With Patch 1.01.1 just out for Elden Ring: Nightreign, brought to you by Bandai Namco, the players are inundated with fixes and issues that need to be spot on regarding gameplay and stability. Most of the things in the patch were meant for solo expeditions and bug fixes. But judging by multiplayer issues still occupying players’ concerns, they don’t seem to be working as well as intended.
Some of the very earliest notes on patch changes involve improvements in game stability; bug fixes are always welcome. The meat of this patch, however, is the adjustment of the solo expeditions that solo players have been begging for since launch. So, in an unprecedented moment, one player by the name of Clue proclaimed his first-ever solo run to the final boss with a loud “THEY FIXED IT BOYSSS” in all-caps, as if they just cashed a huge lotto jackpot. We want to see that type of spirit.
But that new-bottle-knocking-back vibe is definitely not going to catch some enough for immediate nation-wide appeal. The reply tweets brought the complaints about the “Kill X Nightlord” kind of matchmaking; Nemora said, “It’s literally impossible to queue into,” and Charm said waiting times are upwards of 15+ minutes just for a match. Sir Glaux also added that the matchmaking would get stuck at 1/3 of players, so you had to restart the entire thing to get it sorted. Ouch, bro.
And then came the privacy talk: crossplay. Or rather, goodbye crossplay in the state it currently exists. Several folks, Ayrandros included, corrected that: cross-platform support and better communication options are at the top of their lists (voice chat, when??). Jhonny even asked “So still no duos and no crossplay?” like they’d insulted all their past hopes. Brian seems almost certain that crossplay is not going to happen anytime soon-if at all-and, well, from FromSoftware’s side of things, that actually makes sense.
PS5 players aren’t happy about that one, either. AD asked if the atrocious frame drops on PlayStation 5 were fixed (no mention in patch notes, so maybe not lame). Veenomoos pleaded for matchmaking fixes of some kind for the PlayStation flock. Meanwhile, Rich Noto-Realtor-Inspector-Notary-Florida (that really is their full handle) ranted about save checkpoints and mission fails that, honestly? So valid.
A few positives have at least rolled their way onto the list, though. Cavalier Village described Nightreign as “pretty decent” but wants the forthcoming patch to address, among other things, fog mechanics. And hey, there was at least one player who has finally put that One Way Boss behind him: SweetPeachGames has triumphantly celebrated that victory, admitting, “I let the rage consume me.” A vibe.
So, what does that leave us with? Patch 1.01.1 is tracking well, particularly for solo players; however, that hasn’t stopped the multiplayer artists from craving fixes. Broken matchmaking, illusory crossplay, and platform-specific woes are all still a thing. Will Bandai Namco actually shove them into fixes in the near future? In due time. So for now, at least the solo lot has buffed expeditions to play with while everyone else is back thumping wailing on that queue button and praying to the gods of matchmaking.
