Developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco, Elden Ring is a brand new open-world action RPG that features the same satisfying combat system that Souls fans will be familiar with. The game allows for a lot of build variety, where you can really shape your character according to your own play style. If you’re wondering how the dodge rolls work in Elden Ring, here’s everything you need to know.
Elden Ring Dodge Rolls Explained
Just like in past Souls games, you can press the Circle or B button while holding the left stick in any direction to perform a dodge roll. The roll comes with invincibility frames, or i-frames for short, which allow you to essentially become invincible to enemy attacks for that split-second.
However, not all dodge rolls are created equal in Elden Ring. There are three types of rolls in this game, as listed below:
- Light roll: Requires you to be below 30% equip load
- Medium roll: Requires you to be below 70% equip load
- Heavy roll: Below 100% equip load
If you exceed your equip load, your character becomes overencumbered. In this state, you’ll only be able to walk around at a snail’s pace, and you won’t be able to roll or evade anything at all. Needless to say, you don’t want to be in this state, ever.
The medium roll is likely to be the most common roll for a majority of players as the requirement is very easy to meet, and it gives you a decent number of i-frames. The heavy roll is still viable for dodging, but it’s considerably and noticeably slower than the other two. Your recovery time is much longer, and if you’re above 70% equip load, chances are good that you’ve gone for a more tanky build that relies on blocking with a shield anyway.
The light roll is the best dodge roll in Elden Ring, as it gives you the most i-frames and will allow you to roll through and dodge attacks very easily. The tradeoff is that it’s very difficult to get below 30% equip load without investing a ton of points into your Endurance stat. If you want to use the light roll, you’ll need to make do with light armor, which doesn’t offer a lot of protection.
How to Check Equip Load in Elden Ring
With all that in mind, it’s time to take a look at how equip load works in Elden Ring. It functions in a very similar way to past Souls games, where you need to keep an eye on the weight of each individual piece of armor you’re wearing, as well as the armaments you have equipped.
Only armor pieces and weapons will contribute to your equip load; items in your inventory slots do not count. In addition to that, armaments that you have in your equipment slots will also count towards your equip load, even if you don’t actually have them out.
This means that if you put a bow and a sword in your right-hand slots for easy weapon swapping, both weapons will add to your weight, so that’s something to keep in mind.
You can check your equip load by pressing the Options or View button, and either going to your inventory or status screen. You’ll be able to see your maximum equip load on the right-hand side of the screen, as well as the type of roll you currently have right beneath that.
There are two main ways to increase your equip load, and that’s by either putting points into your Endurance stat, or equipping the Arsenal Talisman. Investing points into Endurance is definitely recommended as a long-term strategy, as you can never have too much stamina in this game.
That’s all you need to know about how dodge rolls and equip load work in Elden Ring. Be sure to search for Twinfinite or check our guide wiki for more tips and information on the game.
