While bows traditionally served as supportive tools in Elden Ring - useful for pulling enemies, softening targets at range, or that infamous rune-farming trick with certain avian foes - Nightreign's Ironeye class completely reinvents ranged gameplay. This marksman-focused archetype offers a wholly unique experience compared to Nightreign's seven other classes, delivering what might be the game's purest support playstyle. Witness the Ironeye in action through our exclusive footage below.
Glass Cannon Ballistics
My first realization playing Ironeye? This class has all the durability of wet parchment. While technically capable of wielding any weapon, keeping a bow equipped becomes a survival necessity - staying at range means staying alive, especially during those precarious early hours. The starting longbow proves surprisingly capable, packing solid damage numbers and the Mighty Shot skill that delivers precision strikes from absurd distances while breaking enemy posture.
Nightreign completely revamped bow mechanics to make them viable primary weapons. Gone are the sluggish draw times and movement penalties - now you can strafe at full speed while maintaining perfect aim. The most welcome quality-of-life change? No more arrow management. While you're locked to your weapon's default arrow type, never again will you face that soul-crushing moment of running dry mid-boss fight.
The improvements don't stop there:
- New roll-and-shoot animations add fluidity to combat
- Wall-running acrobatics let you land Matrix-style aerial shots
- Manual aiming keeps you in third-person with enhanced mobility
- Charged attacks fire devastating three-arrow spreads
- Yes, you can now execute downed foes with arrow finishers
Every frustration from Elden Ring's bow gameplay has been addressed, transforming archery from an afterthought into a fully-realized combat style.
The Art of Tactical Marking
Ironeye's signature Marking ability exemplifies its support role. This blink-and-you'll-miss-it dagger dash phases through enemies while applying a vulnerability debuff. With its negligible cooldown, maintaining this damage amp on priority targets becomes second nature. More than just an offensive tool, the skill's phantom-step properties provide crucial repositioning options when enemies close the gap.
The class's ultimate - Single Shot - represents ranged devastation perfected. Channeling this ability grants temporary invulnerability before releasing a high-caliber round that penetrates entire formations. Think of it as Mighty Shot's bigger, angrier cousin capable of clearing clustered mobs in one heroic draw.
Long-Distance Lifesaver
Where Ironeye truly excels is its unparalleled revival capabilities. Nightreign's unique resurrection system requires teammates to gradually empty a segmented circle above fallen allies through attacks. While other classes risk melee range or burn precious resources for ranged revives, Ironeye can breath life back into comrades safely from the shadows - no mana cost, no positioning gamble.
There's a crucial catch though: each subsequent death adds another segment to the revival meter. While Ironeye excels at rescuing teammates from their first few stumbles, fully reviving someone who's been downed three times becomes a desperate gamble - unless you're willing to burn your ultimate purely as a resurrection tool.
The Ironeye might lack the raw damage output of frontline bruisers, but their battlefield presence proves invaluable through:
- Team-wide damage amplification via Marking
- Passive loot-boosting auras
- Crowd-clearing ultimate potential
- Risk-free resurrection capabilities
When it comes to pure team utility, few nightfarers can match what this deadeye brings to the hunt.
