Technologies

Elden Ring Nightreign Beginner’s Guide: Team Strategy, Level Goals and Survival Tips

So you want to kill a Nightlord?

Elden Ring Nightreign is FromSoftware’s new multiplayer spin-off of 2022’s popular action-RPG Elden Ring, and it will make even the most hard-core fans completely overwhelmed at first. Luckily, there are some tips to help Nightfarers survive the night and triumph over the Nightlord.

In Elden Ring Nightreign, players team up or go solo on runs to take down a Nightlord, a daunting boss waiting for them at the end of two in-game days of fighting enemies and getting stronger, which requires fast thinking and quick reflexes to take down. While it carries the Elden Ring name, Nightreign plays so differently, as the name of the game is speed rather than the slow exploration of other FromSoftware titles. It’s this change of pace that will throw veteran players off, but if you follow some of these tips, you and your team will be prepared to survive the night.

Team chemistry is key

Putting a good team together is what will ultimately lead to a successful run. A team should be made up of someone who can tank (Wylder, Raider, Guardian) and a mix of the other characters. One big help is going to have one team member play a ranged character (Ironeye, Recluse) who can act as a reviver to pick up characters who fall in battle, as they need to be attacked in order to heal them (or at least having another player carry a ranged weapon to perform the same). Being able to do this from a distance can be very useful in runs.

Another part of team chemistry is having someone to strategize where to go on the fly. A point person to lay out where your team will go instead of everyone chiming in will help move the runs along without having to wait around to figure out where to go next.

If possible, go for flasks first, then bosses

Every character starts out with three flasks for healing, but there are more available. They can be found in churches scattered on the map, usually in a bright orange color. Having more than three flasks is going to be a tremendous help, so they should be prioritized. Ideally, you’ll want to head to the nearest church while clearing out camps on the way. Once you have two additional flasks, then focus on bosses. If a church is too far away, fight through camps full of enemies on the way to the church to level up while heading there.

Pick up all the weapons

An interesting mechanic in Nightreign is that each weapon found in a run has a passive bonus, and those bonuses stack up as long as you have them in your bag. That’s six weapons with six buffs, and that will be a big help for your character. Also, don’t worry if you pick up a weapon that’s not intended for your character. A melee brute like the Raider could find a magic wand that has a certain buff that works well for them. Shields, for example, offer some good buffs even though you may not want to equip them. Another idea is if a ranged weapon like a bow drops, consider picking it up if you’re a melee character as a way to revive teammates from a distance when needed.

Look for the best route

Routing is so important for a good run. You want to try to clear out the various dungeons, castles, mines and camps available to gain levels and better equipment. Since you have a set amount of time before the storm circle closes in, start on the outer parts first and slowly make your way in. Eventually, you’ll get the timing down to clear out camps right before the circle closes to get the last bit of runes to level up your character.

Pay attention to your surroundings, you might miss some help

Found all throughout the map are tiny patches of glowing flowers, fire butterflies and so on that provide some quick buffs, like finding more runes or getting rid of status ailments or healing you. One thing to definitely keep an eye out for is scarabs. These little critters — hovering over a glowing ball and emitting a bell-tinkling sound — will typically drop talismans that can be equipped to provide permanent offensive or defensive buffs to your character equivalent to what you’d get when beating a boss.

Use consumables

It never fails that players will want to hold onto their consumables, but ignore that feeling. If you’re fighting a boss, use all the consumables you have. The consumables you can find in a run are very useful, and there are a lot of them all around the map.

Don’t be afraid to run away

While the storm circle doesn’t seem to take much damage when you’re stuck in it, do not tempt fate. You need to stay out of the storm. If you’re in the middle of clearing out a camp, and the storm is on top of you, there’s a point where it’s time to cut and run. This is especially important to remember in a mine or an underground dungeon where the only exit likely takes you right into the storm. Until you get the timing of the storm down just right, don’t try to do too much too close to the storm — and if you do venture beneath the surface, keep checking the map to know when the circle starts closing.

One thing to keep note of, bosses that you might have started fighting and had to run away on say day 1, they still will be around on day 2. Not only that, they will not heal themselves once you run away. This means they’re easy pickings as they are already weaker, and your team is stronger.

Realize when to ignore trash mobs and items

When you drop onto the map, your team is very likely going to be in a random spot, and you’ll see some low-level enemies nearby. You should definitely take down all these weaker enemies to get yourself to level 3. There will also be random items scattered around the map. Feel free to get these early on, but once you get to level 3, it’s time to focus. In Nightrein, you need more levels, better equipment and buffs, which won’t be found on weak enemies or the items around them. Ignore them completely once you get high enough, as you will not have extra time to take them down in your quest for stronger boss enemies and powerful upgrades.

Shoot for level 12

It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to be at the right level when fighting a Nightlord. One level could be the difference between an easy win and an utter defeat. A good rule of thumb is to shoot to be at least level 4 by the end of day 1, level 8 by the end of day 2 and level 12 when taking on the Nightlord. While you can beat the bosses at levels lower than those suggested, the fights will go much easier the higher your levels are.

Spend a little time exploring and training at Roundtable Hold

Roundtable Hold is not just a hub to buy relics, do some training and interact with characters. As you progress, there will be new content to find in the area. New Nightfarers, for example, will unlock once you get certain items and interact with other NPCs. This is especially true after a successful run, as there will be more to learn when exploring Roundtable Hold.

Head out on your own

To have a successful run, each player on the team needs to understand their character’s abilities, how to properly equip themselves and learn the pattern of certain bosses. That’s hard to do during a match as your time is limited, and the group you’re with wants to keep running. This is why doing a few solo runs on your own can help get your footing with the game. To start a solo run, head to the table at the Roundtable Hold, click on it, and go to options. At the bottom of the options, there’s a selection to have a single-player run or a multiplayer run. Make sure that it’s single-player and start by yourself. Keep in mind, this is going to be very difficult to do a solo run, but you want to use this time to develop an understanding of the game’s mechanics and your character.

Expect the unexpected

The last bit of advice is to expect the unexpected. There are random events that can happen throughout the game, from a group of enemies teleported right on top of you, additional bosses showing up after a boss battle, or even the Nightlords popping up as day 1 bosses. You always need to be prepared because things can change in a split second, and your match could be over.

Elden Ring Nightreign launches on May 30 for PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S and Xbox One consoles for $40. Owning the original Elden Ring is not required to play this game.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Nov. 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? The Saturday puzzle is always the longest of the week, so it’s not quite as easy as the other days. Today’s wasn’t too terrible. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Theatrical role
Answer: PART

5A clue: Capital of Vietnam
Answer: HANOI

6A clue: Father of a «fur baby»
Answer: CATDAD

7A clue: Words often accompanied by a ring
Answer: MARRYME

8A clue: Whirling currents
Answer: EDDIES

9A clue: Put up, as a statue
Answer: ERECT

10A clue: Race that’s about half the length of a half-marathon
Answer: TENK

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: SpongeBob’s starfish friend
Answer: PATRICK

2D clue: Despite it all …»
Answer: ANDYET

3D clue: Wanders here and there
Answer: ROAMS

4D clue: Company with a «To Go» stain remover
Answer: TIDE

5D clue: Become firm
Answer: HARDEN

6D clue: Small group of soldiers
Answer: CADRE

7D clue: What parallel lines never do
Answer: MEET

Technologies

Touchdown! Disney, ESPN and Other Channels Are Back on YouTube TV

YouTube TV subscribers no longer need another streaming service — or to visit a sports bar — to watch the NFL or college football.

YouTube TV subscribers, your channels — and your football — are back. Disney and YouTube said Friday night that the two companies had reached an agreement. YouTube TV subscribers lost all of Disney’s channels, including ESPN and ESPN2, on Oct. 30. Those who wanted to watch NFL or college football on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 or Disney family-friendly hits such as Bluey, had to find other alternatives.

«We’re happy to share that we’ve reached an agreement with Disney that preserves the value of our service for our subscribers and future flexibility in our offers,» a YouTube spokesperson said. «Subscribers should see channels including ABC, ESPN and FX returning to their service over the course of the day, as well as any recordings that were previously in their Library. We apologize for the disruption and appreciate our subscribers’ patience as we negotiated on their behalf. «

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

The companies said in a statement that they reached a multi-year deal and were already restoring the channels to YouTube TV.

According to YouTube, subscribers should see content and saved recordings restored over the next 24 hours. So if you don’t have them back yet, they should show up soon.

I’m a YouTube TV subscriber myself, and as of 5:30 p.m. PT on Friday, Disney, ESPN and other channels have been restored for me. As a die-hard Minnesota Vikings fan (yes, I know), I added Fubo TV temporarily, but I won’t be keeping that subscription.

According to the statement, the deal will include the restoration of the channels, plus other items. The unlimited version of ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service will now be made available at no additional cost to YouTube TV subscribers. Subscribers will also have access to a selection of live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited inside YouTube TV. Also, select networks will be included in various genre-specific packages, and there will be the ability to include the Disney Plus Hulu Bundle as part of select YouTube offerings.

«This new agreement reflects our continued commitment to delivering exceptional entertainment and evolving with how audiences choose to watch,» Disney Entertainment Co-Chairmen Alan Bergman and Dana Walden and ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the statement. «It recognizes the tremendous value of Disney’s programming and provides YouTube TV subscribers with more flexibility and choice. We are pleased that our networks have been restored in time for fans to enjoy the many great programming options this weekend, including college football.»

Disney-owned channels were pulled on Oct. 30 when the agreement between the two companies expired.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the resulting 25-day blackout was the longest in recent memory for Disney.

Here’s a full list of the channels that were removed due to the dispute:

ABC
ABC News Live
ACC Network
Baby TV Español (Spanish Plan)
Disney Channel
Disney Junior
Disney XD
ESPN
ESPN Deportes (Spanish Plan)
ESPNews
ESPNU
ESPN2
Freeform
FX
FXM
FXX
Localish
Nat Geo
Nat Geo Mundo (Spanish Plan)
Nat Geo Wild
SEC Network

Technologies

How to Get the Most Out of Apple AirTags: A Comprehensive User Guide

Apple’s tiny trackers have become invaluable additions for travel as well as keeping tabs on everyday items. Here’s how to make them work best for you.

The last thing you want to deal with when traveling is lost luggage. In the past, you were at the mercy of the overburdened airlines to find a missing bag, but that’s all changed now. I consider Apple AirTags essential everyday items — small enough to stash in a bag or purse, battery life you can forget about for months and able to give you peace of mind when something goes missing, even if that’s just your keys inside the house.

Apple’s portable Bluetooth trackers are quickly becoming nearly ubiquitous. They’re so popular that major airports and airlines are now plugged in to Apple’s Find My service and can help you pinpoint a bag that could be wending its way through an airport’s luggage system or was left behind where you started your trip.

I already use Apple’s Find My service to keep tabs on devices, such as the iPad I frequently leave in my living room, as well as where family members are via their iPhones. For other items like my keys and everyday bag, I’ve come to rely on several Apple AirTags that fit into or onto almost anything I want to track. Apple’s tracker depends on the crowdsourced Find My network to help you pinpoint your items, from keys you’ve misplaced at home to a bag you may have left in the office.

Here’s all you want to know about AirTags. For more, learn about why you shouldn’t put an AirTag on a pet and discover five unexpected places to stash an AirTag.

What’s an Apple AirTag?

An AirTag is an individual tracking device that securely broadcasts its location using Bluetooth wireless networking. It’s a small glossy white puck not much larger than a US quarter and about the height of three stacked coins. A CR2032 coin cell battery keeps the AirTag powered for roughly a year.

Once the AirTag is paired with an iPhone or iPad, you can essentially forget about it. Hang it on a keychain or drop it into a bag —anything you want to be able to track or find later.

How much do AirTags cost and where can I buy them?

A single AirTag retails for $29 direct from Apple, and can be bought for around $24 from most outlets that sell electronics.

However, it’s always more economical to buy AirTags in packs of four — once you find a use for a solitary AirTag you’ll soon think of other things you want to track. Apple sells the set for $99 and some retailers, such as Amazon

, Best Buy and Walmart, have them for around $75, bringing the per-item cost down below $20. AirTags are also frequently reduced for big sales such as Black Friday and Prime Day.

If you do order from Apple, you can engrave initials, numbers and emoji for free, which can help you tell the AirTags apart (or just add a personal spin).

Is it difficult to set up a new AirTag?

In typical Apple fashion, activating a new AirTag is easy. Initially, a plastic tab slipped in between the electronics and battery keeps the AirTag inert. Once you pull that tab and the pieces make contact, the AirTag starts broadcasting its presence. When you bring it close to an iPhone or iPad, a dialog box appears, giving you the option to connect the AirTag.

When you tap Connect, choose a description of what the tag will be associated with, such as «Handbag» or «Luggage»; you can also enter a custom name. Choose an emoji to represent the AirTag in the Find My app and tap Continue. The AirTag is linked to your Apple ID.

How do I locate an AirTag?

In the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, tap the Items button to view the AirTags you’ve activated. On an Apple Watch, open the Find Items app.

Tap the item you want to locate. If you think it’s close by, the easy option is to tap the Play Sound button, which makes the AirTag emit a high-pitched trill. However, if you have an iPhone 11 or later (not counting the iPhone SE), tapping Find uses the iPhone’s Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip to locate the AirTag with more precision —not just estimating the distance, such as «1.5 ft nearby,» but also point you in the right direction as you move around.

If the item is not in your general vicinity, the Find button becomes a Directions button that will hand off the location to the Maps app for driving, walking, transit or cycling routes.

What if I forget items while I’m heading out?

Being able to find something I’ve lost is invaluable, but it would be better if I didn’t forget it in the first place. For every AirTag, you can enable Notify When Left Behind, an option that sends a notification if you and an AirTag that was with you are no longer together.

That could be as simple as forgetting a bag at a restaurant or — more alarming —if someone swiped the item and is making a getaway.

What’s the secret to how AirTags work?

You know how in many thrillers and spy movies someone plants a tracker on a person and is then able to pinpoint the target’s location no matter where they are? That always seemed far-fetched to me — what sort of range would a tiny piece of electronics have, really? — but an AirTag is essentially that.

The AirTag itself does not have that sort of range, but it has something better: millions of devices carried by Apple customers surrounding it. On a regular interval, the AirTag sends out a low-power Bluetooth signal containing an encrypted ID. Any nearby iPhone, iPad or Mac picks up the signal, adds its location coordinates (if it knows them) and sends that to Apple servers in a secure background transmission.

That’s how, when my luggage chose to spend an extra day in Europe without me, I knew it was still in the airport in France. Likely an iPhone owned by a traveler or employee picked up the ID of the AirTag in my bag and relayed that to Apple. When I opened the Find My app on my iPhone in Seattle, it queried the servers and presented the AirTag’s last known location.

All of this happens in the background — no personal information is sent, and the impact to the relaying device’s performance and battery is negligible.

What about privacy? Can a hidden AirTag track me?

Just as you can use an AirTag to track your personal objects, it is possible that someone could drop an AirTag into your bag or coat pocket to try to track your movements. Apple has put a few safeguards in place to try to prevent that type of situation.

If your iPhone or iPad detects an unknown AirTag in your vicinity that is persistently near you, a notification appears that says «AirTag Found Moving With You.» When you ransack your belongings and find it, open the Find My app on your iPhone or iPad, tap Items and then tap Identify Found Item. Place the AirTag against the back of the device at the top until you see a notification. When you tap that, you’re taken to a web page with the tag’s serial number and, optionally, contact information.

If it turns out a family member’s AirTag fell out of a bag, no worries. If it’s one that’s unfamiliar, you can follow instructions for how to disable the tag.

For more, see how to protect yourself from being tracked.

What if I suspect that my AirTag is stolen?

You’ve looked everywhere, used the Find feature to scan for it, but your item containing an AirTag is nowhere to be found. Now what?

In the AirTag’s details in the Find My app, scroll down to Lost AirTag and tap Show Contact Info. If someone finds the tag and checks it as described just above, you can have a phone number or email displayed, plus an optional message, when they look up its information.

The other option is to choose Share Item Location, which creates a link you can send to someone identifying where the tag is. The link is active for just one week, which is hopefully more than enough time to let someone track it down. For example, suppose your bag is swiped: You could give the shared link to the police so they can track it down. (For safety reasons, don’t confront someone who’s stolen your property.)

When the item and its AirTag are returned, a notification appears that you’ve been reunited. Or, you can make the tag’s whereabouts hidden at any point by tapping Stop Sharing Item Location in the same screen, which invalidates the shared link.

How can I share an AirTag with someone I trust?

An AirTag is linked to your Apple Account, but for years that presented a problem: AirTags assigned to other people in my household would trigger the «AirTag Found Moving With You» warning — not great on family trips when we’d take my wife’s car.

Now, fortunately, it’s possible to share an AirTag’s location with up to five people. Tap a tag in the Find My app and under Share AirTag tap Add Person. Tap Continue on the screen explaining what will happen, then select a contact and tap Share.

In that person’s Find My app, they can accept the shared item. Note that all people you add can track the location.

How long does the battery last and how do I replace it?

In my experience, the CR2032 coin battery in each AirTag lasts about a year. When the level dips below about 10% remaining, you’re alerted that the battery is low and a red indicator appears in the Find My app.

To replace the battery, turn the silver back counter-clockwise to release its latches. Lift the existing battery out and replace it with a new one, making sure the battery’s identifying markings are facing you. Then align the tabs of the metal portion with the slots in the plastic piece, press lightly and turn clockwise. The AirTag will chirp when the electronics and battery are securely in contact.

Can I use AirTags with an Android phone?

AirTags are not directly compatible with Android phones — there’s no app that ties into Apple’s Find My network. To get the same tracking functionality, look into the Chipolo One Point tracker that uses Google’s Find My Device network.

Apple once offered an Android app called Tracker Detect that would let you identify a found AirTag, but that’s not available for newer Android devices — an app with that name in the Google Play store is from a separate developer. However, for phones with NFC chips installed, you can place a found AirTag against the back of the device to view information about it.

For more, learn about this year’s best AirTag accessories and everything about Apple Intelligence.