Elden Ring Nightreign Raider Class Hands-On | IGN First

Elden Ring shines by offering diverse playstyles, and my personal favorite involves maxing out Strength,wielding colossal weapons, and demolishing enemies with devastating jumping attacks and charged heavy strikes. If this resonates with you, meet Nightreign's Raider (featured in the video below).

Unlike the Guardian – another tanky class specializing in massive weapons but oriented toward defense with shield-based abilities and team damage mitigation – the Raider is engineered purely for offensive dominance.

The Raider's crown jewel is Retaliate. At first glance, this two-stomp maneuver dealing modest physical and poise damage seems underwhelming. However, its true power lies in the Raider's passive: complete knockdown immunity during execution. This transforms Retaliate into a fearless damage-absorption tool, letting you tank even boss attacks while converting the second stomp into a bone-crushing punch capable of staggering giants – provided you've absorbed significant incoming damage.

Then comes Totem Stela, the Raider's ultimate. Ground-slam this ability to summon a massive damage-dealing totem that reshapes battles. Like all Nightreign ultimates, it's game-changing. Beyond its AoE devastation, the totem serves as climbable terrain for tactical repositioning and grants team-wide damage bonuses. Its dual offensive/support nature makes early team coordination essential.

Among Nightreign's classes, none delivered more sheer enjoyment than the Raider.

New Raiders begin with the Greavtaxe – a respectable fire-damage weapon featuring the "Endure" skill as backup when Retaliate cools down. Still, upgrading to heavier Strength-scaling weapons becomes crucial as nightfall intensifies.

The Raider stands out as Nightreign's most thrilling class, particularly excelling in solo combat – fitting given its gladiator-style Remembrance battles (details coming later this month).

This concludes our Nightreign class previews. Throughout this month, expect detailed mechanical breakdowns, developer interviews, and more IGN First coverage.