Elden Ring features a lot of classic RPG mechanics, including an encumbrance system. A character's weight determines a variety of things, and it's one of the most important stats to keep track of when equipping new gear. On the Equipment screen, look on the right for a stat titled Equip Load next to a fraction representing your current Weight and maximum.
In FromSoftware games, including Elden Ring, Equipment Load is typically separated into three levels. Each level affects a character's ability to dodge, recover, sprint, and speed in general, and there are benefits and drawbacks to maintaining a Light, Medium, or Heavy load. If you carry too heavy a load, your character's ability to move around the world will be greatly reduced.
Updated June 30, 2022 by Erik Petrovich: The Equip Load system in Elden Ring is a little bit different than in other FromSoftware titles. The values that separate each tier of weight are different, hovering at 30% and 70% for medium and heavy respectively. In Elden Ring Equip Load can be manipulated in more ways than ever before, thanks in part to the presence of the Flask of Wondrous Physick and Great Runes. Talismans, taking the place of Rings, can also give very useful boosts to Equip Load. In Elden Ring rolling is tied to equip load, so it's a good idea to raise this stat a little to be able to equip heavier, and generally more protective, gear.
Equip Load Is Only Drawn From Your Currently Equipped Gear
In some RPGs, like Skyrim or Diablo, inventory space and weight is determined by everything in the player's possession, making it easy to become overly encumbered when collecting things like, say, Dragon Bones in Skyrim. In Elden Ring, a player's Equip Load is only determined by what they are currently wearing or have in their hands.
The quick select menu at the bottom of the Equipment screen doesn't have any bearing on weight, and neither do Arrows. Only armaments, armor, and Talismans affect this stat. Be sure to mix and match pieces of gear to reduce your Equip Load as much as possible – in a lot of cases, your Equip Load matters a lot more than defensive stats.
Rolling Effectiveness Is Determined By Equipment Load
A player's ability to roll and dodge incoming attacks is almost entirely dependent upon a player's level of Equip Load. When you dodge roll with the B or circle button, your character gains a brief moment of invincibility. With a Light Equip Load, rolling costs little stamina and gives the most invincibility. With a Heavy Equip Load, it's extremely difficult to dodge incoming attacks reliably as they use much more Stamina and provide a noticeably shorter moment of invincibility.
Sticking right in the middle is generally a safe bet as your rolls and defenses are both equally decent.For the threshold for the Medium roll Elden Ring increases it to 70%, higher than most other Souls games. Around 60% to 69% Equip Load is a good spot to aim for when choosing armor to ensure the highest defense possible without Heavy rolling.
I-Frames, Speed, And Distance Change With Each Roll Level
There are three levels of Equip Load in Elden Ring - Light, Medium, and Heavy. There is technically a fourth that you can get if you go over your maximum Equip Load, but it's not a good idea to go over this limit as your character will find their character struggling to move around the world at all - let alone the removal of a dodge roll.
- Light Load: 29.9% of your Max Equip Load and below.
- Medium Load: 30% to 69.9% of your Max Equip Load
- Heavy Load: 70% to 100% of your Max Equip Load
To figure out your current percentage of items equipped, simply divide your current Equip Load by your Max Equip Load, then multiply that value by 100. For example, in the screenshot above, Gregory the Confessor has a 28.2 current Equip Load with a maximum of 48.2. Dividing these numbers results in 0.585, which when multiplied by 100 reveals a current Equip Load percentage of 58.5, well under the 70% requirement for the medium roll Elden Ring practically requires players to use.
How To Increase Equip Load In Elden Ring
To increase the number of armor and armaments that can be equipped, a player's Elden Ring equip load can be increased in a handful of different ways, mostly through Talismans. In addition to Equip Load talismans, though, are other stat-boosting Talismans that affect Equip Load and even Crystal Tears for the Flask of Wondrous Physick that provide just the boost needed to stop suffering the dreaded Elden Ring Heavy Load - sometimes, the best-looking armor is also the heaviest, after all.
- Equip Load Talismans: The Arsenal Talisman (and its +1 and +2 variants), and the Great-Jar's Arsenal Talisman.
- Endurance-Boosting Talismans: Radagon's Scarseal and Soreseal, the Erdtree's Favor Talisman (and its +1 and +2 variants)
- Cracked Tears: The Winged Crystal Tear, which increases Equip Load by more than 400% for three minutes when consumed. Good for boss fights where you need heavier armor.
- Other Items: Godrick's Great Rune, which boosts all stats by 5. The Blue Dancer Charm is worth mentioning as it scales off of Equip Load, though it doesn't increase it.
Endurance is of course tied to max Equip Load as well, and leveling this stat is a good way to steadily increase the weight you can carry over time. However, it's usually better to level more useful stats for your build, and instead rely on these Talismans to give you more wiggle room with Elden Ring weight load.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.