting a quick knockdown, Whirlwind doesn’t bring much to the table.

That said, it does have some defensive utility—allowing a window for healing when a teammate is on the brink of death or supporting allies in key moments. Instead of using it as an engagement tool, it works better in a defensive support role. Ultimately, this ability reinforces the Guardian's role as the team’s backbone, much like an old football coach watching over his buddy’s kids for the weekend.

Nightreign introduces a wide range of abilities, each offering unique advantages. Some skills thrive in coordinated team play, while others function better in solo situations. While Reage stands as the undisputed best ability for boss fights, other skills like Wings of Salvation and Magic Cocktail shine in versatility and utility. On the other hand, abilities like Whirlwind struggle to find a clear identity, making them situational at best. No matter your playstyle, Nightreign ensures that every character has a role to play, and with the right skill set, you can dominate the battlefield.