Summary
- Leveling up in Elden Ring can be confusing due to soft and hard caps on stats, impacting skill point effectiveness.
- Each Attribute affects gameplay differently, with soft caps reducing gains past a certain level.
- Understanding soft caps is crucial for maximizing character builds in Elden Ring, as poorly allocated points can hinder progress.
Leveling up in Elden Ring can be deceptively complicated, with hidden hard and soft caps that can prevent players from making the most of their skill points. Whenever the player gathers a sufficient number of Runes, they're able to gain a level. The number of Runes required increases with each level, beginning at 673 for level two and soaring to 8,879,348 by the maximum level of 713. Each time the player character levels up in Elden Ring, they're permitted to put a single point into one of eight stats, also called Attributes.
Each Attribute affects a variety of gameplay functions: Vigor, for example, determines the character's maximum HP, while others like Strength and Dexterity scale up the damage of various Elden Ring weapons. But each Attribute has at least two different level caps - a soft cap and a hard cap - after which devoting skill points to them begins to offer diminishing returns. Knowing when to stop putting points into an Attribute is important to any player's success, but Elden Ring soft caps aren't well explained in-game. Thankfully, their effects have been well documented, and it's fairly easy to see where they are if players know what to look for.
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Elden Ring DLC: Main Story Recap Before Shadow Of The Erdtree
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Elden Ring Soft Caps & Hard Caps Explained
Elden Ring Stats, Levels, & Caps
Elden Ring's soft caps reduce the overall effect of each point invested in an Attribute after a particular number is reached. For each of the first 40 or so points in every stat, the benefits grow larger before suddenly falling off. For example, increasing Vigor from level one to level two grants the Tarnished an additional four points to their maximum HP. They get more max HP points with each level: increasing from 39 to 40 gives them an additional 48 HP. But after that, the max HP points granted by each further level in Vigor begin to fall: first to 26 at level 41, all the way down to three by level 99.
The hard cap for every stat in Elden Ring is 99, after which players can no longer put points into the stat at all.
Every Elden Ring stat has at least two soft caps, but some, like Strength, Dexterity, and Arcane, have multiple. Also, since some stats in Elden Ring govern more than one gameplay feature, there may be different soft caps for different effects. For example, Dexterity affects both the Tarnished's Stamina and their Equip Load. Benefits to Stamina begin to drop off after level 15, but putting points in Dex steadily increases Equip Load until level 25.
That said, hitting an Elden Ring soft cap doesn't necessarily mean the player should never put points in that Attribute again. It simply means it'll take more points before they notice a significant increase in the relevant skills. Strength may have its final soft cap at level 80, but if the player is going for a powerful build that relies entirely on Elden Ring's Strength scaling weapons, there's nothing wrong with leveling Strength all the way up to 99. And, if they ever regret how they've distributed their skill points, they can always respec by visiting 
Raya Lucaria Academy .
Related
Elden Ring: How To Respec Stats
To respec Stats in Elden Ring, players must go through a process called Rebirth, a service offered by an NPC in the Raya Lucaria Academy.
What Every Single Elden Ring Soft Cap Is
Soft Caps For Every Elden Ring Stat & Skill
The table below includes every Elden Ring soft cap for every stat in the game. Note that all stats that affect damage scaling (Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, and Arcane) aren't consistent in how they're affected by soft caps. While the soft caps always occur at the same numbers, the amount by which gains decrease will vary depending on the individual equipment.
Attribute | Soft Cap(s) | Effects |
|---|---|---|
Vigor | 40 | Max HP gains decrease to 26 points per level, then steadily fall to 13 |
60 | Max HP gains decrease to 6 points per level, then steadily fall to 3 | |
Mind | 50 | Max FP gains alternate between 6 and 4 points per level |
60 | Max FP gains alternate between 2 and 3 points per level | |
Endurance (Stamina) | 15 | Max Stamina gains decrease to an average of 1.67 points per level |
30 | Max Stamina gains decrease to an average of 1.25 points per level | |
50 | Max Stamina gains decrease to an average of 0.31 points per level | |
Endurance (Equip Load) | 25 | Equip Load gains decrease to a range of 1 - 1.5 points per level |
60 | Equip Load gains decrease to a range of 1 - 1.1 points per level | |
Strength | 18 | Damage decrease depends on weapon equipped |
50 | ||
60 | ||
80 | ||
Dexterity | 18 | Damage decrease depends on weapon equipped |
50 | ||
60 | ||
80 | ||
Intelligence (Weapon Scaling) | 20 | Damage decrease depends on weapon equipped |
50 | ||
80 | ||
Intelligence (Sorcery Scaling) | 60 | Decrease depends on Sorcery equipped |
80 | ||
Faith (Weapon Scaling) | 20 | Damage decrease depends on weapon equipped |
50 | ||
80 | ||
Faith (Incantations) | 60 | Decrease depends on Incantation equipped |
80 | ||
Arcane (Weapon Scaling) | 20 | Damage decrease depends on weapon equipped |
60 | ||
80 | ||
Arcane (Status Effect Buildup) | 40 | Status effect buildup decrease depends on weapon equipped |
45 | ||
60 | ||
Strength/Dexterity/Arcane (Incantation Scaling) | 30 | Decrease depends on Incantation equipped |
45 |
The right side of the level-up screen shows the player how their stat increases will affect their overall character builds. If the player looks carefully at which numbers are increasing (and by how much) each time a point is expended, they may be able to spot Elden Ring soft caps on their own.
Soft caps can be complicated, but getting them wrong isn't the end of the world. Remember, there's some merit to increasing a character's most important stats even beyond their soft caps. And when in doubt, try respeccing. But for all their flexibility, knowing and understanding Elden Ring soft caps can be key to a well-rounded build.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of "The Shattering." "The Shattering" occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
- Platform(s)
- PS5 , Xbox One , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , PC
- Released
- February 25, 2022
- Developer(s)
- From Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bandai Namco Entertainment , From Software
- Genre(s)
- RPG , Action
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op , Online Multiplayer
- Engine
- Proprietary
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- How Long To Beat
- 58 Hours
- Metascore
- 96
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PS4 &PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
