FromSoftware owns up to its swamp addiction as Elden Ring Nightreign adds yet another, director insists it just kind of happens: "It's just sort of taken a life of its own"

1. Games
2. Action RPGs
3. Elden Ring Nightreign

FromSoftware owns up to its swamp addiction as Elden Ring Nightreign adds yet another, director insists it just kind of happens: "It's just sort of taken a life of its own" News By Anthony McGlynn published 2 December 2025

Junya Ishizaki, Nightreign's director, says, "It's not like there's a rule"

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Bandai Namco)

There are a few things you can count on in a FromSoftware game: inscrutable lore, lots of dying, and a swamp. There's always a swamp, and though late to the party, Elden Ring Nightreign is no exception. New DLC The Forsaken Hollows has brought on some swampy marshland, and even the devs are in the joke at this point.

Wandering around Limveld post-The Forsaken Hollows, you'll notice some muddy, toxic areas that'll poison you or inflict several other status ailments. These parts of the map are as tricksy as Blighttown or Valley of Defilement, and should be treated with caution. The team is conscious of FromSoft's reputation here, but it really is just a quirk of how they design games.

"We're definitely aware of the [swamp] meme," Junya Ishizaki, Nightreign's director, tells GameSpot. "It's not like there's a rule or any sort of policy here where it's like we have to have a swamp in there, but it always seems to be [that before you realize] someone's come up with the idea, it's already sort of in there, and it's just sort of taken a life of its own."

You may like

• Team Cherry finally answers to the crimes of Silksong's Bilewater: "We just love a big swamp. We wanted some kind of poison status for ages"
• Elden Ring Nightreign stats reveal FromSoftware survivorship bias, suggesting its "most deadly" world bosses had their numbers padded by bruised loot goblins
• Elden Ring Nightreign's The Forsaken Hollows DLC teases a boss fight against 7 enemies, and the community is living in fear: "This fight is either gonna be one of the best, or one of the worst"

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN The Forsaken Hollows | Undertaker Character Trailer - YouTube Watch On

To be fair, these toxified marshes do tend to be quite different from one another. The Ashina Depths in Sekiro are a separate mutation to BloodBorne's Nightmare Frontier, and they're a contrast again to Farron Keep in Dark Souls 3. There are tropes - frustrating enemies and some truly annoying heath-draining side-effects - but they do feel distinct from one another.

"The main game for Nightreign did not have a swamp, so I do see what you mean now, having it added after the fact with the DLC," Ishiazaki adds. "But yeah, it's definitely one of those things that [it] always just seems like [our game] ends up with a swamp. Even if there's not a specific rule like, 'Oh yeah, we have to put that in there,' [that's] just always how it kind of ends up."

The Forsaken Hollows comes out December 4, bringing two new Nightfarers with which to trudge through Limveld's newfound murky depths.

Elden Ring Nightreign stats reveal FromSoftware survivorship bias, suggesting its "most deadly" world bosses had their numbers padded by bruised loot goblins

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. TOPICS Bandai Namco FromSoftware CATEGORIES PC Gaming Xbox Series X PS5 Platforms Xbox PlayStation Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Team Cherry finally answers to the crimes of Silksong's Bilewater: "We just love a big swamp. We wanted some kind of poison status for ages"    Elden Ring Nightreign stats reveal FromSoftware survivorship bias, suggesting its "most deadly" world bosses had their numbers padded by bruised loot goblins    Elden Ring Nightreign's The Forsaken Hollows DLC teases a boss fight against 7 enemies, and the community is living in fear: "This fight is either gonna be one of the best, or one of the worst"    "I felt like playing 30 hours of story mode was actually the tutorial": Too many RPGs and JRPGs end after their combat really gets good, Vampire Survivors creator says, which is where the roguelike formula is so great    Silksong's first area was only added after Team Cherry realized it needed a softer intro: "We're trying to be kind of respectful to the player. We're not trying to baby them"    2 hours in, and Hollow Knight Silksong is already making me feel like I'm playing Dark Souls for the first time again    Latest in Action RPGs After a quiet flop and some very loud industry-wide implosion, Shovel Knight dev really needs its new Game Boy-style soulslike to break through: "If we sold, like, 100,000, that's not so good"    When does the Elden Ring Nightreign Forsake Hollows update release?    Elden Ring Nightreign stats reveal FromSoftware survivorship bias, suggesting its "most deadly" world bosses had their numbers padded by bruised loot goblins    How to solve the Where Winds Meet wall puzzle    Everything we know about the Elden Ring Nightreign Scholar so far    Where Winds Meet players find a way to skip side quests by manipulating the MMO's AI chatbot NPCs into just giving over the goods instead    Latest in News FromSoftware owns up to its swamp addiction as Elden Ring Nightreign adds yet another, director insists it just kind of happens: "It's just sort of taken a life of its own"    6 of the best new shows and movies streaming this week on Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and more (December 2–December 7)    Player count collapse? Roadmap? Buddy, we've got bigger problems, Dune: Awakening player decides, making it his life's goal to get the MMO's "useless" melee combat fixed    In the nick of time, Helldivers 2 rolls out a "slim version" shrinking file sizes by a whopping 85% on PC: "It's a low-risk way to save ~131GB of space on your drive"    After an agonizing 7-year wait, Metroid Prime 4 Metacritic score is just barely above black sheep like Other M and Prime Pinball    PS5 architect Mark Cerny says an intense Nintendo rivalry turned Sega into a "sweatshop" when he worked there: "Three people. Three months. That's a game"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Metroid Prime 4: Beyond review: "The series' atmosphere has never been better, while being dragged down by a boring overworld and clunky psychic powers"
2. 2Routine review: "This imperfect but wonderfully atmospheric moon-based horror leaves a strong impression"
3. 3Marvel Cosmic Invasion review: "Excellent '90s-tinged superhero brawling across a punchy campaign falls just short of arcade bliss"
4. 4Escape from Tarkov review: "An extraction shooter that will make you truly miserable if you let it, but can offer dizzying highs you won't find elsewhere"
5. 5Fans think this is the best strategy board game ever made, and I have to admit that they've got a point

1. 1Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
2. 2Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
3. 3The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
4. 4Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
5. 5Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"

1. 1Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review: “Can the Duffer brothers stick the landing? It’s sure looking like they will”
2. 2Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
3. 3The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
4. 4IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
5. 5Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"