Unlocking Elden Ring Nightreign's DLC: Specific Conditions & Requirements

Elden Ring Nightreign's new The Forsaken Hollows DLC is set to launch December 4 on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, and players are rightfully very excited to dive back in and see all the new content. However, as with all things FromSoftware and Nightreign, nothing is straightforward, and players will need to do a bit of work to access Nightreign's DLC content.

According to an update posted to Bandai Namco's website from their marketing team, Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows DLC requires very specific unlock conditions to access its two new Nightfarers, two new bosses, and the new Shifting Earth event.

How Do I Unlock Elden Ring Nightreign's DLC?

Players Will Need To Defeat Specific Bosses To Unlock The Forsaken Hollows

Elden Ring Nightreign's new DLC contains a ton of new content, including: two new Nightfarers, the Scholar and Undertaker; two new bosses, The Dreglord and Balancers; and a new Shifting Earth event, The Great Hollows. Each piece of new content has specific unlock conditions, and won't be accessible unless all are completed.

DLC Feature	Description	How To Unlock
Nightfarers	Scholar & Undertaker	Defeat Tricephalos Speak with Iron Menial at Roundtable Hold Acquire message from the Small Jar Merchant
Bosses	Dreglord & Balancers	Defeat Tricephalos & one other boss in base game Unlock both Scholar & Undertaker Access chapel behind the Small Jar Merchant Challenge 'The Great Hollows' Shifting Earth event
Shifting Earth Event	The Great Hollows	Unlock chapel behind Small Jar Merchant (see above)

Further, outside the above conditions, all players in a party must have purchased and downloaded The Forsaken Hollows DLC. Defeating Tricephalos is essential to accessing the new DLC content. Also, to access both Nightfarers, it isn't clear as of this writing whether players will need to complete further steps after acquiring the message from the Small Jar Merchant, similar to the Nightfarers in the base game.

Additionally, there was no mention in Bandai Namco's guide of the Dreglord, though the boss is already confirmed (via YouTube). One can only assume that the Dreglord will be unlocked after defeating Balancers, but information will be updated as it becomes available.

What Time Does The Nightreign DLC Go Live?

Prepare For The Deep Of Night

Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows DLC will release on a rolling schedule starting today, December 3, and will launch over the course of the next day depending on your location. PC users will gain access to the DLC before console players, with downloads starting at 6:00 PM on December 3 EST compared to 12:00 AM EST on December 4 for console.

Time Zone	PC Release	Console Release Time
PST	December 3 at 3:00 PM	December 3 at 9:00 PM
CST	December 3 at 5:00 PM	December 3 at 11:00 PM
EST	December 3 at 6:00 PM	December 4 at 12:00 AM

Automatic downloads for the DLC will begin on Steam at 0:00 UTC on December 4th 2025 and players will need to download Update File 1.03, scheduled to release on December 3rd. Players across the globe can reference the above infographic for specific releases in their area.

Overall, Elden Ring Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows DLC is an incredibly exciting addition to the essential entry from the legendary FromSoftware, and players will be able to dive in and expereince the new content in just a matter of hours.