The Forsaken Hollows update expands Nightreign with a large amount of new end-game content, new Nightfarers, new bosses, new areas, new shifting mechanics, and multiple new activity types. This Elden Ring Nightreign Forsaken Hollows DLC Starter Guide walks you through everything you need to know to prepare for the DLC, unlock its content, and understand the major systems before diving into your first expedition.
Elden Ring Nightreign Forsaken Hollows DLC Starter Guide
Forsaken Hollows launches on December 4th, and the release window varies by platform:
- Console: Almost every region receives it at midnight local time.
- PC: A unified global timing equivalent to 8 AM JST, adjusted to your region.
One important early note is that no new weapons or weapon types appear to be part of this DLC. They were not present in trailers, preview footage, or interviews. If anything does get quietly added in the launch patch, it would be separate from the DLC itself.
How to Unlock the DLC Content
Before you can access the new expedition bosses or the new Nightfarers, you must complete a few prerequisites:
- Defeat the first expedition and take down Gladius as a Night Lord.
Almost every active player already has this cleared, but it is the official entry requirement. - Speak to the Iron Menial NPC, who will redirect you to the Small Jar Bazaar NPC.
This begins the Forsaken Hollows unlocking process and allows access to the new expedition targets.
From this point forward, you gain access to the new end-of-expedition bosses, which the DLC now refers to as Abominations rather than Night Lords.
New End-of-Expedition Bosses (Abominations)
The Balancers (Seven Sisters Fight)
- First phase: You fight all seven at once, managing overlapping AoEs and constant pressure.
- Second phase: They fuse into a single, more traditional boss.
This entire fight is part of the new Balancers expedition.
Unnamed Giant Dragonkin Abomination
- Appears to be a towering dragonkin soldier with a hammer or mace.
- The battlefield seems heavily status-focused.
- Strong possibility of Scarlet Rot or even Deathblight, judging from the effects shown.
- Likely features a dramatic second phase.
Returning and Bonus Bosses
Many iconic bosses from previous Soulsborne titles return as Night bosses:
- Demon in Pain & Demon From Below (DS3 Ringed City) – Night 1 boss pool.
- Knight Artorias (DS1 DLC) – Night 2 boss pool.
- Dancing Lion, Cursed Blade, Divine Beast Warrior (Shadow of the Erdtree).
- Mogh, Lord of Blood, functioning as a Night boss.
In addition, two new red-circle invasion events are added:
- Gladius invasion (one of the three dogs).
- Calico invasion, which blankets the map with frosty miasma until defeated.
New Enemy Types and Activities
Swamps (New Activity Zones)
These appear throughout the new region and come in multiple variants:
- Sleep Swamps
- Poison Swamps
- Madness Swamps
- Scarlet Rot Swamps
Swamps feel like late day-one objectives. Enter them around expedition level 4–5.
Forges (New Town-Style Combat Zones)
Forges function as combat arenas with a boss inside, but they include a powerful benefit:
- They allow you to reroll the Ash of War on any weapon that accepts customizable Ashes.
- They do not work on staves, seals, or unique weapons.
Great for creating an early weapon upgrade.
The Great Hollow – Massive New Shifting Earth
The Great Hollow is a completely new Shifting Earth that transforms the map far more dramatically than previous versions. Preview players described it as feeling like an entirely new map, not a small modification.
Key features:
- Much more vertical, with constant opportunities to drop or climb.
- Requires destroying multiple scattered crystals before accessing the central one.
- Introduces a debuff named Crystal Curse, cutting your max HP in half until shifting objectives are completed.
This shifting earth is expected to become a defining part of end-game exploration.
New Relic Effects and Spellcasting Changes
A translated Japanese preview stream suggested a significant new relic category:
- Relic effects that change starting spells for staff/seal Nightfarers.
This mirrors the existing system for changing starting Ashes of War and introduces far more build variety for spellcasters.
New Nightfarer: The Scholar
A support-focused character built around item mastery, buffing allies, and battlefield analysis.
Passive: Bagcraft
- Holds twice as many consumables per slot.
- Items can be leveled through use.
- Level 2: Stronger raw effects.
- Level 3: Adds special bonus effects (e.g., lightning pots strike twice, fire pots leave flame pools).
If this applies to reusable tools (like Wraithcalling Bell), Scholar could become extremely powerful.
Character Skill: Analyze
A stance that charges based on distance and applies effects to allies or enemies.
Enemy debuff options:
- Level 1: Reduces enemy damage.
- Level 2: Further damage reduction.
- Level 3: Next hit they take deals ~60% bonus damage.
Ally buff options:
- Level 1: Stamina recovery.
- Level 2: Stronger stamina buff.
- Level 3: A temporary shield that detonates when struck.
Ultimate Art: Communion
- Links enemies (shared damage).
- Links allies (shared healing).
Extremely strong in coordinated team play.
Weapon Proficiency: Thrusting Swords
- Excellent synergy with Arcane status buildup.
- Antspur Rapier becomes a core choice.
Scaling:
- S Arcane
- B HP, FP, Stamina
- C Faith, Dex, Int
- D Strength
Scholar-Specific Relics:
- Faster or unaffected skill charging.
- Allies buffed by Analyze gain attack power.
- Earn runes per analyzed target.
- Continuous damage on Communion-linked enemies.
New Nightfarer: The Undertaker
Designed as a hyper-mobile bruiser with extreme synergy between mobility, poise, and ultimate abilities. Likely to become one of the most popular characters.
Character Skill: Trance
For 10 seconds:
- Dodge becomes a long-range dash step with high i-frames.
- Movement speed rises to surge-sprint levels without stamina cost.
- Poise increases.
- Damage increases further if a full light-attack chain is completed.
Combines mobility, offense, and trading power.
Ultimate Art: Loathsome Hex
- A high-speed lunge with full i-frames.
- Massive range and easy accuracy.
- Deals extremely high damage.
- When used during Trance, she gains even more buffs, including a lethal-blow protection effect similar to Wilder’s passive.
Passive: Confluence
Any time another Nightfarer uses their ultimate art, Undertaker gets a free bonus cast of her own ultimate.
Important notes:
- This bonus never auto-charges your ult; it’s a pure extra cast.
- If your ult is already full, you can fire two in a row.
- Does not chain infinitely between two Undertakers.
Weapon Proficiency: Hammers
Light attack chain is shorter than standard hammers, which pairs well with her skill effects.
Scaling:
- A Strength, Faith
- B HP
- C FP, Stamina
- D Dex, Int
Undertaker-Specific Relics:
- Activating ultimate increases attack.
- Passing through allies with the ultimate heals them.
- Completing a light-attack chain grants attack power.
- Stronger physical damage while under self-buffing incantations.