Kerem Karakoc 
Knowing how Elden Ring stat caps and soft caps work is critical both for the main game, and when heading into Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree is arguably one of the most challenging expansion packs in FromSoftware’s portfolio. That means that players need to make the most out of every level they get. Getting a bit too sloppy when leveling up will otherwise require a visit to Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon, for a respec.
Elden Ring has two stat caps, and Shadow of the Erdtree DLC comes with a twist that has some effect on them. Here’s a detailed guide on how they work for creating an efficient build to start playing the DLC.
Table of contents
What are soft caps in Elden Ring?
Soft caps in Elden Ring are benchmarks for specific stats where leveling it up further isn’t as impactful.
Each stat has multiple points where the benefits of leveling it up get smaller. Therefore, investing the hard-earned runes in other Elden Ring stats is more beneficial than spending them for negligible improvements on stats with soft caps reached.
This allows the players to focus on other stats to create a more versatile build and also punishes players who want to simply sprint to 99 strength for their +25 Heavy Greatsword. Knowing the soft caps in Elden Ring is essential to endure the perils of Shadow of the Erdtree DLC as well. Below is a quick rundown of all Elden Ring soft caps.
All soft caps and stat caps in Elden Ring
Each stat has multiple points where the impact of leveling up drops. This impact of that diminishment will vary based on the player’s build. A +25 Heavy Greatsword might still get value out of leveling up Strength to 99, but other weapons will plateau after a certain point. Here are the soft caps for every stat in Elden Ring:
- Vigor– 40, 60
- Mind– 50, 60
- Endurance– 15, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60
- Strength– 16, 60, 80
- Dexterity– 16, 60, 80
- Intelligence– 20, 50, 80
- Faith– 20, 50, 80
- Arcane– 20, 50, 80
Worth noting is that stats can have an impact on more than one thing. Endurance boosts stamina and equipment load, while Dexterity can raise weapons’ damage but also impacts casting speed and determines how easy it is for players to be unhorsed. These different facets of each stat all have their own soft caps, though most extremely niche in their usefulness. Here are all the important soft caps for each stat, and how they work.
Vigor soft cap – 40, 60
Regardless of the build, Vigor is a critical attribute with an initial soft cap at level 40. The health bar will only get slightly bigger after reaching that first soft cap in Elden Ring. Leveling up Vigor beyond level 40 typically offers less than 20 HP per level. After level 60, though, that declines even further.
Despite the smaller boosts after level 40, players will likely need at least 60 Vigor to endure DLC bosses. Beyond that, the gains are small enough that players are likely better off leveling up Endurance to wear heavier armor.
Mind soft cap – 40, 60
Mind is the attribute that dictates the build’s FP. It’s the blue bar that decides the capacity to cast spells. Like other Attributes in Elden Ring, Mind has a soft cap of 40 but players with a spell-heavy build will likely be better off pushing things up to 60.
Usually, having at least 40 levels in Mind should be enough for the perils of the base game. This amount lets players cast their buffs while still having enough FP to spam Bloodhound Step or other skills.
Endurance soft cap – 15, 30, 50 and 25, 60
Endurance is critical for all Elden Ring builds, but the soft caps aren’t uniformly relevant for all players. For builds boasting big weapons and hefty armor, investing runes into Endurance is a must to avoid fat rolling. For everyone else, leveling up Endurance is key to make sure players can continue attacking, casting, and rolling.
The soft caps split when it comes to these two considerations. Stamina growth drops off considerably after level 50 Endurance, while Equip Load gains fizzle after 60. Alongside this is Robustness, which drops off at level 40. Where players should tap out on leveling Endurance varies wildly based on what the player is looking for out of their build
Strength soft cap – 16, 60, 80
Strength is another Attribute that defines which weapons players can effectively use. Naturally, it’s attached to bigger, heavier weapons like the Giant Crusher, Prelate’s Inferno Cozier, Anvil Hammer, and others.
The impact of soft caps varies wildly based on their weapon, so Elden Ring players will want to check out how their favorites perform on the level-up screen. Regardless of the build, stopping at the level 80 Strength soft cap is a good idea. Even with a Heavy-infused colossal weapon, the gains beyond that point are negligible.
Dexterity soft cap – 16, 60, 80
Dexterity’s soft caps work the same way as Strength. While the damage decrease beyond the soft cap depends on the wielded weapon, the points per level are usually relatively close to each other. For both Dexterity and Strength Attributes, leveling up beyond level 80 will almost certainly be overkill.
Leveling Dexterity benefits almost every build, though. Even if players are using strength weapons, having a tighter hold on Torrent and casting spells faster is beneficial.
Intelligence, Faith, Arcane soft caps – 20, 50, 80
Intelligence is the Attribute that dictates the power of sorceries, Arcane increases status buildup, and Faith increases the power of incantations. Each of Elden Ring’s magic-focused have synchronized soft caps, but the impact of these stats varies wildly when it comes to scaling for weapon damage or spell damage.
Caps vary in practice based on the Seal or Staff. These stats also impact the damage scaling of numerous weapons. And finally, there’s the fact that certain spells have extremely high requirements, with Rellana, Twin Moon Knight‘s signature spell requiring a massive 80 Intelligence. This means that players will have to put some consideration into what their character’s ideal build is.
What are stat hard caps in Elden Ring?
All Elden Ring stats have a hard cap at level 99.
Every attribute isn’t allowed to level up further after reaching 99. Most Elden Ring players won’t notice this due to the impact of the soft caps.
For players that want to do meme builds or want to prove a point, these stats can technically be raised past this threshold. This requires the use of specific weapons, talismans, and Great Runes to push those numbers further. Regardless, this doesn’t remove the impact of the soft caps, so it’s not especially helpful.
Do the Elden Ring stat caps and soft caps work differently in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC?
Elden Ring soft caps and hard caps are still the same in the DLC. However, the harrowing DLC comes with a new level-up system called the Scadutree Blessing. While they don’t completely change how stats work, they do enhance the player’s build based on their attributes.
These blessings enhance the build’s attack power and defense but don’t affect the main stats like Vigor, Endurance, and others. This means that focusing on collecting more Scadutree Blessings while hitting soft caps is a good idea. They also make the defining characteristics of the build more noticeable.
Knowing about the Scadutree Blessings is especially important for those preparing for a new Shadow of the Erdtree DLC run. Since the DLC comes with bosses with hefty health bars, hunting for these Blessings and hitting soft caps in Elden Ring stats is a must.
