Damage Level

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Damage Level is a hidden mechanic in ELDEN RING ⁽²⁰²²⁾.

What is Damage Level?

Most, if not, every attack that hits an opponent is assigned a certain value that dictates how much hitstun they sustain when the attack connects. This is known as the Damage Level value (known internally as DamageLevel), and there are a total of 12 different types of Damage level values:

• 0 - No Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that solely build up Status, such as Poison Mist.
• 1 - Short Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to inflict weak hitstun, such as the Light Attacks of Straight Swords and Axes, Skills such as Thunderbolt and Oracular Bubble, as well as spells like Glintstone Pebble and Star Shower.
• 2 - Moderate Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to inflict moderate hitstun, such as the Light Attacks of Greatswords and the Heavy Attacks of Straight Swords, Skills such as Spinning Guillotine and a charged attack from Flower Dragonbolt, as well as spells like a charged Comet and Lightning Spear.
• 3 - Long Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to inflict heavy hitstun, such as the Light Attacks of Colossal Swords and Colossal Weapons, Skills such as the first attack of Great-Serpent Hunt and Loretta's Slash, as well as spells like the initial cast of Fire's Deadly Sin and a charged Frenzied Burst.
• 4 - Knockdown
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to knock enemies back a far distance, further than that of Damage Level value 7, such as Skills such as Establish Order and the charged attack of Ancient Lighting Spear
• 5 - Push and Long Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to push the enemy back a short distance, while also inflicting heavy hitstun. This includes Skills such as Kick and Beast's Roar.
• 6 - Faceplant
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to flatten enemies, such as the second Charged Attack of most Colossal Weapons, Skills such as Lion's Claw and the follow-up attack of Troll's Roar, and spells such as Gavel of Haima.
• 7 - Knockdown
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to knock enemies down to the ground, such as the Charged Attack of the Smithscript Greathammer, Skills such as the follow-up attack of Earthshaker and Waves of Darkness, and spells such as Rejection and Wrath of Gold.
• 8 - Very Short Stagger
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designed to inflict very minimal hitstun, such as Light Attacks of Daggers and Thrusting Swords, certain Skills when using without the sufficient FP or stat requirements, and spells such as Swift Glintstone Shard and Night Shard.
• 9 - Tossed into the Air
  • Usually assigned to attack that are designed to launch enemeies into the air, such as the second two-handed Charged Attack of most Colossal Swords, Skills such as Stamp (Upward Cut) and the follow-up of Golden Crux, and spells such as the Charged Attack of Aspects of the Crucible: Thorns and the final portion of Placidusax's Ruin.
• 10 - Knockdown
  • ???
• 11 - Knockdown
  • Usually assigned to attacks that are designated to knock enemies back and onto the ground like Skills such as Wave of Gold and Darkness.

This also explains why certain enemies are only staggered by certain attacks. For example, Banished Knights typically cannot be staggered by attacks with Damage Level values 0, 1, and 8, however they will be staggered by Damage Level values 2, 3, and higher values that provide heavier hitstun.

Separate Damage Level values in PvP

In Patch 1.09, Damage Level was given a wholly new set of values that work specifically when fighting other players (internally known as dmgLevel_vsPlayer).

• 0
  • Denotes that this value should use the same Damage Level value as it was in PvE.
• 1
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 0 when hitting other players
• 2
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 8 when hitting other players
• 3
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 1 when hitting other players
• 4
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 2 when hitting other players
• 5
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 3 when hitting other players
• 6
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 4 when hitting other players
• 7
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 7 when hitting other players
• 8
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 6 when hitting other players
• 9
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 9 when hitting other players
• 10
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 5 when hitting other players
• 11
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 10 when hitting other players
• 12
  • Denotes that this value should use Damage Level value 12 when hitting other players

Damage Count

Damage count is a hidden mechanic in Elden Ring, previously seen in DARK SOULS III. Whenever you are hit, your damage count is increased. When you roll away, attack, or otherwise exit hitstun, the count is reset to zero. The greater the count, the sooner you can roll out of hitstun.

This mechanic prevents you from getting stunlocked when being attacked by multiple enemies. After the fourth hit, you are able to instantly roll out of any hitstun animation. However, the time until you can input a Skill (e.g. Quickstep) is never shortenedM.