I had the exact same thought process. Part of the “you only get hit if you make a mistake” ethos of all FromSoft games, in my opinion, is giving the player full control over their character, from stats to gear, to aesthetics even - I thoroughly believe (although purely anecdotally) that allowing me to define my character is a massive part of immersion and even performance (I care more about the stuff I make than the stuff other people made in a ludic context).

I feel that this shift toward a purely multiplayer experience with rigidly defined play options lacks every reason why I’ve played and enjoyed playing FromSoft games so far.

Even Armored Core VI, with its mission-based gameplay and lack of an overworld, feels like it lands closer to Elden Ring/Dark Souls/Bloodborne in terms of player trajectory and freedom than it does to Nightreign.

Edit: as a concrete example, my nonsensical Elden Ring build. I have a lot of Dex, not enough Vig nor End, and dumped way too many points into magic stats, and I barely ever use magic. But I’m well on my way to finishing my first NG+ and have pretty much soloed the entire game with my busted build (no player summons, did use Ashes in some very annoying contexts). I love my master of nonsense character, I’ve significantly overleveled my nonsense character because I enjoy the extra challenge my stupid build imposes on me. And, yes, it makes just as little sense at level 285 as it did when it was but a twinkle in my eye.