How to Unlock Duchess – Elden Ring: Nightreign

Despite being featured in pre-release tests, Duchess is actually not one of the characters you can play from the start. She is an unlockable Nightfarer/character, and you should be able to get her after your first successful Expedition. The item to unlock her, the Old Pocketwatch, occasionally drops even if you fail an Expedition.

1- Obtain “Old Pocketwatch” from Expedition

Pay attention to your Expedition rewards: at some point you will get an Old Pocketwatch alongside your Relic and Murk rewards. Aside from its icon, it will look similar to other Relics and will probably come with two passive properties.

This item is pretty much a guaranteed drop upon your first successful Expedition. In some cases, the Old Pocketwatch can drop as part of the partial rewards when you fail your run.

2 – Give the Item to a White-Cloaked NPC

Now, locate a figure clad in white hooded robes back at the Roundtable Hold/your central hub between Expeditions. (Check the map for a yellow exclamation mark.) Talk to her and pick the option “Give it to her” to get the stranger to reveal her true identity and unlock the Duchess as a playable character.

Duchess will now be available from the character selector menu. She is a bit of a hit-and-run rogue playstyle, with an ability to reapply the last few seconds of team damage to an enemy, and turn herself and her party invisible.

(Optional) Unlock Revenant Character

Once you unlock the Duchess, you can purchase Besmirched Frame for 1,500 Murk and proceed to unlock Revenant also. It involves a boss fight with 3 adds. You can also do so later — feel free to reference our dedicated guide on How to Unlock Revenant for details.