When you're facing overwhelming odds in Elden Ring there's only one thing to do – run! Running is such a fundamental aspect of Elden Ring's movement both in and out of combat that it's a good idea to get used to the way it works in this game compared to previous FromSoftware games.
After a short while in-game players get Torrent, a summonable horse to ride, but Torrent can't be summoned in interior areas. Running isn't just for getting away from enemies, though, it can be used to close the distance between you and your target, increase your jump range, and help in a variety of other situations.
How To Run In Elden Ring
To run in Elden Ring all you need to do is hold in the B button (or Square) while moving the left joystick in a direction. After a moment, your character will begin to move much faster while the Stamina bar slowly depletes. If you take your thumb off the joystick or stop holding in the B or Square button, your character will stop running and Stamina will recharge.
It's a pretty simple mechanic, but there are a few things that can affect it. Your Equip Load is one of these things – a Light load is faster and uses less Stamina than a Medium Load, which is faster and uses less Stamina than a Heavy Load. If your Equip Load exceeds 100%, you won't be able to run and your movement is severely impacted in a number of ways.
Running, Dodging, And Movement
Movement is everything in Elden Ring. Knowing the right time to Dodge Roll vs sprint is a key skill to learn when it comes to Stamina management. Out of combat, Stamina never depletes, letting you Sprint perpetually. In combat, the bar depletes as normal. Generally, dodge rolling is more efficient, but Running will get your character further away over the same amount of time.
For example, in the fight against Agheel, using Dodge Rolls to escape the Flying Dragon's wide-ranging breath attack just doesn't cover enough ground. Against fast enemies, it's generally better to use a mix of sprinting and dodging if they get too close. Keep a lock on enemies you want to reliably avoid so you can react to attacks by running or dodging at the right time.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.