Elden Ring Nightreign DLC's Great Hollow Map Sparks Player Backlash
One month and a half into the release of the Elden Ring: Nightreign DLC, titled "The Forsaken Hollows," players are expressing significant frustration, primarily directed at the new map introduced in the content. While new Nightfarers, end bosses, and night bosses were anticipated additions, the Great Hollow map, a Shifting Earth event, has become a major point of contention, leading to a surge of negative Steam reviews and widespread player dissatisfaction.
The Great Hollow: A Shifting Earth Event Unlike Any Other
The Great Hollow is classified as a Shifting Earth event, a feature that alters the existing map during boss fights. However, unlike other Shifting Earths that modify only a portion of the map, the Great Hollow fundamentally transforms the entire area. Familiar landmarks like the central castle, the ravine, the southern lake, and the northern cliffs are completely absent. Instead, the map centers around a colossal crystal that appears to have crash-landed, creating a landscape of fragmented cliffs and multiple levels.
A Multi-Level Maze of Ruins and Structures
Within this new topography, players encounter ruins, enemies, and familiar structures like churches, forts, and mines. Navigating this multi-level map requires careful use of the game's spirit springs to descend to lower levels or ascend to higher ones. This verticality adds complexity to route planning, a crucial aspect of Nightreign gameplay.
The Crystal-Centric Gameplay Mechanic
The central crystal in the Great Hollow offers a significant party buff, proving invaluable during challenging boss fights. However, accessing this buff involves locating and breaking several smaller, colored crystals scattered throughout the map. The locations of these smaller crystals change with each attempt, adding another layer of unpredictability to the gameplay experience.
Player Frustration: Confusion and Dangerous Pits
Player discontent stems from several factors. The multi-level design makes it difficult to plan an effective route for a run, impacting the team's ability to acquire resources, strengthen their characters, and progress through the content. The need to locate and break the smaller crystals further complicates this planning, as their locations are randomized.
The Bottomless Pit Problem
Perhaps the most significant source of frustration is the presence of a large, bottomless pit running through parts of the map's center. Unlike Elden Ring's core gameplay, Nightreign does not feature fall damage. This design choice encourages a more aggressive, less cautious playstyle, involving sprinting, jumping, and even climbing cliffs. However, the Great Hollow's bottomless pit presents a constant, unpredictable threat. While falling off the map's edge or into the lava pit of the Crater Shifting Earth are relatively easy to avoid, the Great Hollow's pit is more pervasive and difficult to navigate around, leading to frequent accidental deaths and failed runs.
Community Reaction and Developer Response
The combination of confusing map design and the dangerous bottomless pit has resulted in a wave of negative reviews on Steam. Players express their dissatisfaction with the map's layout, the difficulty in planning routes, and the frustration caused by accidental falls into the pit. While the DLC introduced new content and challenges, the Great Hollow has proven to be a significant obstacle for many players, impacting their overall enjoyment of the Nightreign experience.
Looking Ahead: Will Future Updates Address Player Concerns?
As players continue to navigate the challenges of the Great Hollow, the community awaits potential updates or adjustments from FromSoftware. Whether the developers will address the map's design, the pit's presence, or the overall player experience remains to be seen. In the meantime, the Great Hollow stands as a significant point of contention for Elden Ring: Nightreign players, highlighting the delicate balance between introducing new challenges and maintaining a fair and enjoyable gameplay experience.
For more updates on Elden Ring and other gaming news, stay tuned to Everything.com.