It's no secret that Elden Ring Nightreign contains plenty of Dark Souls bosses and references to older FromSoftware content, but one in particular features a mechanic reminiscent of an entirely separate action RPG series – Monster Hunter.
The Gaping Dragon first appeared in 2011 genre gem Dark Souls as an optional boss, with a cutscene I can only describe as having catfished me into thinking I'd be up against a little lizard only to reveal the true enemy I'd have to take on – a fearsome dragon with gigantic vertical jaws and wriggling teeth. That dragon is back now in Nightreign, and what's more, players can chop its tail off just as they could over a decade ago in Dark Souls.
As highlighted by Twitch streamer BioticNova in an online post, Nightreign players can cut the Gaping Dragon's tail off to get weapon drops. In Dark Souls, fans could do the same for the Dragon King Greataxe, a rare weapon. While the newer game doesn't reward the same exact item, it's still a fun reference to FromSoftware's older action RPG – one that's not only reminding players of just Dark Souls either, apparently.
You can get weapons from cutting off tails in Elden Ring Nightreign! At least for Gaping Dragon! pic.twitter.com/upuQJLM8QIJune 1, 2025
In the wake of Monster Hunter Wilds, people also have Capcom's own series in mind – and the tail-chopping mechanic the Gaping Dragon fight features feels a whole lot like the one in Monster Hunter. As one fan's comment in BioticNova's thread reads, "What in the Monster Hunter?" Another jokes that the "Monster Hunter-ification has begun," while elsewhere, somebody amusingly questions, "So it is Monster Hunter, too?"
One player even writes how they've "been so cooked from Monster Hunter, I almost got mad you didn't go back to carve the tail" – a relatable reaction, if I do say so myself. Although they're not all as Monster Hunter-aligned as the Gaping Dragon, there are plenty more boss references and throwbacks to be found in-game, too. If nothing else, as our own Elden Ring Nightreign review describes them, they're certainly "a genius form of asset re-use."
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