Elden Ring Nightreign Reimagines a Classic Fromsoftware Gimmick for Everdark Sovereign Augur

Elden Ring Nightreign has brought out its second wave of Everdark Sovereigns, with the first being a re-imagined Augur expedition, and it comes with a classic FromSoftware twist. While Maris, Fathom of Night, has not really been one of the community’s favorite Nightreign Nightlord bosses, it is one of the most serene, and the Everdark version of the fight amplifies that feeling of cosmic otherworldliness.

Upon being defeated rather easily, the sky overhead darkens, the stars emerge, and the real fight begins. Maris is larger than ever, like a dark star plucked from the sky, and is even more reminiscent of the Elden Beast than before. But players will have quickly noticed that this time, they have a lot of health, far too much in fact, and something doesn’t quite feel right. Then, a teammate starts firing off enormous waves of magic, projectiles that seem far more powerful than any single spell in Elden Ring Nightreign, and that’s when Augur’s gimmick is put on full display, and some fans of past games will recognize exactly what is going on.

FromSoftware’s Storm Ruler Gimmick Is Back in Elden Ring Nightreign’s Augur Fight, and It’s a Sight to Behold

More than likely, a number of players will have beaten Maris’ first phase and noticed something strange – there was a weapon drop, but it held only one item, a golden version of their Nightfarers’ starting weapon. Considering it doesn’t look particularly special, they may have ignored it until teammates started firing off those aforementioned blue streaks, and everything fell into place. But once acquired, the fight becomes this beautiful dance of a dark cosmic entity versus glistening arcs of blue, and much like Caligo’s boss fight, it becomes quite cinematic.

The Everdark Sovereign Augur fight is Nightreign’s answer to the Storm Ruler gimmick, a classic weapon of FromSoftware tradition that first appeared in Demon’s Souls. In that game, players challenging the Storm King boss needed the weapon just to be able to hit the enormous flying enemy, and it was an idea that has stuck with FromSoftware ever since. In Dark Souls 3, players facing Yhorm the Giant would race for the Storm Ruler, charging it up to unleash waves of wind upon Yhorm. Though it didn’t appear in Sekiro, the Divine Dragon relied on a similar gimmick, as it was taken down purely through lightning deflects. Even Elden Ring had a version of the fight, as Rykard’s famously large health bar can only be safely challenged by the conveniently located Serpent Hunter spear.

Everdark Sovereign Augur Is a Good Way of Elevating a Bad Fight With a Good Gimmick

Augur is often considered the weakest boss in Nightreign, and when it isn’t weak, it’s frustrating, as many melee characters can struggle to get to grips with it flying all around the arena. But the Everdark Sovereign version of the fight finds a way to elevate it into something that isn’t necessarily more challenging, but is definitely much more satisfying.

There’s a serenity to the fight rarely found in Nightreign, and while gimmick bosses don’t usually rank well for FromSoftware’s best boss fights, this is one of the rare occasions where the experience is made better by one. Augur is the fourth boss in the game to receive the Everdark Sovereign treatment, and over the next few weeks, three more will be given the same treatment, although it’s unlikely that there will be any more gimmicks again.

Elden Ring Nightreign

9/10

Released

May 30, 2025

Multiplayer

Online Co-Op

Number of Players

1-3

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

PC Release Date

May 30, 2025