Ahead of the Elden Ring DLC, veteran Tarnished advise all players to level the most important stat in the whole RPG: "Having Vigor is crucial"
You need to get Vigor to level 60
Ahead of Shadow of the Erdtree, Elden Ring veterans are crying out to newcomers to level up their Vigor a significant amount to withstand attacks.
Elden Ring DLC is understandably the focus surrounding FromSoftware's huge RPG right now, given that it's right around the corner, and poses intriguing new lore mysteries surrounding both new and existing characters. Amidst all the flurry of DLC hype though, some Elden Ring veterans are taking to social media to remind newcomers and experienced Souls players alike that they shouldn't be overlooking Vigor.
Vigor is, to put it bluntly the statistic in Elden Ring that chiefly governs the player's health points - the higher their Vigor, the larger their health pool, the more damage they can sustain before dropping dead, which is obviously paramount. It also provides a small boost to fire defense, but also boosts the player's Immunity statistic, which in turn grants better protection against certain ongoing ailments like Poison and Scarlet Rot.
The point is, Vigor is obviously important, but the three tweets below get to the heart of why Vigor is so important in Elden Ring. For example, if you combine a base level of 60 Vigor (seen as the 'softlock' cap for the stat), with the Crimson Amber Medallion +2 and the Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman, you can actually survive the first volley of Maliena's Waterfowl Dance attack without needing to dodge (you probably should at least try and dodge).
Elden Ring PSA: You can survive the first volley of Malenia's Waterfowl Dance with Vigor and absorption alone.Here we are at 60 Vigor & Crimson Amber Medallion +2 & Dragoncrest Greatshield Talisman (this you can get RIGHT BEFORE Malenia too).Level vigor, y'all. 😌🙏 https://t.co/2RWN7YSpky pic.twitter.com/wlhlI3MfruMay 26, 2024
The two tweets below rightly point out that Vigor is paramount by FromSoftware's own measurements, and for online invasions. If you're new to Elden Ring, it's worth mentioning that there are times in certain quests where you're required to slay other players, so even if you don't plan on playing PvP combat online, you might not have a choice depending whose quests you choose to progress.
Here's a direct quote from the Elden Ring guide I was contracted to produce that was vetted by From Software."Vigor is one of the most important stats to level early on, since it’s critical to your chances of surviving." https://t.co/WJGps3azw7May 26, 2024
A core of what the current Vigor talk ought to get at is that if y'all play Elden Ring offline and solo, make your builds and play as you want. It's just you, no one else.The moment you go online for co-op and invasions, having Vigor is crucial. Because it's not just you. https://t.co/3lqYGm3zE3 pic.twitter.com/YYCIOxPk60May 27, 2024
If you want to hit the ground running in Shadow of the Erdtree, I'd highly recommend resetting your character with Rennala using a Larval Tear to redistribute your character points, and attain Vigor level 60 if you haven't done so already. You're going to need it against bosses like Messmer the Impaler next month on June 21.
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Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.