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If one mechanic sets Nightingale apart from other fantasy survival games like Valheim and Enshrouded, it’s Realm Cards. These magical items allow you to determine what kind of world you’ll step into whenever you enter a portal. They also allow you to change the conditions of your home realm. This could mean changing the season or plunging the world into eternal night. Whether you’re using them to gain an advantage in combat or make crafting easier, they’re a big part of your adventures in the Faewilds. Here are the five best Realm Card combinations in Nightingale, in no particular order.
5. Might + Gloom
The Might Card increases your strength and carrying capacity, making it ideal if you’re intent on killing mobs and carting away their loot. It pairs well with Gloom, spicing up combat in that already dangerous Tier-3 realm, but you can use it anywhere you want the edge in combat. The downside of might is a decrease in the durability of your tools and clothing. Although chewing through your items faster is bad, the loot you earn from your extra battles should more than handle repair costs. Might is also a good fit for your Abeyance if you’re stuck on a nasty boss.
4. Feast + Forest
The Feast card will make your Realm’s season spring, which is ideal for cozy vibes. Unfortunately, that won’t help you grow crops any faster. What it will do is improve health regen and increase the duration of food buffs. If you’ve ever played Valheim, you’ll understand the importance of stacking food buffs before a big battle. Meals can sometimes be tricky to come by if you’re new to a realm or new to Nightingale, however, so Feast is a great card to help you get settled in. Forest is perhaps the most obvious pairing because its lush woodlands and rolling hills are a hunter’s paradise, but Feast works well in Swamps and Deserts too.
3. Industry + Provisioner
Essence is one of the most valuable items in Nightingale, acting as the Fae currency, but ammunition and ingots aren’t far behind. As you climb the tech tree and make your way into Tier-2 and Tier-3 realms you’ll burn through plenty of both. Getting your first gun makes life much easier in the Faewilds, and the Industry card increases your ammo and ingot yield from crafting. That means you can keep your bandolier well-supplied. It also decreases refinement time, so you can spend less time in your workshop and more time in Provisioner’s realm fighting and gathering crafting recipes.
2. Settler + Abeyance
Gathering all the materials in Nightingale is a time-consuming process, but it’s necessary for building a large and elaborate base. Making a home of your own in the Faewilds is essential if you want easy access to all the important crafting stations, and the Settler card improves material and crop yields. That makes it perfect for your Abeyance, since that’s where you’ll end up spending the most time gathering materials. The stamina debuff that comes with it is annoying, but by the time you reach Tier-2 you can enchant gear to offset that penalty. You can use Settler elsewhere, but this card is best where you plan on doing lots of crafting.
1. Deep Fae Wilds + Gloom
The Deep Fae Wilds decreases your damage, max health, max stamina, health regen, and stamina regen. In other words, it significantly weakens most of the things that keep you alive. In exchange, you get hostile weather and permanent darkness. The combination of the Deep Fae Wilds and Gloom Realm Cards is one of the hardest in Nightingale but also one of the best. If you’re seeking a unique and challenging survival experience, it doesn’t get much better than this. It’s not a great card combo if you’re brand new to the game or new to survival games in general, however. Once you’ve gotten some more experience and are ready to test your mettle against the Faewilds, this combo will be waiting.
Nightingale is available for PC in early access.
