Elden Ring Nightreign Deep of Night Guide: Beat Balancers, Dreglord, Everdark Sovereign (2026)

Deep of Night is the hardest endgame mode in Elden Ring Nightreign, and it just became even tougher. Deep of Night is a high-difficulty mode added to Elden Ring Nightreign, released on September 11, 2025, by developer FromSoftware and publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment. On December 17, Bandai released an update that expanded the Deep of Night mode, making the Forsaken Hollows content fully playable within it—players can now face the Balancers, along with their Everdark Sovereign variant, and the Dreglord in Deep of Night, with the chance to unlock their corresponding Relics as well. This guide covers how to unlock Deep of Night, beat the three new Nightlords added in the Forsaken Hollows DLC, which Nightfarers and Relics counter each fight, and how to farm the rare Depths Relics these bosses drop.

To play Deep of Night mode, you must have defeated the Nightlord named Night Aspect (also known as Heolstor the Nightlord). Completed at least four Expeditions and defeated the final boss, Heolstor the Nightlord, is the baseline unlock requirement. When choosing a Deep of Night expedition, the target Nightlord will not be revealed until the expedition begins, and any ongoing Shifting Earth states will not be in effect during a Deep of Night run—it is advisable to prepare well-rounded Relic loadouts that would be helpful during any Nightlord fight, as the Nightlord you’re hunting won’t be revealed until the expedition begins.

The Deep of Night alters standard expeditions, preventing players from targeting a specific Nightlord at the end, while significantly increasing the strength of all the enemies encountered—because of these changes, players are forced to adapt their strategies on the fly, since the new gameplay mechanics make it hard to plan ahead given how unpredictable the mode can be. The Deep of Night is a ranked game mode that offers greater challenges with increasing difficulty to veteran Nightfarers who have braved the Night’s Tide many times, using a Depth system (levels 1 through 5) that ramps up enemy strength and randomness.

The DLC Nightlords—Balancers, Dreglord, and the Everdark Sovereign variant—are unlocked in Deep of Night if you own The Forsaken Hollows, released December 4, 2025. Players that own the DLC The Forsaken Hollows will now encounter new targets, Landmarks, raid events and Shifting Earth when playing The Deep of Night mode—these additions will only appear when matched with players that also own the DLC content. Sometimes, an Everdark Sovereign will appear on the third day, making the fight even more chaotic.

Weapon Bequeathed Harmonia is a humanoid Nightlord with an appearance that resembles a Valkyrie—what sets this encounter apart from other Nightlord fights is that players aren’t facing a single enemy directly, but rather several Balancers acting independently, overwhelming the group through simultaneous attacks from multiple directions. In the first phase of the fight, there are seven Balancers in total that need to be defeated.

Phase 1: Seven Balancers (Focus Sleep and Focus Fire)

These Balancers rely on basic spear attacks for the most part, occasionally casting a spell that causes numerous spears to erupt from the ground—they’re not too difficult to deal with individually, since players can stagger them and interrupt most of their attacks, and a group of players can also focus fire on a single Balancer at a time to speed things up. Extremely weak to Sleep; sleep is inflicted very quickly and puts them to sleep for a very long time, similar to Godskin enemies—a critical hit can be performed on sleeping valkyries. The first phase is about mitigating the sheer number of enemies: use Sleep-infused weapons or consumables to incapacitate Balancers one by one, then defeat them individually. They won’t get back up once they’re down during this phase, so don’t worry about any sudden surprises—once all seven Balancers are defeated, the boss will have 1/4th of their health gone and Phase Two will start.

Phase 2: Pink Leader and Six Support Balancers (Target the Leader)

After you defeat the seven Balancers in the first phase, they all revive with one of them having pink wings this time—this Pink Balancer hits harder, has additional moves, and can even target a Nightfarer to draw aggro. The other six Balancers keep their original movesets, except when they perform a synchronized AoE attack with the Pink Balancer. During Phase 2, players are recommended to concentrate their attacks on the head Balancer when given the chance, as depleting its health will cause the other Balancers to be momentarily staggered, granting players a window to attack the other balancers freely—this stagger mechanic allows players to rapidly reduce the number of Balancers in Phase 2, avoiding being overwhelmed by their numbers.

Key attacks to dodge: A Weapon-Bequeathed Harmonia channels a spell while its spear glows, sending out light that travels through the ground, generating spears that emerge from the ground—to evade the attack, players can move or dodge roll sideways to get out of the path of the spell. A Weapon-Bequeathed Harmonia assumes a lowered stance, channeling a spell that makes spears emerge in a circle around it—as soon as the spell is channeled, players can sprint out of the circle or time a dodge roll towards the boss as the spears emerge to retaliate as it recovers. The Balancer leader has another special combo attack, where she will fly at a player and slash their spear sideways four times before leaping back into the air, sending two horizontal waves and a final vertical wave—you can dodge or run backwards to avoid the slashes, and jump over the waves or roll through them directly.

Best Nightfarers and Relics for Balancers

The newly introduced Scholar is a great pick for this fight, as his ultimate art makes all nearby enemies share damage dealt, allowing the group to take multiple Balancers more quickly. Duchess has great utility because of her invulnerability for 10 seconds, allowing her to not take any damage from the rather long combos that bosses have, and can help revive downed teammates on multiple bars. Ironeye has great utility because of his marking ability, and because you can put on a Relic to increase the number of Character Skills and ensure you dodge out of any attacks that might deal a lot of damage to the Nightfarer—he can also reliably revive a teammate from afar without risking too much. Look for the Dragoncrest Shield Talisman and have a melee character, preferably a Guardian or Raider, equip it—also try to get a Dormant Power that grants Improved Physical Damage Negation, and stock up on Boiled Crab.

Squad split: one player kites the Pink Leader (ideally a ranged or mobile Nightfarer), while the other two focus fire on sleeping lesser Balancers. Coordinate ultimates when all Balancers clump or when the leader is isolated.

Traitorous Straghess, also known as the Dreglord, is a Nightlord Boss in Nightreign—Traitorous Straghess is one of the Nightlords included in the Forsaken Hollows DLC, and is a powerful boss that features unique attacks, combat mechanics, resistances, and weaknesses. This obsessive mound of flesh, unlike any form of life ever to exist, has no obvious weakness. You’ll have access to the Dreglord’s Expedition by first defeating the Balancers—Dreglord will appear on the 3rd day of the expedition, where you’ll finally fight him.

Weaknesses and Counters: No Weakness, Focus Bleed

The unique thing about Dreglord is that it has no weaknesses—compared to previous boss fights in the game, he’s considered the strongest. Since Dreglord has no weakness, focus on dealing Bleed damage instead—Bleed takes out massive chunks of its HP every time, which is especially helpful during the second part of the boss fight. Have every melee character be capable of inflicting Bleed as much as possible! One significant attack you should avoid from the Dreglord is the ones that deal Scarlet Rot—the effect damage is just like Poison, but gets stronger over time. If you want to last long in the fight, stock up on Preserving Boluses, which can remove the Scarlet Rot Build Up.

Phase 1: Axe Combos and Zombie Summons

Dreglord mainly attacks with its axe, but its animations can be deceptive—the boss often winds up its axe as if it’s about to swing, only to take even longer than expected, then strikes suddenly to catch you off guard. Once you’ve dealt damage to a third of Dreglord’s health, he’ll spawn zombies in the boss fight arena—the zombies are slow and can inflict Scarlet Rot. Try to clear them so you can focus on dealing with the boss. If you’re a ranged user like Ironeye or Recluse, keep your distance and draw the boss’ aggro so melee players can safely attack from behind.

Phase 2: Pure Impulse Straghess (Full HP Bar, Double Explosions)

After you defeat Dreglord, he’ll resurrect himself as the Pure Impulse Straghess—the boss will have a second full HP bar. The boss can summon many structures at once after screaming, and he will jump into one of them—if he does so, he will move between them for a bit before jumping in the air and coming down with another Rot ball. This is different than before, because he will create two explosions as he comes down. Don’t attack during this one—the explosions require you to roll at the exact moment before they go off, or you’ll receive damage. Avoid its AoE attacks when the boss jumps on the pillar—you can easily avoid them by looking out for small mounds that are on the ground. While the boss is jumping around, use your Glowstones and Flasks since you’ll have some time to recover.

Best Nightfarers and Relics for Dreglord

We recommend fighting Dreglord at Level 15 for a standard difficulty experience—if you wish for a greater challenge, you may fight this boss at lower levels. Make sure to build up your Scarlet Rot resistance going into the boss fight—stock up on Preserving Boluses, which alleviates Scarlet Rot buildup for the rest of the fight, and try to get the All Resistances Up Dormant Power to raise resistance to all ailments, including Scarlet Rot. Talismans such as the Immunizing Horn Charm and Mottled Necklace can increase your Scarlet Rot and poison resistance, as well. Make sure to increase your Flask charges as much as you can by interacting with church altars, and stock up on Glowstones—use Flasks conservatively during the first part of the boss fight. Try to have at least 3 Flask charges left when you enter the second part.

Squad split: one ranged player draws aggro and kites, while melee players attack from behind and apply Bleed. Clear zombies with AoE ultimates to maintain focus on the boss.

Weapon Bequeathed Harmonia Everdark Sovereign (Balancers), also known as the Salvation’s Standard-Bearers, is a Boss in Nightreign—this boss is the Everdark Sovereign variant of Weapon Bequeathed Harmonia. The Everdark Sovereign variant of Weapon Bequeathed Harmonia begins similarly to the base version of the encounter—during the first phase, players must defeat all seven Balancers to progress. Everdark Harmonia will use basic spear attacks and occasionally cast spells, such as the Circle of Purification.

Phase 2: Grotesque Resurrection and Blood Loss

After all seven Balancers are defeated, the encounter will transition into the second phase—the Balancers resurrect simultaneously, bearing a more grotesque appearance, with visibly disfigured flesh hanging from their bodies. Balancers’ Everdark Sovereign fight features a new phase altogether, in which the Balancers gain Blood Loss and transform into a giant worm-like creature. This phase adds pressure: the Balancers can now apply Blood Loss buildup on hit, and the worm transformation brings massive AoE sweeps and burrowing attacks.

Counters and Squad Strategy

Extremely weak to Sleep; sleep is inflicted very quickly and puts them to sleep for a very long time, similar to Godskin enemies—a critical hit can be performed on sleeping valkyries. The Everdark Sovereign variant retains the Sleep weakness in both phases. Almost all non-empowered attacks can be parried fairly easily—a single parry results in a stagger, making this a very good strategy for Wylder. During the worm phase, spread out to avoid grouped AoE damage, coordinate sleep applications on the head segments, and save ultimates for when the worm is stationary after a burrow attack.

The Forsaken Hollows DLC added two new Nightfarers: Scholar and Undertaker. The Forsaken Hollows DLC expands the base game with new Nightfarers, Bosses, Shifting Earth, and new Points of Interest for players to explore. Scholar excels in the Balancers fight thanks to his damage-sharing ultimate, while Undertaker brings sustained DPS and self-healing for the long Dreglord grind.

Scholar (Arcane Support)

Use the Scholar’s Ultimate skill, Communion, to link all bosses so they share damage dealt—you can then have the rest of the squad spam their AoE attacks, such as Ashes of War, or wide-reaching attacks like Hoarfrost Stomp, to maximize damage across all the Balancers. The Scholar’s character skill, Analyze, can also apply debuffs to enemies and grant buffs to allies—just be careful, as analyzing leaves you vulnerable to attacks! Scholar is the strongest pick for Balancers; his damage-share turns a seven-on-three fight into a single target burn.

Undertaker (Strength/Faith Hybrid)

The Undertaker leverages a strength/faith hybrid build with self-sustain and heavy melee damage. Ideal for applying Bleed to Dreglord and tanking the Scarlet Rot pressure in Phase 2. Pair with Preserving Boluses and the Will of the Balancers Relic (dropped by Balancers) to boost survivability.

Wylder, Ironeye, Duchess, and Guardian

Wylder is the parry specialist for Everdark Sovereign Balancers. Ironeye offers ranged DPS and safe revives. Duchess brings invulnerability frames to survive synchronized AoE combos. Guardian can block all Balancers’ attacks and deflect Dreglord’s flesh sphere projectile with his whirlwind ability.

Players will be able to unlock three new relic slots exclusively for Depths Relics, a new reward players can earn in Deep of Night mode. When the mode is unlocked, every Chalice for each Nightfarer gains three extra Relic slots (a total of six per vessel) dedicated to special Depths Relics—Depths Relics: powerful relics touched by the Deep of Night that only activate in the Deep of Night game mode. They provide both positive and negative effects.

Balancers Relic: Will of the Balancers

The Traitorous Straghess drops The Night of Dregs when defeated for the first time. Defeating the Balancers for the first time will reward you with the Will of the Balancers (Relic) that can be used on a Blue Slot; this Relic boosts melee and skill-focused Nightfarers and is a recommended pre-requisite for the Dreglord fight.

Dreglord Relic: The Night of Dregs

The Night of Dregs is the signature Depths Relic from Traitorous Straghess. Along with The Night of Dregs, you’ll get a few random relics—these can include items that boost FP recovery, increase defense against physical attacks, or enhance specific spell types. The exact relics vary each time you beat Dreglord, so you can replay the expedition to get different rewards.

Everdark Sovereign Relic Drops

The Everdark Sovereign variant of Balancers drops enhanced Depths Relics with both powerful positive effects and detrimental drawbacks. Farming these requires completing Deep of Night runs at higher Depths (levels 3–5), where the Everdark Sovereign has a chance to appear on Day 3. The exact drop pool is randomized, so expect to farm multiple runs to unlock the full set.

Myth: You Need DLC to Access Deep of Night

False. ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN adds Deep of Night mode for free to all PlayStation®4, PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam® players. Deep of Night is a free update for all players. However, the DLC Nightlords (Balancers, Dreglord, Everdark Sovereign) only appear if all three players in your squad own The Forsaken Hollows.

Myth: Sleep Is Only Good for Balancers Phase 1

False. Sleep works across all Balancers phases, including Phase 2 with the Pink Leader and the Everdark Sovereign grotesque resurrection. Extremely weak to Sleep; sleep is inflicted very quickly and puts them to sleep for a very long time, similar to Godskin enemies—a critical hit can be performed on sleeping valkyries. Sleeping the Pink Leader during Phase 2 gives a massive opening for burst DPS or critical damage.

Myth: Dreglord Is Weak to Fire or Holy Damage

False. This obsessive mound of flesh, unlike any form of life ever to exist, has no obvious weakness. Dreglord has no elemental or status weakness. The best strategy is Bleed damage to chunk HP and Scarlet Rot resistance to survive his DoT pressure. Do not waste loadout slots on fire or holy infusions.