Elden Ring Nightreign Patch Didn't Stop at a Deep of Night Easy Button—It Buffs Players and Kneecaps Bosses

No need to git gud: a surge of AI assistants is turning grind into a button press, letting newcomers ship and champions seethe—and forcing a reckoning over what counts as skill.

Nightreign has only been out since May, but FromSoftware and Bandai Namco are already sanding down the roughest edges of its new multiplayer roguelike experiment. The Deep of Night mode they dropped earlier this month was a vicious spike in difficulty. Patch 1.02.3 is the studio saying: fine, we hear you — here is an optional lifeline, plus a pile of buffs and some smart boss nerfs.

Quick catch-up: what Deep of Night actually is

Deep of Night arrived right after Nightreign’s biggest patch to date, pitched as a high-difficulty expedition with tougher enemies and a Nightlord boss whose identity stays hidden until you actually start the run. It is unapologetically mean. So mean that this new update basically adds Nightreign’s first real 'easy button': you can voluntarily drop your Depth — the mode’s difficulty tier — to make a run more manageable.

Patch 1.02.3: what changes right now

Bandai Namco says patch 1.02.3 is live, and it is not just about that Depth drop. The notes are heavy on balance tweaks — plenty of player-side love, plus some targeted nerfs to night versions of certain bosses that were brick-walling runs.

• [Feature] You can lower your Deep of Night Depth level by one tier, on purpose, if you want an easier go.
• [Buff] Most weapon types hit harder: strong and dash attacks now deal more attack power and more stagger damage.
• [Buff] Dual-wielding Thrusting Swords gets a bump to stagger on jump attacks.
• [Buff] The 'Improved Skill Attack Power (+1, +2)' passives are stronger across the board.
• [Buff/Quality-of-life] Gradual Restoration Flask now gives a small instant heal on use, not just the slow trickle. (As someone who constantly plays chicken with my HP bar, yes please.)
• [Nerf] Night boss versions of Ancient Dragon, The Duke's Dear Freja, Tibia Mariner, and Great Wyrm have reduced HP.
• [Nerf] Valiant Gargoyle is easier to stagger and has less HP.
• [Nerf] In Deep of Night, during an Everdark Sovereign 'Augur' Expedition, 'Maris, Fathom of Night' has reduced HP and attack power.

That Depth drop is the headline because it is unusual for FromSoft to add a clear, opt-in difficulty release valve — even if it is just one tier at a time. The rest is the kind of tuning you want in a roguelike loop: your attacks feel meatier, stagger windows open up more often, and a few outlier bosses stop devouring entire evenings.

The vibe from players

Judging by the chatter, most Nightfarers agree Deep of Night is no joke, so these changes will likely land as welcome relief. Will it spark a fresh round of 'git gud' debates? Probably. But when the mode’s whole pitch is 'harder,' smoothing the spikes without dulling the blade seems like the right call.

Meanwhile, about Bloodborne...

If you were hoping this momentum meant good news elsewhere in the FromSoft universe, brace yourself. A notable insider poured cold water on remake/PC/anything hopes with this:

'nothing is happening with Bloodborne, so don't expect that'