Stats and attributes in Elden Ring are explained here for beginners so you can understand how things like Arcane, Faith, Mind, and the other parts of your character work behind the scenes and what they each offer. You won’t be able to build your character effectively if you don’t know what these stats do, so I’ll go through each one so you know what to focus on as you play through Elden Ring.
There are eight different stats in the game. Here’s a quick rundown of what each one mainly influences:
- Vigor: Boosts your total health and certain resistances to negative effects.
- Mind: Determines your maximum FP (force points), which affects how much magic you can cast before running out of mana.
- Endurance: Increases your stamina and the amount of equipment you can carry without becoming encumbered.
- Strength: Affects damage with specific weapons, especially big or heavy ones.
- Dexterity: Influences damage with quick, light weapons and slightly speeds up casting times.
- Intelligence: Improves the power of sorcery spells and similar magic types.
- Faith: Boosts the effectiveness of incantations and support spells, including buffs and healing.
- Arcane: Impacts the chances of finding certain items, resists some status effects, and increases damage and effectiveness of some strange weapons and spells.
Vigor
Vigor, often abbreviated as VIG, controls your health points in Elden Ring. The higher this is, the more damage you can take before dying. This is a key stat for players wanting a tanky, heavily armored build. If you think you’re good at dodging attacks, you might save some points here, but generally it’s wise for most players to invest in VIG over time to prevent getting one-shot in tough fights.
Mind
The Mind stat manages your Force Points or FP, which you use for casting spells. Both magic-focused sorceries and support incantations pull from this pool. If you want to be a magic user, you’ll need a high Mind stat. FP is also drained by other actions like summoning Ash spirits or using special weapon skills.
Endurance
Endurance determines your stamina bar, influencing how many attacks and dodges you can perform before needing to pause and recover. It also impacts your Equip Load, letting you carry more gear and armor while keeping your movement quick. Sprinting, rolling, blocking, attacking, and using spells cost stamina, so having more endurance helps you stay active longer without getting exhausted.
Strength
Strength is both a damage booster for certain weapons and a requirement stat for wielding specific gear. The higher your Strength, the more damage those weapons dish out, and the more capable you are of using heavy-hitting melee weapons effectively. It’s especially important for close-combat builds.
Dexterity
Dexterity affects damage with faster weapons and ranged attack devices. It also increases the speed of casting certain spells. Combining Dexterity with speedier weapons can make your character quick and agile, allowing you to attack faster and evade enemies more easily.
Intelligence
Mainly used for sorcery spells, Intelligence influences both their damage and the minimum level needed to use certain magic items or spells. If you prefer a magic-focused character that relies on offensive spells, investing in Intelligence will give you more power.
Faith
Faith is the stat for incantation magic, which tends to be more supportive (buffs, healing) but also includes attack spells. It acts as a damage boost for certain magic and has a role in meeting item or spell requirements. Have high Faith if you want to rely on support magic or damage-dealing incantations.
Arcane
Arcane influences how often you find rare items, some resistances, and the damage of some strange weapons and spells. It also affects your luck with item discovery and can help resist the ‘Death’ curse mechanic, which can build up and kill you if not managed properly. Some spells and weapons also scale with this stat, making it a fun choice for versatile builds.
Understanding these stats helps you decide what to level up to create the playstyle you want. Whether you plan to be a tank, speedy fighter, or magic user, balancing these attributes is key to success in Elden Ring.