Summary: This comprehensive guide breaks down key gameplay mechanics with a focus on Elden Ring weapon stats explained, helping players optimize their builds and enhance their experience.
Understanding weapon stats is essential for mastering combat in Elden Ring. Whether you’re wielding colossal greatswords or precise daggers, every stat plays a role in how your weapon performs.
In this complete guide, we’ll break down the core stats that influence your gear, explain how scaling and attack power work, and show you how to boost your attributes for maximum damage. We’ll also cover status effects and how they impact enemies in battle.
Plus, discover how you can unlock free mods for Elden Ring using XMOD to enhance your gameplay experience even further.
Get ready to level up your gameplay like never before!

Table of Contents
- Core Stats in Elden Ring
- How Does Scaling Work in Elden Ring?
- Elden Ring Weapon Stats Explained
- Elden Ring Attack Power Explained
- How To Increase Your Attributes in Elden Ring?
- Status Effects And Ailments
- How to Get Free Mods for Elden Ring with XMOD
Core Stats in Elden Ring
Before diving into attribute scaling and builds, it’s crucial to understand the core stats that define your character’s survival and performance in Elden Ring. As a Tarnished, you’ll manage three main resources: HP, FP, and Stamina—each essential for combat and exploration.
HP (Health Points)
Your lifeline in the Lands Between. When your HP hits zero, you die and drop all your collected Runes (the game’s currency) at the spot of your death.
FP (Focus Points)
This is your mana bar. FP is required for casting spells, using Ashes of War, and summoning Spirit Ashes to aid in battle.
Stamina
Used for dodging, attacking, sprinting, and blocking with shields. Stamina regenerates naturally over time, unlike HP and FP, which require flasks or items to restore.
Beyond these core stats, there are three important secondary stats that impact your effectiveness in different ways:
Equip Load
Determines how much gear your character can carry without sacrificing mobility. Staying under 70% allows for quick rolls, while going over causes slower, “fat rolls.” If your Equip Load exceeds 100%, you won’t be able to roll at all.
Discovery
Influences item drop rates from enemies. Higher Discovery means a better chance of finding rare loot. This stat increases primarily with your Arcane attribute or through special gear.
Memory Slots
These control how many spells you can equip. Unlike previous Soulsborne games, spell capacity isn’t tied to an attribute. Instead, you’ll find Memory Stones throughout the world to increase your slots.
Understanding your core stats is essential in Elden Ring, as managing HP, FP, Stamina, and secondary stats like Equip Load directly impacts your survival and combat effectiveness.
With your core stats established, let’s explore how weapon scaling uses those attributes to increase your damage output.
How Does Scaling Work in Elden Ring?
In Elden Ring, weapon scaling is a core mechanic that significantly impacts how much damage your weapons deal—especially crucial when facing tougher bosses and late-game enemies. Understanding how scaling works can help you maximize your build’s effectiveness and unleash your full damage potential.
Most weapons in Elden Ring scale with one or more attributes—such as Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane. The higher your stats in the relevant attribute, the more bonus damage you’ll deal.
For example, the Short Sword has a base physical attack of 102, which is constant unless upgraded at a Blacksmith using Smithing Stones. However, you’ll notice a “+” number next to its attack power—that’s the bonus damage from scaling.
How to Read Scaling
In your inventory, under the “Attack Power” section, you’ll find a field labeled “Attribute Scaling.” For the Short Sword, it might show D scaling in both Strength and Dexterity. This means both attributes contribute to bonus damage, though not very efficiently (since D is a low scaling grade). As you level up these attributes, the weapon’s damage increases accordingly.
Example:
- Starting with Strength 8 and Dexterity 12 (Astrologer class), the Short Sword may deal 102 + 10 damage.
- If you boost Strength to 22 and Dexterity to 36, it could deal 102 + 35, significantly improving your output.
Upgrading and Scaling Grades
Upgrading a weapon not only raises its base damage—it can also improve its scaling grade. A +12 Short Sword, for example, might boost Dexterity scaling from D to C, enhancing its synergy with Dexterity builds and resulting in even more bonus damage.
Match Your Weapon to Your Build
Choosing weapons that align with your primary attributes is essential.
- Dexterity builds benefit from weapons with high Dex scaling.
- Strength builds should focus on weapons with strong Strength scaling.
- Magic-focused builds will want scaling in Intelligence or Faith.
Ashes of War and Scaling Changes
Be cautious when applying Ashes of War or magic buffs—some can change or override your weapon’s original scaling. For instance, applying an Ash of War that favors Strength might eliminate previous Dexterity scaling. Always review your weapon’s updated scaling stats after applying these enhancements.
Weapon scaling in Elden Ring is more than just a stat—it’s the key to unlocking your character’s true power. Plan your build carefully, upgrade wisely, and pair your weapons with the right attributes to dominate the Lands Between.
Now that you know how scaling affects your weapons, let’s break down all the key weapon stats and what they mean for your gameplay.
Elden Ring Weapon Stats Explained

Understanding weapon stats in Elden Ring is essential for mastering combat, building your character effectively, and getting the most out of every weapon. This guide breaks down each stat, how it works, and how it affects your gameplay.
Attack Power
Attack Power represents a weapon’s base damage output. It’s broken into different damage types:
- Physical: Standard melee damage.
- Magic, Fire, Lightning, Holy: Elemental damage types tied to specific weapons or infusions.
- Critical: Multiplier applied during backstabs, ripostes, or guard breaks.
- Sorcery/Incantation Scaling: Affects the strength of magic cast using staffs or seals—the higher the number, the stronger your spells.
The number on the left shows flat damage from the weapon itself, which increases via upgrades at the Smithing Table or with a Blacksmith.
The number on the right (after the “+”) reflects bonus damage from attribute scaling—a more complex mechanic explained below.
Attribute Scaling
This is where many new players get confused. Each weapon in Elden Ring scales with one or more of your core attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane.
Scaling is ranked from E (lowest) to S (highest):
- The better the scaling grade, the more bonus damage is added from that attribute.
- Weapons like the Ruins Greatsword have S-scaling in Strength at max upgrade (+10), meaning it greatly benefits from a high Strength stat.
Example Calculation:
- With 99 Strength and an S-scaling Ruins Greatsword, your Strength bonus damage could exceed 500 points, calculated using backend formulas.
- These modifiers increase as weapons are upgraded, but each weapon has its own unique progression.
Passive Effects
Many weapons in Elden Ring carry passive status effects that can either aid or hinder the user. These may include:
- Bleed (Hemorrhage)
- Frostbite
- Scarlet Rot
- Madness
For instance, the Frenzied Flame Seal causes minor Madness buildup on the user but boosts related incantations.
Passive effects scale with Arcane, which increases the buildup rate and makes proccing these effects faster.
Guarded Damage Negation
This stat is mostly relevant for shields and defensive tools. It determines how much damage is blocked when guarding:
- A shield with 100.0 Physical Negation will block all physical damage.
- If an enemy uses a weapon with multiple damage types, and your shield doesn’t cover them all, you’ll take some chip damage.
Attribute Requirements
Each weapon lists minimum stats needed to use it properly:
- You can equip a weapon without meeting the requirements, but it won’t be used effectively (reduced damage, no skill usage).
- Two-handing boosts your Strength by 1.5x, letting you wield Strength-based weapons with less investment.
Example: The Ruins Greatsword requires 50 Strength, but can be used effectively with 34 Strength if two-handed.
Armament Display
In the status menu, the game shows your weapon damage for each of the six weapon slots:
- R Armament 1–3 = Right-hand slots
- L Armament 1–3 = Left-hand slots
This helps you compare and manage dual-wielding setups, magic backups, or shield configurations.
Defense & Damage Negation
- Defense (Left number): Increases as you level up and contributes to reducing incoming damage.
- Damage Negation (Right number): Percentage of damage reduced after defense is applied.
Armor and talismans can significantly influence this, though some players prioritize fashion—dubbed “Elden Bling”—over pure stats.
Resistances
Resistances determine how quickly you succumb to status effects:
- Immunity: Resists Poison and Scarlet Rot
- Robustness: Resists Bleed and Frostbite
- Focus: Resists Sleep and Madness
- Vitality: Resists Instant Death (Deathblight)
Each has two values:
- Base stat (from your attributes)
- Bonus (from equipped gear)
Higher values mean slower build-up of status effects, giving you time to react or cure them.
By understanding how Elden Ring weapon stats work—from base damage and scaling to resistances and passive effects—you’ll gain a powerful edge in the Lands Between.
Understanding weapon stats is crucial, but to maximize your damage, you also need to grasp how attack power works in Elden Ring.
Elden Ring Attack Power Explained

Attack Power is the total damage output your weapon deals when you hit an enemy. It’s what determines how much health you chip away with each successful attack.
Components of Attack Power
-
- Base Damage This is the weapon’s intrinsic damage value before any bonuses or scaling. Shown as a number in the weapon stats.
- Stat Scaling Bonus Weapons get bonus damage based on your character’s attributes like Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Faith, or Arcane. The higher your stats in the weapon’s scaling attributes, the higher the bonus damage.
- Elemental Damage Some weapons add extra damage types like Magic, Fire, Lightning, or Holy. This adds to your total Attack Power against enemies vulnerable to these elements.
- Buffs and Weapon Effects Temporary boosts like buffs (spells, consumables) or weapon skills that increase attack power. For example, Flame of the Redmanes or Gold Pine Resin.
- Critical and Special Attacks Certain attacks (backstabs, ripostes, jump attacks) multiply attack power with critical damage multipliers.
How to See Your Attack Power
On your weapon’s status screen, you see numbers for:
-
- Physical Damage (base + scaling)
- Magic/Fire/Lightning/Holy Damage (if applicable)
Your total Attack Power is the sum of these, plus buffs or debuffs applied during combat.
Having learned about attack power, the next step is to know how to effectively increase your attributes to boost your character’s strength.
How to Increase Your Attributes in Elden Ring
In Elden Ring, you can increase your attributes at any Site of Grace by spending Runes, the game’s currency earned from defeating enemies and collecting Golden Runes. Each time you level up an attribute, raising your character’s overall level becomes progressively more costly.
Additionally, equipping certain talismans can temporarily boost your stats, giving you an edge in combat.
If you find that you’ve invested points into the wrong attributes for your build, don’t worry—you can respec your character by speaking to Rennala after defeating her. Respeccing requires one Larval Tear, a rare item found throughout the world or dropped by challenging enemies.
As you grow stronger, it’s equally important to understand the various status effects and ailments that can impact both you and your enemies.
Status Effects And Ailments
In Elden Ring, both you and your enemies can inflict a variety of Status Effects and Ailments through special weapons, items, Incantations, and Sorceries. These effects impact offensive and defensive stats, directly influenced by your attributes and equipped gear. Fortunately, you can build resistance to many of these effects by upgrading specific stats, helping you endure their effects longer.
Below is a comprehensive table of all the major status effects and ailments, including how they affect you, how to mitigate their damage, and the ways to cure or cleanse them:
Status Effect |
Description |
Mitigation Stat |
Cures & Remedies |
Frostbite |
Reduces stamina recovery and damage absorption |
Robustness (Endurance) |
Bestial Constitution Talisman, Fire, Cleanse Me spell, Thawfrost Boluses, Speckled Hardtear |
Hemorrhage |
Builds up until it bursts, causing heavy damage |
Robustness (Endurance) |
Bestial Constitution, Lord’s Aid, Speckled Hardtear, Stanching Boluses |
Deathblight |
Instantly kills when fully applied |
Death Resistance (Arcane) |
Law of Regression, Order Healing, Rejuvenating Boluses, Speckled Hardtear |
Madness |
Drains FP and damages the target |
Focus (Mind) |
Clarifying Boluses, Lucidity Talisman |
Poison |
Deals damage over time |
Immunity (Vigor) |
Cure Poison spell, Fire, Cleanse Me, Law of Regression, Lord’s Aid, Neutralizing Boluses, Speckled Hardtear |
Scarlet Rot |
Continuous damage over time |
Immunity (Vigor) |
Fire, Cleanse Me, Law of Regression, Preserving Boluses, Speckled Hardtear |
Sleep |
Causes unconsciousness |
Focus (Mind) |
Law of Regression, Lord’s Aid, Lucidity, Speckled Hardtear, Stimulating Boluses |
How to Apply Status Effects
You can inflict these effects on enemies using a variety of Incantations, Sorceries, special weapons, and items scattered throughout the Lands Between. Choosing weapons or spells that trigger these ailments can turn the tide of difficult battles.
With the right resistances and cures, you can effectively manage these status effects and survive longer against Elden Ring’s toughest foes.
Finally, if you’re looking to customize and enhance your Elden Ring experience even further, here’s how you can get free mods using XMOD.
How to Get Free Mods for Elden Ring with XMOD
If you’re looking to boost your single-player experience in Elden Ring, XMOD is a powerful tool to try. With XMOD, you can access a variety of cheats and trainers designed to enhance your gameplay and customize how you play.
Here’s how to get started:
- Download and install the XMOD app.
- Search for Elden Ring within the app.
- Launch Elden Ring directly through XMOD.
- Choose and activate the mods or cheats you want to use, then enjoy a personalized and enhanced gaming experience.

Using XMOD to access free mods can significantly enhance your Elden Ring experience, but always remember to use mods responsibly to avoid any gameplay issues.
Conclusion
Mastering stats, scaling, and weapon mechanics in Elden Ring can drastically improve your gameplay. With the right knowledge—and a few powerful mods from XMOD—you’ll be fully equipped to take on every challenge the Lands Between throws at you.