When it comes to stats and numbers in Elden Ring, it can get pretty confusing at times. There is a lot to keep track of, but one of the most important things to watch is your Equip Load. This affects your rolling and speed and determines how much Poise you get. Depending on what you have currently equipped, it could kill you if you aren’t careful.
The main difference between light and medium Equip Loads is the Stamina used, the Speed of your rolls, and the distance your rolls take you. If you have a light Equip Load, it will make you more agile but will also not allow as much armor to defend you against attacks.
You need to look at what each armor set gives you to determine if you want a light or medium build. Good luck trying to dodge oncoming attacks if you have a heavy build. Light and Medium Equip Loads are your best bet for most builds.
Light Equip Load is 30% or lower
Fast Rolls, Light State: There is no way to have a faster roll than this. You also get the best iframes out of all the Equip Loads in the game. It uses the least amount of Stamina and has a bit more travel distance.
This is a great option if you are confident not to get hit by most attacks. It also gives you the most iframes in the game. If you don’t know what iframes are, it is the amount of time you are invincible to almost every attack during your roll. If you want an extremely fast build, go for a Light Equip Load build.
Medium Equip Load is 30% to 70%
Normal Rolls, Regular State: Your roll is slower than the standard roll. You get decent iframes from every dodge, but it is not as good as the fast roll. It uses a bit more Stamina, and your travel distance has decreased slightly.
This is a great option for most players. You will need to try and keep your Equip Load as low as possible, but most of the time, the percentage will always be in the Medium category. The biggest difference is the iframes in a Medium Equip Load Build. They are shorter, so if you aren’t worried about that, Medium builds are your best option.
What does Equip Load affect?
As we said, your Equip Load category will determine your Speed, Stamina, and iframes. It all depends on how comfortable with taking damage. It can be quite annoying to finally get an armor set and not have enough Endurance to use it properly. To increase your total Equip Load, you only need to increase your Endurance.
If you get into Heavy Equip Loads, hopefully, you understand that you can’t roll and will need some way to tank the hits. A bunch of shields in the game go great with these types of builds, so if you want a Heavy build, look up the best armor and weapons for them. As for Light and Medium Builds, these are basically what most people will be using.