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Aside from pop-up explanations for certain mechanics,Elden Ringleaves its players somewhat out-of-the-know when it comes to some of its systems. One such system is the Soft Cap system. InElden Ring, increasing yourmain stats increases your derivative stats- increasing Strength will affect how much damage you do with Strength weapons, for example.
But after a certain point (or, rather, two to three points), leveling up your stats becomes less impactful for those derivative stats. These points are called Soft Caps, and this guide explains what you need to know abouttheElden Ringstat cap system, and what Soft Caps are for each specific stat.
What Are Soft Caps, Anyway?
Elden Ring Soft Caps Limit Stat Improvements At High Levels
InElden Ring, and throughout theDark Soulsseries, Soft Caps essentially serve as Stat break points thatreduce the effectiveness of the statwhen leveled beyond this marker. For instance, after you level up your Vigor to 40, you will notice that the increase to your HP by leveling from 40 to 41 is significantly less than from 39 to 40.
InElden Ring, each stat has a soft cap (and a “hard' soft cap) that limits its effectiveness if you continue to level it up past certain points. After you reach the Soft Cap for your primary stats, it’s worth considering whether you should continue investing in those stats if you can still use your weapons and cast your spells. After you reach the second Soft Cap,Elden Ringplayers should really only continue to level a stat if they do not need the stat requirements for a specific item or spell.
Two Or Three Soft Caps For Each Stat
Most stats inElden Ringhave at least two Soft Caps. For STR, DEX, INT, FAITH, and ARC, the first soft cap is 20, after which leveling these stats begins to feel a little less rewarding. But not all stat caps are the same inElden Ring, as each stat has a different set of limits at different progression points.
In the Vigor example, the first Soft Cap is at 40, which reduces the effectiveness of the stat’s improvements from Level 40 to 60. But at Level 60, you hit another Soft Cap, which further reduces the amount of HP gained when leveling Vigor.
This specific example is why theElden Ringcommunity recommends that you reach at least 40 Vigor, but go no higher than 60, to survive the end game bosses. After 60, it’s better to invest Level Ups into other stats because the diminishing returns become too small to be worth it.
If you still need more HP after reaching VIG 60, consider equipping a Talisman or using Incantations to provide Heal-Over-Time effects to extend your survivability.
But for other stats it’s not quite as simple. For END, there is both a soft capfor its Stamina boost, and two soft caps for its Equip Load boost. STR, DEX, INT, FAITH, and ARC have three Soft Caps, and INT, FAITH, and ARC have separate scaling caps for their spell scaling.
It can all seem a bit confusing, but the gist is that at these break points (listed in a convenient table below) your level-ups will begin to feel less impactful, and this is a system that affects every stat in the game.
What Is The Elden Ring Hard Cap?
Technically, you can still see returns if you invest points into your stats even after they go beyond this second Soft Cap. Though it’s not going to be nearly as impactful as the previous level-up ranges, you can keep pushing each stat to theElden Ringstat hard cap: Level 99.
After Level 99, you will be forced to allocate points into other stats because the game does not allow you to progress further. You cannot level up beyond Level 99 normally.However by using Talismans, spells, and Gear that increase your stats can technically (and often temporarily) increase your stats beyond this limit. The improvements that come from stats over Lvl 100 are barely noticeable, and in most cases it’s not worth going over this hard barrier.
Do Scadutree Blessings Affect Soft Caps?
In theElden Ring DLC, Soft Caps still work exactly the same way, but with a twist. Though your main stats will not beboosted by Scadutree Blessings, your secondary offensive and defensive stats (your Attack power and the Defenses derived from your stats) will be boosted by a small percentage for each one you activate.
This means that inShadow of the Erdtree, the power you get from leveling at these high break points can actually be impactful. Scadutree Blessings do not increase your Vigor and thus do not increase your HP, having a lot of Scadutree Blessings can make the improvements after the high Soft Cap much more noticeable. In the base game, you may get an extra weapon damage or two from each level-up beyond this high Soft Cap, but in the DLC (and with a few Scadutree Blessings under your belt), the high Soft Cap is less of a barrier and more of a suggestion.
40
60
55
Increases Equip Load and Stamina
25 (equip load)
50 (Stamina), 60 (equip load)
Contributes to damage on STR-scaling items
20
80
Contributes to damage on DEX-scaling items
Primary stat for Sorcery builds
50
Primary stat for Incantation builds
Increases Item Discovery, and primary stat for Bleed builds
30 (both)
45 (both)
