Last updated: 5 September 2026

Elden Ring Nightreign Best Relics Tier List and System Guide

Relics are the primary build-customisation system in Elden Ring Nightreign — the co-op roguelike spin-off from FromSoftware and Bandai Namco released May 30, 2025. Unlike weapons and levels, which reset with each expedition, relics persist between runs and are equipped before you enter Limveld. Understanding which effects to prioritise, how stacking works, and what changed in Patch 1.03 and 1.03.2's balance passes is essential for pushing past the mid-game Nightlords and completing solo runs consistently. This guide covers the relic system from the ground up, then ranks the top effects as of the last balance patch, 1.03.2 (January 2026) — Hotfix 1.03.5 (March 2026) that followed changed only multiplayer performance, not balance.

01How the Relic System Works

Each Nightfarer has three relic slots available at the start of an expedition. Relics are individual items collected from defeated Nightlords, field bosses, and certain merchants during previous runs — they accumulate in your permanent collection and persist between expeditions.

Relics contain one or more passive effects, each with a specific numerical value shown on the relic's own tooltip. Equipping multiple relics with the same named effect generally adds their values together. The key stacking rules are:

• Same-named effects generally stack. Equipping multiple relics with the same effect (e.g. several Improved Critical Hits relics) increases the total bonus — the exact percentage depends on each relic's own tier, so check the tooltip rather than assuming a fixed number per copy.
• Different effects from the same relic both apply. A relic with two effects grants both — you do not choose.
• Character-specific effects only apply to their Nightfarer. An effect tagged [Guardian] does nothing on Wylder.
• Maximum slots is three per expedition. As of Patch 1.03 (December 2025), you can save up to 100 relic presets in the Relic Rites menu and assign custom names to each, making it practical to maintain separate setups per Nightfarer; that patch also added a display of your equipped relics on the Character Selection screen.

Relics are permanent gains. Completing expeditions — even failed ones — can still yield relic rewards from field bosses defeated on Days 1 and 2, so partial-run completion always contributes to your relic library.

02S-Tier Universal Relics

These effects provide strong, reliable value on every Nightfarer regardless of playstyle:

• Rune Acquisition bonus: Accelerates levelling throughout the entire expedition. Because levels in Nightreign compound — earlier levels allow stronger weapon finds and better boss damage — any rune income increase pays dividends that increase over the run. This is the strongest universal economic effect in the game.
• Improved Critical Hits: Every Nightfarer can trigger critical hits through backstabs, jump attacks on certain windows, and post-stagger crits. A bonus to a damage type that already multiplies baseline output is consistently strong regardless of playstyle, and stacking multiple copies increases it further — check each relic's own listed value, since it varies by tier.
• Partial HP Restoration upon Post-Damage Attacks: Rewards the aggressive playstyle that Patch 1.03/1.03.2's guard and charge-attack buffs pushed the meta toward. Taking a hit and immediately attacking back restores a portion of the damage taken, functionally reducing effective incoming damage without requiring defensive play.
• Flask Also Heals Allies: This relic redirects part of your own flask's healing to nearby allies when you drink it — useful in trio play so a single flask use can top off more than one player, though it also reduces the healing you get for yourself and does not stack additively if more than one player carries it. Still a strong, low-opportunity-cost pick in any cooperative expedition.

03A-Tier Universal Relics

Strong across most Nightfarers, though some benefit more than others:

• Improved Initial Standard Attack: Stacks efficiently across multiple copies on the opening attack of each combo — check each relic's listed value for its exact bonus. Optimise around builds that consistently open with standard attacks rather than special skills.
• Elemental Attack Up (various elements): Reliable percentage damage increases for any Nightfarer whose primary weapon deals elemental damage. Match the element to your equipped weapon type — fire, lightning, or holy — for full effect. Multiple copies stack.
• HP Restoration upon Successful Guard: Buffed in Patch 1.03.2, this effect now restores more HP per guarded hit. On Guardian (where guarding is the core loop) this effect reaches S tier. On other Nightfarers who guard less consistently, it remains A tier.
• Improved Skill Attack Power: Boosted by Patch 1.03 across the board. Benefits any Nightfarer who heavily uses their Character Skill — particularly Recluse (Magic Cocktail), Ironeye (Marking), and Executor (Suncatcher).

04Character-Specific Top Relics

These effects are tagged to a specific Nightfarer and only function on that character:

• [Guardian] Improved Shockwave Damage: Buffed in Patch 1.03.2. Guardian's Whirlwind skill generates shockwaves on the third hit; this effect significantly increases that burst. Combine with HP Restoration upon Guarding for the full guard-counter tank loop.
• [Executor] Cursed Sword-boosting relics: Increase the effectiveness of Executor's Cursed Sword stance, which is drawn via the Suncatcher character skill (not a passive — Executor's actual passive, Tenacity, is unrelated and boosts attack power and stamina recovery after recovering from a status ailment). Post-Patch 1.03.2, the Cursed Sword stance already provides better Guard Boost and improved critical damage — stacking Executor-specific relics that extend the stance or increase its critical multiplier pushes the solo damage ceiling further.
• [Revenant] Slowly Restore HP upon Ability Activation: On Revenant, Spirit Summon and Immortal March activations trigger sustained HP recovery, making Revenant substantially more self-sufficient in trio fights where you cannot always receive a Flask heal from Recluse.
• DLC-specific relics (Scholar, Undertaker): The Forsaken Hollows DLC (December 2025) added character-specific relic effects for its two new Nightfarers, Scholar and Undertaker. These are irrelevant unless you own the DLC and are running one of those two characters.

05Relics to Avoid (Nerfed or Niche)

Some relics that were once considered strong have been significantly reduced in Patch 1.03.2 or are too narrow to justify a slot:

• Improved Bow Attack Power: Patch 1.03 unintentionally over-buffed this relic effect for the bow weapon category, and Patch 1.03.2 corrected it back down. Ironeye's bow damage is still strong but no longer outpaces other weapon types with stacked bow relics the way it briefly did between those two patches.
• Improved Attack Power with 3+ Bows Equipped: Similarly decreased in Patch 1.03.2. The niche requirement of equipping three bow-type weapons is now harder to justify with reduced payoff.
• Successive Attacks Boost Attack Power: Decreased in Patch 1.03.2. This effect rewards uninterrupted hit chains, which is achievable on safe targets but unreliable against Nightlords that interrupt combos frequently. The nerf makes the risk-reward less attractive.
• Character-specific effects for unlocked Nightfarers you don't use: Relic effects tagged to Duchess or Revenant are wasted slots if you are running other Nightfarers. Plan preset configurations around your primary Nightfarers.

06Relic Priority by Expedition Stage

Not all relics should be treated equally at every point in a run. Consider when each type of effect pays off:

• Day 1 priority: Rune Acquisition bonus. Getting one extra Site of Grace level on Day 1 can unlock a weapon upgrade tier that compounds for the rest of the run. Economic relics peak early.
• Day 2 priority: Damage percentage increases. By Day 2 you have a weapon you intend to run into the Nightlord fight — stacking its elemental type or critical hit bonus now pays the most.
• Day 3 (Nightlord fight) priority: Survivability effects. Partial HP Restoration upon Post-Damage Attacks and HP Restoration upon Successful Guard become their most valuable when the Nightlord fight begins, because damage frequency increases significantly and any HP recovery offsets the pressure.

This means the ideal relic set contains at least one economic effect, at least one damage multiplier relevant to your weapon, and at least one survivability buffer. A pure damage relic set outperforms in short fights but underperforms if the Nightlord extends the fight past two minutes.

07Managing Your Relic Collection

As of Patch 1.03, the Relic Rites menu supports up to 100 named presets. Here are practical management tips:

• Create one preset per Nightfarer. Name each preset after the Nightfarer it is optimised for and the playstyle (e.g. 'Executor-Solo', 'Guardian-Trio').
• Relic duplicates are worth collecting. Having three copies of Improved Critical Hits allows maximum stacking. Farm Nightlords that drop your target relics repeatedly.
• Check relic effects in Character Selection. Patch 1.03 added a display of equipped relics in the Character Selection screen — review your loadout before confirming expedition start.
• Don't discard niche relics immediately. Some effects that appear useless in trio play are strong in solo (and vice versa). Maintain a flexible collection.