How Does Level Affect PvP in Elden Ring?
As a hardcore Elden Ring player and content creator, one question I get asked constantly by new PvP players is: how much does your player level actually matter for multiplayer? In this in-depth guide, I‘ll cover how level ranges impact matchmaking, optimal meta levels for fair fights, soft caps for diminishing returns, the importance of vigor, and how to allocate levels based on your build.
Matchmaking Range Depending on Level
Your player level, along with highest weapon upgrade level, are the two most critical factors that determine who you can match with in Elden Ring PvP. Here‘s a breakdown of the matchmaking ranges:
| Player Level | Matchmaking Range |
|---|---|
| 100 and below | Match with levels 75-125 |
| 125 | Match with levels 100-150 |
| 150 (meta) | Match with levels 125-175 |
| 200 and above | Match with levels 175-713 (max) |
As this shows, a level 150 player can match from 125-175, covering the meta range. But going above 200 risks matching new players below 175.
The Elden Ring Meta Level for PvP
Within the community, the agreed upon "meta" target is around level 150 for the most balanced, competitive PvP fights. This gives you just enough points to hit soft caps in your main stats, while avoiding over-leveling.
- At 150, you can achieve 60 vigor for health and high damage stats for your build. But levels above that have severely diminished returns and just make you overpowered versus lower levels.
- Duel tournaments also often enforce 150 level caps to ensure fights stay skill-based, not determined by over-leveled phantoms.
- Over 60% of respondent levels from a player survey fell between 125 and 175, centering on 150.
So for fair duels based on build strategy and player skill, sticking close to level 150 is your best bet. Otherwise, you risk skewed fights determined more by level differences than anything else.
Diminishing Returns Past Soft Caps
Here are the soft caps for each stat and the diminished returns you get from going above that point:
| Stat | Soft Cap | Diminishing Returns Past Cap |
|---|---|---|
| Vigor | 60 | Only +19 HP per level (reduced by 65%) |
| Mind | 60 | Only +1 FP per level (reduced by 87%) |
| Endurance | 50-60 | Only +0.9 stamina per level (reduced ~50%) |
| Strength/Dexterity | 80 | Only +0.75 attack power per level (reduced by >50%) |
| Intelligence/Faith/Arcane | 80 | Sorcery/Incantation scaling reduced by >50% |
So as you can see, going above 60 vigor, endurance, or attack stats gives severely reduced returns. The extra levels just aren‘t worth it.
Why 60 Vigor is Crucial for PvP
Having at least 60 vigor by level 150 is stressed as absolutely mandatory for PvP. The reason is surviving "one-shot" attacks from parries, backstabs, or weapon arts:
- 60 vigor gives 1400+ HP. This lets you tank nearly any one-shot attack that isn‘t additionally boosted by effects like Royal Knight‘s Resolve.
- 40 vigor (1000 HP) means you can still easily be one-shot killed by well-optimized builds. And that obviously ends the fight very quickly.
- Having time to recover from a big attack or combo lets you avoid a single mistake deciding the battle.
So by level 150, you absolutely want 60 vigor if you actually want to have a competitive duel. Getting randomly one-shot by crits isn‘t particularly fun or skill testing.
Allocating Levels Based on Your Build
While 60 vigor is universally recommended, allocating other points depends on your specific PvP build:
- Strength builds want to max out strength to 80 to wield the heaviest, hardest-hitting weapons and boost their attack powder. Minimal dexterity is needed to meet weapon wield requirements.
- Dexterity builds similarly want 80 dexterity to optimize damage from keen dex weapons, especially those that scale well like katanas. They favor lighter armor for mobility.
- Sorcerers invest most points into mind and intelligence – mind boosts FP for more spell casting, intelligence scales sorcery damage. Enough endurance and vigor are needed to survive being rushed by melee opponents.
- Paladin faith builds want high faith, mind, and vigor – faith boosting incantations, mind to cast more spells, vigor to trade hits with melee opponents.
- For status effect builds, points in arcane greatly increase bleed, poison and frost build-up on weapons. These help proc effects faster to shred bosses and players.
So in summary, you want to identify key stats for your preferred playstyle and make sure you hit any minimum requirements for the weapons, spells or skills you plan to use.
In Conclusion
While skill, reactions and build strategy are central to success, having the right player level and weapon upgrade level to match with appropriate opponents also plays a huge role. My recommendation is to get comfortable playing at level 150 for balanced and competitive PvP. Invest in 60 vigor to boost survivability while also maximizing damage stats for your build. This will let you hold your own in duels based on mastery of your moveset and loadout.
Let me know if this overview has helped explain how player level impacts your Elden Ring multiplayer experience! I‘m happy to discuss more in the comments.
