Elden Ring Nightreign: How to Unlock Duchess

Get the Old Pocketwatch from early Gladius expeditions

Duchess is one of the two locked Nightfarers in the base game. Her unlock begins with the Old Pocketwatch, which comes from attempts against Gladius, the Beast of Night. A first victory against Gladius gives the item. If that first target is still beating you, do not assume the character is locked behind a perfect run: the Pocketwatch can also appear as a reward after an unsuccessful early Gladius expedition.

That means the useful next step is to keep running the standard Gladius expedition and improve the part of the route that is failing. Get churches and weapon upgrades before the second night, regroup for revives, and learn the boss’s split phase. See the Gladius guide for a preparation plan. You do not need to abandon the expedition because Duchess is not unlocked yet.

After a run awards the Old Pocketwatch, return to the Roundtable Hold. It is a named relic, so look for its exact name among your expedition rewards rather than searching through temporary weapons carried in Limveld.

Give the item to the Priestess

From the Roundtable, find the hooded Priestess in the main hub area and speak to her. Choose the Old Pocketwatch when the exchange is available. The conversation unlocks Duchess for future expeditions.

Use this short checklist if the exchange does not appear:

1. Confirm the named relic in your rewards is the Old Pocketwatch.
2. Return fully to the Roundtable after the expedition result screen.
3. Speak to the hooded Priestess again and check the item prompt.
4. Open character selection after the scene to confirm Duchess is available.

There is no need to hunt an unrelated field boss or win a different Nightlord for this step. The relevant trigger is the Pocketwatch from the Gladius progression, followed by the Priestess exchange.

Take Duchess into training before a serious run

Unlocking a Nightfarer is only the first step. Duchess plays as a fast close-range character, so learn her movement and timing in training before dropping into a difficult expedition. Practise approaching a target, leaving an opening instead of spending every dodge, and triggering her skill or Ultimate Art without putting yourself between several enemies.

Then fit a simple relic setup for her at Relic Rites and make your first live run a learning run. You can change the loadout later; the early goal is to understand her role in the group. Once Duchess is unlocked, the Revenant route becomes available through the Small Jar Bazaar.