Lanterns in Nightingale: Are They Really Worth Using?

Introduction

The Lantern, one of Nightingale’s most iconic pieces of gear, takes centre stage in this post as we explore its comprehensive uses and features. If you’ve watched Victorian horror story, you likely remember the character navigating a swamp at night, Lantern in hand, before encountering the monstrous Humbaba. The Lantern sets the tone for Nightingale’s gaslamp fantasy. But is it truly useful in this survival game? Let’s explore!

TL;DR: Right now, the Lantern isn’t particularly useful in the current version of the game. However, it has its moments, and I’ve created a feedback post for the developers, where you can vote for potential changes.

Lantern Basics in Nightingale

The Lantern is a craftable off-hand tool, that players can unlock early in the game. The first Rugged Lantern you’ll come across is the Tier 2 era, which becomes available early in your progression. As you advance into Tier 3 and higher, you’ll unlock three additional Lanterns:

• Ornate Lantern
• Dauntless Lantern
• Mystic Lantern

These Lanterns offer bonuses to melee damage, critical damage, and a notable health regeneration bonus, with the top-tier Lantern giving you 100 HP per minute. While this sounds impressive for a tool slot, it doesn’t offer much in terms of practical gameplay benefits. By the way, you can check out my overview of all off-hand options in Nightingale to find the one that suits you best.

Lanterns Usage

Initially, Lanterns were a key part of the “caster meta,” thanks to their ability to add noticeable critical damage to your attacks. However, in the current version of Nightingale, neither melee damage nor critical damage from Lanterns applies to your primary attacks or spells.

You can wield the Lantern as an off-hand tool. You holding it in the left-hand, while it’s located in a right parts of your hotbar slots. Pressing the F key lets you swing the Lantern at enemies, but don’t expect much—this attack deals a meager 21 damage. On top of that, unlike Duke Nukem’s iconic dual foot kicks, here you can’t attack with both hands—so you’re left either swinging your Lantern to fend off shadows or making a main attack

That said, you can still wield the Lantern alongside pistols, revolvers, knives, scythes, hammers, or even a spyglass. But, since its main stats don’t enhance your primary attacks, its combat utility is severely limited.

Is the Lantern Worth Using?

Unfortunately, compared to other tools like the Umbrella, the Lantern falls short in almost every category. The Umbrella not only provides stats but also shields you from rain and hail while offering superior traversal capabilities, especially with the right chants.

As for lighting performance, the Lantern doesn’t fare well. It’s fine if you’re reading a book in a dark cave, but for actual exploration, it does more harm than good. The light barely reaches 4 meters ahead and often makes distant areas appear darker. I’ve included a comparison screenshot to show the poor visibility.

Click to enlarge the image

Best Uses for the Lantern

Despite its shortcomings, there are a couple of niche uses for the Lantern:

1. Companion Use: One of the better uses I’ve found is equipping the Lantern on your companion. This helps you identify their location more easily and adds a small health regeneration bonus. Discord user @Zeratica pointed out, another benefit of equipping a lantern on your companion. The AI will prioritize lighting the path for you, meaning companion will stay closer and not wander off. This is especially useful when you need them nearby for dumping resources or ensuring they don’t stuck behind in dungeons.
2. Role-Playing: If you enjoy role-playing or making cinematic videos, the Lantern can add a dramatic atmosphere. Walking through your dark mansion at night with the Lantern in hand creates a cinematic effect that’s perfect for video content.

Final Thoughts

While the Lantern isn’t essential or highly functional in Nightingale’s current gameplay, it still holds aesthetic value and has very niche uses. For now, we’ll need to wait for developers to make it more viable. In the meantime, feel free to vote for changes to improve its utility.