One day after the landmark patch dropped, active players have surged 60%. The community is already discovering hidden boss encounters and secret Torment-tier rewards.
FromSoftware's Elden Ring: Nightreign Update 1.5 has proven to be a massive hit with the player base. According to SteamDB data, concurrent player counts for Nightreign spiked over 60% within 24 hours of the patch going live, reaching numbers not seen since the expansion's launch week. The headline Boss Rush mode is being credited as the primary driver of this resurgence.
The community has wasted no time in probing the new mode's depths. Players have already discovered that the "Torment" difficulty tier — the hardest available — contains unique boss combinations not found anywhere else in the game. A notable find includes a back-to-back encounter with Malenia and a buffed version of Starscourge Radahn, a sequence that has been dubbed "The Nightmare Gauntlet" by the community.
Speedrunners have already begun optimizing Boss Rush runs. The current world record for clearing all three difficulty tiers sits at just under 48 minutes, set by prominent Soulsborne speedrunner "GinoMachino." The Torment tier exclusive rewards, including a new incantation called "Radahn's Descent" and a unique golden lion helm, have become highly sought-after cosmetic items.
Beyond the mode itself, players have also been testing the weapon balance changes in the patch. Greataxe users are reporting noticeably improved performance in both PvE and PvP, with the 12% damage buff making weapons like the "Great Omenkiller Cleaver" significantly more competitive. The Flail buffs have been well-received too, with several content creators publishing "Flail-only" challenge run videos showing the newly viable moveset.
FromSoftware has remained characteristically quiet about any upcoming fixes or balance adjustments, but the positive reception to Update 1.5 suggests the team's focus on community-requested features is paying dividends. The Tarnished Edition for Nintendo Switch 2 continues development, with industry insiders suggesting a late 2026 release window remains likely.
For players looking to dive into Boss Rush, a recommended approach is to first clear the Standard difficulty to familiarize yourself with encounter patterns, then equip a balanced build — quality/faith hybrids are performing exceptionally well across all three tiers based on early data. We'll continue tracking new discoveries and strategies as the community explores further.