In Elden Ring, the bow typically serves as a support weapon, ideal for pulling aggro, softening enemies from a distance, or engaging in rune-farming tactics such as causing a bird to plummet to its demise. However, when playing as the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow becomes the central focus of the class, offering a unique playstyle that distinguishes it from the other eight classes in Nightreign. This class is likely the closest Nightreign has to a support role. Experience the Ironeye's gameplay in the exclusive video below.

Playing as the Ironeye, you'll notice their fragility. While they can use any weapon they find, sticking to the bow is crucial for maintaining distance from combat to avoid taking hits, as they can be quickly overwhelmed, especially in the early stages. Thankfully, the starting bow is robust, delivering solid damage and equipped with the Mighty Shot skill, which enables long-range attacks with additional damage and poise impact.

It's important to note that bows in Nightreign have undergone significant changes. They now shoot faster, and you can move more swiftly while targeting locked-on enemies. Additionally, you no longer need to manage an arrow supply, though this means you're limited to the arrow type provided by your bow. New features include an animation for shooting while rolling, the ability to perform acrobatic feats like running up walls, leaping off, and firing arrows for flair, faster movement during manual aiming without switching to first-person view, a strong attack that releases a spread of three arrows to hit multiple foes, and the capability to backstab or execute visceral attacks on downed enemies with arrows. These enhancements make the bow a viable primary weapon in Nightreign, unlike its role in base Elden Ring.

As the Ironeye in Nightreign, the bow is central to the class's identity. The Ironeye's primary skill, Marking, involves a quick dash with a dagger that passes through enemies and marks them for increased damage from all sources. With a short cooldown, this skill can be consistently applied to bosses, enhancing your team's damage output. It also serves as a valuable mobility tool, allowing you to evade dangerous situations by passing through enemies.

The Ironeye's ultimate ability, Single Shot, is a potent, charged attack that grants invulnerability during its animation. Once fired, this shot penetrates through obstacles and enemies, making it perfect for clearing groups of foes.

The Ironeye truly excels within a team due to their ability to revive allies from a safe distance. In Nightreign, reviving an ally involves emptying a segmented circle above the downed character through attacks. Most classes must risk close combat, use mana for ranged spells, or deploy their ultimate to revive, but the Ironeye can do so safely from afar without expending resources. This capability can be the deciding factor between success and failure in a run. However, reviving becomes challenging if an ally requires clearing all three segments of the circle, as the Ironeye's long-range damage may not suffice, unless they use their ultimate solely for revival.

Although the Ironeye may not match the raw damage output of other classes, their utility is invaluable in a squad. From enhancing team damage with their marking ability to boosting item discovery for all, clearing mobs with their ultimate, and safely reviving allies from a distance, the Ironeye's contribution to the team is nearly unmatched among Nightreign's nightfarers.