Elden Ring: Nightreign - Ironeye Hands-On Preview - IGN

If you're a fan of Elden Ring, you know the bow has always been more of a support weapon—great for pulling aggro, weakening enemies from afar, or farming those ever-elusive bird runes. However, in Nightreign, the Ironeye turns this dynamic completely upside down. This class makes the bow the centerpiece of its playstyle, offering a unique experience that stands out among the other eight classes. Watch the exclusive gameplay video featuring the Ironeye below to see it in action.

One of the first things you'll notice when playing as the Ironeye is their squishy nature. While they can wield any weapon, having a bow on hand is essential. Staying out of harm's way is key, as even a few hits can knock you down, especially early on. Thankfully, your starting bow is quite capable. It delivers decent damage and features Mighty Shot as its skill, allowing you to strike from incredible distances, deal extra damage, and even apply some poise damage.

It’s worth noting that bows in Nightreign have undergone significant changes. They fire faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting a locked-on enemy. Gone are the days of worrying about arrow supplies—you’re stuck with the arrow type your bow starts with, but this change eliminates constant inventory management. Other improvements include new animations for rolling shots, acrobatic moves like wall runs followed by arrow releases, faster movement while manually aiming, and a strong attack that fires a spread of three arrows, hitting multiple targets at once. You can even backstab or perform visceral attacks on downed enemies using arrows.

The Ironeye’s main skill, Marking, is a swift dashing dagger attack that passes through enemies, leaving a mark that amplifies all incoming damage. With a short cooldown, you can keep this buff active on bosses with proper timing. It’s also an excellent mobility tool, letting you slip through enemies to escape dangerous situations.

Their ultimate ability, Single Shot, is a single powerful arrow blast. Think of it as Mighty Shot amplified. Charging it takes time, but you’re invincible during the animation, and upon firing, it deals massive damage, piercing through almost anything in its path. This makes it perfect for clearing groups of enemies.

Where the Ironeye truly shines in a squad is their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving works by attacking a fallen ally to reduce a partitioned circle above them. Once emptied, the ally returns to life. Most classes must get close, risking their own safety, or use mana-intensive spells, but the Ironeye can do it remotely without expending resources. This ability is invaluable, often deciding the success or failure of a run. However, reviving allies requiring all three partitions becomes challenging due to the Ironeye’s limited long-range damage output, unless they use their ultimate solely for revival.

Though they may not match the raw damage output of other classes, the Ironeye’s contributions are undeniable. From boosting team damage with their Marking ability, increasing item drops with their passive, and wielding a versatile bow, the Ironeye offers unmatched utility among Nightreign’s classes.