With the release of Elden Ring, FromSoftware introduced day and night cycles and even went as far as locking some content behind a specific time of day. Although we saw something similar in Bloodborne, one of the developer’s previous games, the time of day was closely tied to the game’s story and, as such, would only change when a player’s progressed far enough into it. Players are given much more freedom to control the day/night in Elden Ring, as not only does it affect hidden content but even other gameplay aspects.
The first difference players might notice is that at night it is much easier to move stealthily, as the enemy’s visual detection distance is greatly reduced. This can be very helpful to players as infiltrating many areas of the game via stealth can often offer a meaningful advantage. The other main aspect affected by the time of day is what kind of enemies players will encounter. The Lands Between is home to a great variety of creatures, and some, like bats, will only come out of hiding during dusk and nighttime.
The most significant content that is locked behind a specific time of day in the game always occurs during nighttime. The majority of these events consist of “hidden” bosses in Elden Ring like the Night’s Cavalry, Deathbirds, and the Bell Bearing Hunter. To pass the time in Elden Ring, players can rest at a Site of Grace, select the “Pass the time” option and select the desired time of day.
The first opportunity players will have to witness time-of-day-locked content in Elden Ring occurs very early in the game in the Church of Elleh. After players use their first Site of Grace in the outside world and meet Melina, they can accept her deal to receive their mount, Torrent. After that, players can travel to the Church of Elleh at night, and they will find a very important character in Elden Ring, Ranni the Witch, who will offer them the Spirit Calling Bell and the Lone Wolf Ashes, which would otherwise have to be bought from the Twin Maiden Husks.
The Night’s Cavalry consists of 10 mounted bosses in Elden Ring, each with their unique weapon and move sets. Defeating these bosses can be quite challenging, as their strong attacks can easily kill Torrent and leave players exposed. The rider and mount have separate health bars, but it is important to note that when their mount dies the Night's Cavalry rider can simply summon another. The Night’s Cavalry can only be found at night and roam near the following locations of Elden Ring's Lands Between:
- Limgrave: guarding the bridge to the north of Agheel Lake. Rewards players with 2 400 runes and the Repeating Thrust Ash of War.
- Weeping Peninsula, Limgrave: patrolling the area near the Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace. Drops 3 400 runes, the Barricade Shield Ash of War, and the Nightrider Flail.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: to the southeast, in the woods to the east of Gate Town Bridge Site of Grace. Players will receive 5 600 runes and the Ice Spear Ashe of War.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: near the main road to the north of the northern entrance to the Raya Lucaria Academy in Elden Ring. Will award players with 5 600 runes, the Giant Hunt Ashe of War, and the Nightrider Glaive.
- Caelid: patrolling the main road to the south, near the Southern Swamp Bank Site of Grace. Rewards players with 8 500 runes and the Poison Moth Flight Ashe of War.
- Altus Plateau: patrolling the road to the south of the Altus Highway Junction Site of Grace. Drops 10 000 runes and the Shared Order Ash of War.
- Dragonbarrow, Caelid: on the bridge to the north of Lene’s Rise. Will award players with 42 000 runes and the Bloodhound’s Step Ash of War.
- Forbidden Lands: roaming the path between the Site of Grace and the Grand Lift of Rold. Can be looted for 36 000 runs and the Phantom Slash Ash of War.
- Consecrated Snowfield: located in Elden Ring's northernmost region, Mountaintops of Giants. Two riders can be found guarding a caravan to the southwest of the Inner Consecrated Snowfield Site of Grace. Players will need to defeat both to get the 84 000 runes, the Night’s Cavalry Set, and an Ancient Dragon Smithing Stone.
These enemies will appear seemingly out of nowhere in certain locations and resemble skeletal giant birds. There are a total of eight Deathbirds in Elden Ring, and each will reward players with unique items. These enemies can be quite deadly as their range is deceptively long and can easily knock the player out of their mount leaving them exposed. The Deathbirds main weakness is their head, which is relatively easy to hit, especially with ranged options, as he often lowers it to attack. These Elden Ring bosses are only found at night and will spawn in the air as players approach the following locations:
- Limgrave: to the east of Warmaster’s Shack near the ruins sunken to the ground. Will rewards players with 2 800 runes and the Blue-Feathered Branchsword talisman.
- Weeping Peninsula: on a cliff near the outer walls to the north of Castle Morne. Defeating it will net players 3 900 runes and the Sacrificial Axe.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: to the north of Scenic Isle, near a big rock. Will award players with 6 600 runes and the Red-Feathered Branchsword talisman.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: to the east of Elden Ring's Raya Lucaria Academy and south of the Gate Town North Site of Grace. Will drop 7 800 runes and the Ancient Death Rancor sorcery.
- Caelid: to the east of the Southern Aeonia Swamp Bank Site of Grace near the Sellia Gateway. Can be looted for 15 000 runes and the Death’s Poker.
- Capital Outskirts, Altus Plateau: to the east of the Hermit Merchant’s Shack. Will rewards players with 29 000 runes and the Twinbird Kite Shield.
- Mountaintops of the Giants: in the snow-capped cliffs located after the bridge northwest of Stargazer’s Ruins and to the south. Defeating it will award players with 77 000 ruins and the Death Ritual Spear.
- Consecrated Snowfield, Mountaintops of the Giants: located to the southeast of the Apostate Derelict at the head of the frozen river. Players will receive 220 000 runes and the Explosive Ghostflame sorcery.
These Elden Ring enemies are essentially one and the same and can appear four times in the game. They are slow-paced but have an extremely long range with their melee attacks making them very deadly and difficult enemies. Bell Bearing Hunters are only found at night in certain locations, and each will drop a Bell Bearing that will unlock certain items for sale when given to the Twin Maiden Husks.
These enemies often spawn in locations where other NPCs reside so there is a trick to make them appear. First, make sure it is nighttime, then talk to the NPC in that location and immediately exit the conversation. After that, rest at the Site of Grace without advancing time to despawn the NPC and make the boss appear. Players will be able to find, fight and defeat these enemies at the following locations in Elden Ring:
- Limgrave: will appear when players enter the Warmaster’s Shack in Stormhill. Drops the Bone Peddler’s Bell Bearing, which allows players to buy Thin Animal Bones and Hefty Beast Bones.
- Liurnia of the Lakes: found to the east inside the Church of Vows and will drop the Meat Peddler’s Bell Bearing, allowing players to buy Sliver of Meat, Lump of Flesh, and Turtle Neck Meat from the Twin Maiden Husks.
- Caelid: located to the north in the Dragonbarrow area, outside the Isolated Merchant’s Shack. This Bell Bearing Hunter is particularly strong and will drop the Gravity Stone Peddler’s Bell Bearing, allowing players to buy Gravity Stone Fans and Gravity Stone Chucks.
- Altus Plateau: found in the Hermit Merchant’s Shack in Leyndell, the Royal Capital of Elden Ring's Lands Between. Upon being defeated, the boss will drop the Medicine Peddler’s Bell Bearing, unlocking Neutralizing, Stanching, Thawfrost, and Stimulating Boluses at the Twin Maiden Husks.
Elden Ring is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.
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