Elden Ring Nightreign DLC: Scholar & Undertaker Deep-Dive

The Forsaken Hollows DLC for Elden Ring Nightreign adds two new Nightfarers—Scholar and Undertaker—who immediately reshape how parties approach expeditions, bosses, and co‑op. This guide walks through how to unlock them, explains their strengths and weaknesses, and offers strategic tips so you can build effective teams around these newcomers.

Overview: Why Scholar and Undertaker Matter

While they occupy very different roles, Scholar and Undertaker share one defining trait: they dramatically increase the value of coordinated play. Scholar leans into battlefield control, status effects, and clever resource management; Undertaker is an aggressive bruiser who thrives on momentum and smart timing.

Together, they offer:

• New team archetypes built around status application, group-linked damage, and hyper-aggressive burst windows.
• Alternative paths through expeditions where you can trade raw survivability for speed and damage, or vice versa.
• More meaningful choices in co-op thanks to abilities that interact with allies directly, such as Undertaker’s support through her Ultimate and Scholar’s team-wide buffs and debuffs.

How to Unlock Scholar and Undertaker

Both Nightfarers are tied directly to the The Forsaken Hollows DLC content. You will need to meet a few progression requirements before they become playable. Below is a concise, spoiler-light overview based on official information from Bandai Namco.

Prerequisites and DLC Access

Before you even see these characters, ensure that:

• You own and have installed “The Forsaken Hollows” DLC for Elden Ring Nightreign on your platform of choice.
• Your base game has been updated to at least the patch that introduces DLC support (the publisher notes a required update file alongside DLC release).

Official support pages from Bandai Namco outline the DLC installation process on PlayStation and Xbox, including how to locate add‑ons through the platform store or owned titles list.¹

Progression Requirements (Spoiler-Light)

After the DLC is installed, the general flow to unlock Scholar and Undertaker is:

1. Defeat the early-game DLC boss Tricephalos in The Forsaken Hollows content. This is the primary gate for both new Nightfarers.¹
2. Return to Roundtable Hold (the Nightreign hub area) and speak with the Iron Menial once Tricephalos has been beaten at least once.
3. Follow his instructions to find the Small Jar Merchant and investigate the new doorway that appears nearby.
4. Trigger the encounter and cutscene involving the Dreglord—you are not expected to win the initial clash.
5. Once you regain control at the hub, revisit the interior rooms that opened behind the Small Jar Merchant. Inside, you will finally encounter Scholar and Undertaker.
6. Speak to each of them to add them permanently to your Nightfarer roster.

Once unlocked, they can be chosen for any future expeditions, including the new Shifting Earth introduced in the DLC.

Scholar: Status Savant and Battlefield Analyst

Scholar fills a hybrid role: part support, part controller, and part opportunistic damage dealer. He is at his best when he’s leveraging information and status effects rather than trading hits directly.

Core Identity and Playstyle

Scholar favors thrusting swords and similar precise weapons, making him adept at proccing status conditions through rapid, accurate strikes. Gameplay footage and early guides highlight his exceptional Arcane scaling, which synergizes well with weapons and items that inflict bleed, poison, and other debuffs.

Instead of raw damage output, Scholar leans into:

• Information-driven skills that analyze enemies and allies.
• Debuffs that make key targets easier to burst down.
• Buffs that increase ally resilience or damage under specific conditions.
• Rune generation and resource manipulation tied to his kit.

Signature Abilities

Scholar’s kit revolves around two major mechanics often highlighted in preview coverage: his character skill, commonly referred to as an analysis-style ability, and his Ultimate Art, Communion.

Analysis-Style Character Skill

Scholar’s character skill lets him “study” enemies or allies, marking them as subjects for his experiments. When used correctly, this skill can:

• Apply debuffs to enemies, making them more vulnerable to damage or status buildup.
• Apply buffs to allies, improving survivability, damage output, or resource efficiency.
• Generate extra runes when applied to multiple targets, rewarding proactive usage and continuous engagement.

Some traits reduce the chance of his character skill slowing down under pressure, encouraging frequent, tactical casting throughout a fight.

Communion: Linked Fates Ultimate Art

Scholar’s Ultimate Art, often described as Communion, is a wide-area ability that links all nearby enemies and allies together. During its effect:

• Damage sharing: If one linked entity takes damage, all linked enemies share that damage. This makes it especially potent against large groups or multi-part bosses.
• Shared healing: Healing items used while Communion is active are shared between linked allies, providing a powerful safety net in chaotic fights.
• Continuous damage rewards: Prolonged damage on linked targets can feed back into Scholar’s rune gain and progression-based bonuses.

Because Communion can both amplify damage and extend healing, it rewards teams that commit to an all‑in window rather than playing cautiously.

Recommended Stat Focus and Weapon Choices

Based on early breakdowns of his scaling, Scholar tends to favor:

• S in Arcane: maximizing the effectiveness of status effects and certain items.
• Balanced or moderate investment in Dexterity and Intelligence to capitalize on thrusting swords and spell-like tools.
• Lower emphasis on Strength, with Faith and other attributes playing a supporting role.

Effective weapon types include:

• Thrusting swords / rapiers for rapid status procs and precise pokes.
• Arcane-scaling weapons that apply bleed, poison, or other damage-over-time effects.
• Tools or items benefiting from Arcane to further amplify his damage through indirect means.

Scholar Build Concepts

Undertaker: Relentless Faith-Str Based Executioner

Undertaker is the polar opposite of Scholar in temperament. She is a fast, close-range frontliner who excels at sustained aggression, chaining combo attacks while shrugging off punishment. Her lore positions her as a monastery-sent executioner of Night Lords, and her mechanics reflect that single-minded ferocity.

Core Identity and Playstyle

Undertaker specializes in hammers and similar blunt weapons, with strong scaling in both Strength and Faith. This makes her ideal for hybrid physical/holy builds that keep pressure on enemies, especially during her unique buff windows.

Her kit encourages:

• Maintaining momentum by chaining attacks and dodges rather than disengaging.
• High-risk, high-reward gameplay, especially during her empowered state.
• Team synergy with allies who can set up or extend her damage from mid‑range.

Trance: The Undertaker’s Frenzy State

Undertaker’s character skill, typically referred to as Trance, is the engine of her playstyle. When activated, Trance channels the “Loathsome Hex” within her, granting multiple simultaneous benefits:

• Movement speed increase: Her running speed becomes comparable to a dash without consuming stamina.
• Enhanced toughness: She is harder to stagger and can stay in melee longer.
• Improved combo damage: Chain attacks hit harder and can more easily finish off enemies.
• Upgraded dodge: Her roll becomes a snappier dodge step, increasing her ability to weave between attacks.

These buffs alone would make her a formidable duelist, but Trance becomes even more devastating when combined with her Ultimate Art.

Loathsome Hex Ultimate Art

Undertaker’s Ultimate Art, Loathsome Hex, can be used normally or in conjunction with Trance. Used during Trance, it dramatically amplifies her offensive power:

• Further attack power boost, letting her shred even tough elites and bosses.
• Additional movement speed, turning her into a relentless pursuer.
• “Cheat death” effect similar to Wilder’s passive, allowing her to survive a potentially lethal hit while the effect lasts.
• Can be activated even mid-air, enabling aerial aggression and unexpected burst damage.

This combination positions Undertaker as a prime candidate for burst windows where the team commits to overwhelming a boss during a carefully timed window of vulnerability.

Confluence: Passive Synergy with Allies

Undertaker’s passive ability, Confluence, rewards team coordination. When an ally uses their Ultimate Art, Undertaker has a brief window in which she can activate her own Ultimate for free, regardless of her current gauge.

This leads to powerful synchronized ult chains:

• Scholar pops Communion to link enemies and allies.
• Within the Confluence window, Undertaker triggers Loathsome Hex for free.
• The entire party focuses on a linked cluster of enemies, dealing amplified damage while benefiting from shared healing and Undertaker’s presence.

Stat and Weapon Priorities

Undertaker’s stat spread pushes her toward front‑line melee with a mystical edge:

• A in Strength and Faith for weapon damage and incantation synergy.
• Moderate HP and stamina, letting her stay in the thick of combat during Trance.
• Lower Dexterity and Intelligence, with just enough for weapon requirements.

Weapon recommendations include:

• Hammers and great hammers that scale with Strength/Faith.
• Faith-scaling unique hammers, where available, to maximize her hybrid kit.
• Incantation-support items that bolster physical attacks or embed additional buffs when her assist effects are active.

Undertaker Build Concepts

Team Synergies: Scholar and Undertaker Together

The real magic of these two Nightfarers emerges when they share the field. Their kits interact in ways that turn ordinary fights into coordinated set pieces.

Core Duo Strategy

A typical engagement using both might look like this:

1. Scholar opens by analyzing the main target and nearby enemies, seeding buffs/debuffs and starting rune-related bonuses.
2. He builds up to Communion, waiting for the right moment when multiple enemies are grouped or a boss exposes a weak spot.
3. Scholar activates Communion, linking enemies and allies. Allies cluster to make use of shared healing.
4. Undertaker immediately triggers Trance, using the movement and toughness bonuses to dive into the fray.
5. Within the Confluence window that follows Scholar’s ultimate, Undertaker fires off Loathsome Hex (often for free), turning the next several seconds into a lethal burst phase.
6. The team focuses on aggressive combos, knowing that damage and healing are both being shared efficiently.

Ideal Third and Fourth Nightfarers

In a larger party, consider pairing them with:

• A ranged damage dealer (bow or sorcery-focused) who can capitalize on enemies linked by Communion.
• A tank or off-tank who can anchor enemies in place, making it easier for Undertaker to maximize her melee uptime.
• Another ultimate-focused support whose Ultimate Art not only triggers Confluence but also prepares the battlefield (e.g., crowd control or defense boosts).

Early Expedition Tips for Scholar and Undertaker

New to these Nightfarers? Here are practical tips for your first few runs in The Forsaken Hollows.

Survival and Positioning

• Do not overshoot with Undertaker: Even with Trance, diving too deep without ally support can get her killed. Use her upgraded dodge step deliberately.
• Scholar should play off-center: Stay close enough to apply statuses and cast Communion, but far enough to avoid being the first target in every exchange.
• Respect multi-boss setups: Linked damage cuts both ways; ensure allies have enough healing items before you commit to Communion.

Resource Management

• Plan around ult gauges: Try to align Scholar’s Communion and Undertaker’s Loathsome Hex to create two or three major burst windows per expedition.
• Exploit rune bonuses: Scholar’s kit rewards hitting multiple targets and applying continuous damage. Use multi-hit weapons or AoE tools whenever possible.
• Keep a reserve of healing items specifically for Communion phases, so your party can benefit fully from shared healing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to clear the entire DLC to unlock Scholar and Undertaker?

No. Official guidance indicates you primarily need to defeat the DLC boss Tricephalos and follow the progression chain at Roundtable Hold involving the Iron Menial and Small Jar Merchant.¹ You do not need to complete all new expeditions first.

Can Scholar or Undertaker be used in earlier content once unlocked?

Yes. Once they are added to your Nightfarer roster, they can be selected for any expedition, including earlier Shifting Earths and Nightreign content. This makes them excellent candidates for revisiting older routes with fresh tactics.

Is Undertaker viable without heavy co-op coordination?

She is still strong in solo or less-organized play thanks to Trance and her basic stat spread. However, her passive Confluence and Loathsome Hex really shine when allies also time their ultimates and bursts around her.

Is Scholar only a support character?

Not at all. While he excels at buffs and debuffs, his high Arcane scaling and access to status-heavy weapons mean he can contribute significant damage, especially during Communion when damage sharing and continuous effects amplify his output.

What platforms support The Forsaken Hollows DLC?

Bandai Namco’s official support pages list DLC availability for major platforms such as PlayStation and Xbox, accessible via platform stores or owned-titles lists.¹ PC platforms follow their respective storefront processes (e.g., Steam). Always check official store pages or publisher announcements for the most accurate platform support information.