Hey, fellow Nightfarer! If you're anything like me, you've been living under a rock—or maybe a very comfortable rock in Limveld—when it comes to The Forsaken Hollows, the DLC for ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN. It dropped on December 4, and now that we're in 2026, I can finally say I've sunk enough hours into it to give you the full rundown. This expansion isn't just a couple of new bosses and a fresh coat of paint. It adds two Nightfarers, two new bosses, and one Shifting Earth. But here's the catch: you don't just boot up the game and select them from a menu. You have to earn them. Let me walk you through exactly how I unlocked everything, because I made a few mistakes along the way.

First, the new Nightfarers: Scholar and Undertaker. To make them playable, you need to defeat Tricephalos. That's the three-headed nightmare that probably already wrecked your first few runs. Once you've taken it down, don't just queue for another expedition. Head to Roundtable Hold. There, you'll want to speak with the Iron Menial. He's got a message from the Small Jar Merchant. I almost missed this because I was too busy staring at my new loot, but trust me, that conversation is the key. After you talk to him, both Scholar and Undertaker become available. Scholar is a weird mix of ranged support and arcane trickery, while Undertaker is a heavy-hitting bruiser with some gnarly debuffs. They completely change how you approach team composition.

Now, unlocking the boss Balancers is a bit more involved. Here's what I had to do:

Requirement	What it means
Defeat at least two bosses in the main game	That includes Tricephalos and one other boss. I chose the Ancestor Spirit because I hate myself, but any second boss works.
Make both new Nightfarers playable	So you need Scholar and Undertaker unlocked first. No skipping steps.
Head to the chapel behind the Small Jar Merchant	Once the above is done, a new path opens. I literally walked past it three times before I noticed the glowing door.

After you enter that chapel, you can challenge the cataclysmic Shifting Earth event called 'The Great Hollows' and the boss expedition for the Balancers. I won't spoil the fight, but bring your best anti-gravity gear. The arena is vertical, and the Balancers love to knock you off ledges. 😅

Here's where things get really interesting for 2026 players. With a post-release update, the Shifting Earth, raid events, and bases—all newly added content from this DLC—will begin to appear in Deep of Night, even when you're undertaking base game expeditions. That means you don't have to abandon your main runs to see the new stuff. However, there's a huge caveat: for these DLC-exclusive contents to appear in Deep of Night, you need to matchmake with three players who own the DLC. I learned this the hard way when I queued solo and saw nothing new for a week. So if you're playing with friends, make sure everyone has The Forsaken Hollows. If you're playing with randoms, cross your fingers.

Now, a quick but crucial note about downloading the DLC. If you already purchased it through a Deluxe Edition or pre-order, a manual download is required. I know, I know—it's 2026, why isn't everything automatic? But here we are. You can find the option below the ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN icon after the release date. On Xbox Series S/X and Xbox One, you can also download it from your owned titles list. Here's the exact path I used:

1. From the top of the home screen, select My Collection.

2. Hover over the main ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN game, and press the Menu button.

3. From the menu, select “Manage Games & Add-ons,” then choose the tile displaying the main ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN game icon.

4. In the list of add-ons, check the box next to the DLC you wish to add, select “Save Changes,” and proceed with the installation.

If the issue persists, I'd recommend checking your console's support resources under additional content and downloadable game content. But hopefully you won't need it.

Automatic downloads for The Forsaken Hollows began at 8:00 AM JST / 0:00 UTC on December 4th. And remember, to access the DLC, you need to download Update File 1.03, which was scheduled for release on December 3rd. If you're coming back in 2026 after a long break, make sure your game is fully patched. I can't tell you how many times I tried to enter the chapel only to realize I was still on 1.02. Facepalm.

So there you have it. The Forsaken Hollows is a meaty expansion that rewards patience and coordination. Unlock Scholar and Undertaker by beating Tricephalos and talking to the Iron Menial. Unlock Balancers by beating two main-game bosses and making both new Nightfarers playable. Then dive into The Great Hollows and enjoy the chaos. And if you want the new content to show up in your base game Deep of Night runs, bring friends who own the DLC. As always, I hope you continue to enjoy ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN. I'll see you in the chapel. 🗡️