Zullie the Witch pulls back the veil on Nightreign’s champions, but one remains a faceless legend.
Who Is John Nightreign?
In the wonderfully twisted brainchild of FromSoftware, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree brings with it a new subset of mysterious characters: the Nightfarers. These eight champions serve as focal points of the DLC, each with their own backstories, powers, and iconic armor. But there’s one who stands out—and not just because he’s built like he could bench press Torrent.
Enter: the Wylder, a Nightfarer whose true name remains unknown, but who the community has lovingly dubbed “John Nightreign” (because let’s face it, he gives major “protagonist in a gothic revenge anime” vibes). He’s stoic, badass, and as it turns out—completely faceless.
Zullie the Witch Strikes Again
Soulsborne datamining royalty Zullie the Witch recently uploaded a video peeling back the helmets of the Nightfarers using mod tools. The video is like watching an unboxing stream, but for cursed armor and trauma-laced visages. She successfully revealed the faces of seven out of the eight.
Each one had a distinct model underneath their helm, some using modified NPC faces or unique assets. But when she got to the Wylder? Nada. Zero. Zilch. No face. No model. Not even a placeholder.
According to Zullie: “Rather than customizable characters, Nightreign chose to focus on a handful of unique champions, trading flexibility for deeper specialization. While they don’t use the character creation face data, there is still something if we peel back their helmets. Except for the Wylder. There’s just…nothing.”
What Does It Mean, Miyazaki?!
This revelation has set the Elden Ring community ablaze with theories. Is the Wylder some kind of ghost? A manifestation of the player’s will? A lore symbol for the unknowable nature of vengeance?
Here are the top tinfoil hat theories circulating Reddit:
- The Faceless Avenger: He’s a walking metaphor—representing the player’s own identity as the hidden hand guiding the world.
- FromSoft Forgot: Look, it’s happened before. Maybe someone at FromSoft spilled ramen on their dev rig and forgot to add a mesh.
- Lore Bait: Hidetaka Miyazaki’s ultimate move—intentionally leaving gaps in the lore so the community fills them in with 2000-word essays.
Why It’s Actually Genius
Leaving the Wylder faceless might be one of the most deliberate and poetic design choices in the entire DLC. In a game obsessed with identity, legacy, and memory, what better way to create an enigmatic anti-hero than by stripping him of a face?
It reinforces his role as a vessel of wrath—driven not by who he is, but by what he’s lost. A faceless man in a world obsessed with names and titles. That’s FromSoft storytelling, baby.
TL;DR – The Mystery Lives On
So there you have it. Seven Nightfarers unmasked, one left in the shadows. John Nightreign remains the silent juggernaut we love, faceless and fabulous.
Will future updates or mods reveal more? Possibly. But maybe, just maybe, some mysteries are better left unsolved.
What do you think? Is John Nightreign an intentional blank slate or just a beautiful accident? Drop your hottest theory below, and remember—never trust a man who won’t show his face.
