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

In the world of *Elden Ring*, the bow typically serves as a supportive tool, used to draw enemy attention, weaken foes from a distance, or to strategically farm runes by causing certain enemies, like birds, to plummet to their demise. However, when you step into the shoes of the Ironeye class in *Nightreign*, the bow transcends its traditional role, becoming the core of your gameplay. This unique playstyle sets Ironeye apart from the other eight classes in *Nightreign*, offering the closest experience to a support class within the game. Dive into the exclusive gameplay video below to witness the Ironeye in action.

Playing as the Ironeye, you'll quickly notice their fragility. While they can wield any weapon, the bow remains your go-to for staying out of harm's way. It's essential for keeping distance and avoiding damage, which can be lethal early in the game. Thankfully, your starting bow is robust, dealing solid damage and equipped with the Mighty Shot skill. This skill allows you to strike from an incredible distance, inflicting additional damage and poise damage, enhancing your effectiveness as a ranged combatant.

It's important to highlight that *Nightreign* has significantly revamped the mechanics of bows. They now fire at a faster rate, and you can move more swiftly while targeting locked-on enemies. A major change is the elimination of the need for arrow supplies, though you're limited to the arrow type of your equipped weapon. This overhaul includes new animations for shooting arrows during rolls, the ability to perform acrobatic feats like running up walls and shooting arrows mid-leap, the option to aim without entering first-person mode, and the ability to fire a spread of three arrows with a strong attack to hit multiple targets. Additionally, you can now execute backstabs or visceral attacks on downed enemies using arrows. These enhancements make the bow a formidable primary weapon in *Nightreign*, addressing the limitations felt in the base *Elden Ring*.

As the Ironeye, the bow is not just a weapon; it's the essence of the class. The Ironeye's primary skill, Marking, is a swift dagger dash that pierces through enemies, leaving a mark that amplifies damage from all sources. With its short cooldown, you can keep this debuff active on bosses, enhancing your team's damage output. It also serves as an effective mobility tool, allowing you to evade dangerous situations.

The Ironeye's ultimate ability, Single Shot, is a potent, charged shot that provides full invulnerability during its animation. Once released, it delivers massive damage and can penetrate through multiple enemies, making it ideal for clearing groups of foes.

One of the standout features of the Ironeye is their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In *Nightreign*, reviving an ally involves depleting a segmented circle above the fallen character. While most classes must risk close combat or use valuable resources to revive teammates, the Ironeye can do so safely and efficiently from afar without expending any resources. This capability can be the deciding factor in a team's success. However, reviving an ally becomes more challenging with each additional segment added to the circle upon subsequent falls, as the Ironeye's ranged damage may not suffice without using their ultimate for revival.

Although the Ironeye may not match the raw damage output of some classes, their utility within a squad is unparalleled. From enhancing team damage with the Marking ability, increasing item drop rates, clearing mobs with their ultimate, to safely reviving teammates, the Ironeye's contributions are vital and highly valued among the nightfarers.