All Elden Ring stats explained & how to reset them

FromSoftware's Soulslike games are fairly dense and challenging in nearly all aspects, and Elden Ring is no different, whether it be the tough bosses or the very statistics that determine how your character functions. 

While you're playing the game, you're going to find a huge variety of goodies, but not all the best weapons or armour will be useable with your stat spreads. So, I'll explain how stats function and how you can reset all of your stats in the game.

How many stats are there?

There are eight main attributes for players to consider when building a character, each of which is listed below:

• Arcane
• Dexterity
• Endurance
• Faith
• Intelligence
• Mind
• Strength
• Vigor

With these in mind, you're going to need to balance out your rune spending and levelling up carefully, and as Shadow of the Erdtree, an expansion to Elden Ring, is on the horizon, now is the perfect time to try out FromSoftware's game for first the time - or perhaps even a new build focusing on a different selection of stats to prepare for the DLC.

Elden Ring is a huge game, too, with plenty of different bosses for you to take on, all of which require a different approach depending on how you have assigned the stats listed above.

What does each stat do?

Here, we'll break down each attribute, and what exactly the stat can do to benefit you in your builds.

Vigor

Simply put, Vigor is your health. So the more Vigor you have the more damage you can take, which is particularly useful if you're going to go head-to-head with your opponent and trade blows. This attribute will also improve your resistance to status effects like fire, as well as your immunity. 

Mind 

Where Vigor governs your health, Mind does the same thing but for managing your magic - or FP as it is called in-game. Regardless of whether you’re focusing on Intelligence or Faith, they will both drain your FP, so if you’re going to be using this a lot, make sure this stat is regularly upgraded.

Another thing to keep in mind is that certain weapons have weapon arts and skills that will also drain FP. So even if you aren’t using a Faith or Intelligence build, you might still need your Mind stat to be upgraded. 

Endurance

When playing Elden Ring, at the top of the screen, there are three bars: HP (red bar managed by Vigor), FP (blue bar managed by Mind) and lastly, there is the green bar - your Stamina. To upgrade Stamina you will need to level up Endurance, determining your overall Stamina but also dictating how much you can carry in your Equip Load. 

Strength 

If you want to run around The Lands Between with the biggest weapon possible, then you’re going to want to upgrade your Strength. Certain weapons will scale with this stat and it will want to be upgraded if you’re going to play the game as a tank. High Strength and Endurance will allow you to sustain hits with your shield, whilst also dealing huge damage on the counter - although you may not be the most mobile. 

Dexterity 

If you’re going for more of a combat build, but you don’t want to focus on the Strength stat, then Dexterity will be important. Smaller weapons like Katanas and Daggers will scale with this attribute, while the time it takes to cast spells will also be sped up by improving your Dexterity stat. What's more, fall damage is also lessened by having improved Dexterity. 

Intelligence 

If you’re going for a big Intelligence build (like an Astrologer build, for example) then you’re going to be focusing a lot on Sorceries, which will require a staff. Some of the high-level spells are incredibly overpowered and can give you an edge against certain bosses - although you may find yourself coming unstuck against enemies that have a high resistance to Magic. 

Faith 

A high Faith stat allows players to perform some of the most powerful Incantations in the game, with these having much more variety than the Intelligence-based magic. Whether performing the dragon incantations, madness incantations or blood magic, you can become incredibly overpowered and make light work of various enemies. If you’re going to focus on Faith and Intelligence, make sure your Mind is also at a good level, as they will pair very well together. 

Arcane

Arcane can often be overlooked in Elden Ring, as while it is another magic-based stat, it is much more passive than Intelligence and Faith. Improving Arcane will improve things like item discovery, defence against the death status effect, as well as improved defence against Holy damage. What's more, it also helps with scaling for madness, poison, bleeding, and sleep. 

How to reset stats 

You'll need to journey quite a way into the game for resetting your stats to become a viable (and in some cases, essential) option for you. To do it, you'll need to start collecting Larval Tears and have defeated the boss, Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon.

Once she's been beaten, she will give you the option to reset your stats by spending a Larval Tear. You can then return to her in Liurnia whenever to respec.

Are there soft caps in Elden Ring?

In Elden Ring, a few stats do have soft-caps, which means that after you reach a certain level, the benefits will have diminishing returns. The stats and their soft caps are listed below: 

• Vigor soft-cap: Levels 40 / 60
• Mind soft-cap: Levels 50 / 60 
• Endurance soft-cap: Levels 15 / 30 / 50

Check out our Elden Ring homepage for more guides. We've also covered where to find the Legendary Ashen Remains, Legendary Sorceries and Incantations, Legendary Talismans, and all endings explained.