Elden Ring: Nightreign’s The Forsaken Hollows DLC Brings Back Artorias In December

FromSoftware’s next major chapter for Elden Ring: Nightreign arrives on December 4. Announced during Sony’s latest State of Play, the DLC—titled The Forsaken Hollows—marks a return to the darker corners of the game’s mythology and, most notably, the return of Artorias, one of Dark Souls’ most iconic figures.

The new trailer opens on a somber landscape of buried cathedrals and fractured temples before cutting to the figure many fans had hoped to see: the knight of the Abyss himself, sword slung over his shoulder, emerging through a swirl of blue flame. Artorias’s inclusion has been a long-running wish within the Souls community, and his reappearance binds the lineage between Dark Souls and Elden Ring more directly than any crossover to date.

Elden Ring: Nightreign – The Forsaken Hollows launches December 4 on all platforms where the base game is available.

The Forsaken Hollows adds several new layers to Nightreign’s expanding world. Beyond Artorias, the footage teases the return of the Dancing Lion from Shadow of the Erdtree and a new field boss variation of the Gladius Nightlord. Each fight seems designed to test players’ endurance through a mixture of tight, aggressive movement and larger-scale arena mechanics—an approach that’s become a signature of Nightreign’s encounters.

Two new playable characters also join the roster of Nightfarers. The Scholar, described as an academic who “gains incredible advantages through battlefield observation,” channels high-level arcane abilities and tactical insight. The Undertaker, an abbess wielding faith and strength in tandem, “sends enemies to the afterlife with ruthless efficiency.” Both seem to fill gaps identified by players since launch—classes that emphasize observation, healing, and controlled aggression rather than sheer force.

The trailer also introduces a new Shifting Earth event called The Great Hollow, set within the ruins of an ancient civilization. The area is filled with crystal formations emitting a life-draining miasma, a visual echo of the toxic expanses found in earlier Souls titles. The sequence appears to draw heavily from Shadow of the Erdtree’s Ancient Ruins of Rauh, hinting at thematic continuity rather than a direct narrative link.

“In our war against the Night, every battle left a scar,” read a post from the game’s official account. “These wounds were given will. A foul life, born of castaway souls. Steel your resolve, Nightfarers. This hunt must be seen to its end.” — FromSoftware social media statement

The addition of Artorias is more than fan service. His presence reinforces Nightreign’s place in the wider FromSoftware canon, bridging mechanical evolution with enduring myth. Nightreign, released earlier this year as a multiplayer-focused offshoot of Elden Ring, quickly drew over 3.5 million players within a week (record: 313,593 all-time peak players), propelled by its refined combat loop and flexible cooperative structure.

Speculation around the DLC had circulated since mid-year, when internal leaks suggested new bosses and playable characters were in development. At the time, community discussions pointed toward the inclusion of archetypes resembling the Prophet or Wretch classes from earlier Souls games—concepts now loosely reflected in the Undertaker and Scholar. Others predicted a greater focus on live-service elements, following the rotating Everdark Sovereign challenges and the introduction of duo mode.

FromSoftware’s choice to anchor The Forsaken Hollows in familiar figures and motifs may be a response to that demand for continuity. Rather than diverging into purely experimental content, the studio appears intent on reinforcing its shared universe. The decision aligns with comments made by Nightreign director Junya Ishizaki earlier this year, who said the team “centered development on story and lore as the driving force of design.”

The reveal also arrives amid shifting expectations for the studio’s release cadence. Kadokawa, FromSoftware’s parent company, confirmed additional content scheduled for March 2026, meaning The Forsaken Hollows serves as both a holiday anchor and a bridge toward the next phase of Nightreign’s development.

Though the trailer stops short of showing full boss fights or environmental exploration, its tone suggests a return to the lonely, mournful grandeur that characterized Dark Souls’ most memorable expansions. The music—low brass and wordless chanting—fades as Artorias steps into view, leaving silence and wind. It’s a moment of recognition rather than revelation, and for longtime players, that restraint may be precisely the point.

Read also, Elden Ring: Nightreign Duo Mode Update and New Bosses Arrive, which introduced the long-awaited two-player option in July’s patch 1.02. The update rebalanced solo play, improved the user interface, and added new Relic filters, setting the stage for the game’s cooperative resurgence ahead of this DLC release.