Focus in Elden Ring: What It Is and How to Increase It
What Does Focus Do In The Elden Ring?
Focus in Elden Ring? Elden Ring introduces a new mechanic called Focus that grants your character unique combat abilities and buffs. Focus allows you to concentrate your strength and unleash powerful skills during battles. Understanding what Focus does and how to utilize it effectively is key to mastering combat in Elden Ring.
What is the Focus of Elden Ring?
Focus is a defensive stat in Elden Ring that increases your resistance to Sleep and Madness status effects.
Sleep is a status effect that causes your character to fall asleep, leaving them vulnerable to attack.
Madness is a status effect that causes your character to lose FP and take damage.
Focus is not a stat you need to prioritize, but it can be beneficial against certain enemies and bosses. For example, the Giant Somniferous Crab enemy in Liurnia can inflict Sleep, and the Mimic Tear boss can inflict Madness if you have Sleep equipment equipped.
How Does Focus Work In Elden Ring?
Focus is a resource displayed underneath your Stamina bar. It builds up slowly during combat when you land hits, take damage, or use Skills. Once your Focus meter fills up, you can activate it to trigger bonus effects.
You have two Focus states – Regular and Enhanced. Regular Focus provides a basic damage buff, while Enhanced Focus unlocks your equipped armament’s Skill.
The effects of the Focus scale are based on your Focus stat. Higher Focus levels increase the strength of buffs and Skills. Some Skills may even gain additional properties at higher Focus levels.
What Does Regular Focus Do In The Elden Ring?
Activating Regular Focus provides the following buffs:
- Damage increases for a short duration. The strength of the buff depends on your Focus stat.
- Reduce incoming damage by a small percentage. Higher Focus levels provide better damage negation.
- Increase poise, making you less vulnerable to interruptions.
The Regular Focus buffs last around 10 seconds. During this time, you deal more damage and take less damage from enemies. It’s excellent for overwhelming formidable foes.
What Does Enhanced Focus Do?
After activating Regular Focus, your Focus meter will begin filling up again. Once complete, it enters the Enhanced state.
Activating Enhanced Focus unlocks the Skill of your currently equipped armament. This allows you to perform powerful abilities, including:
- Unique weapon skills – Each armament in Elden Ring has a special talent that draws on Focus. Using Enhanced Focus lets you unleash these moves.
- Sorceries – Staves allow casting sorceries when activating Enhanced Focus. This lets you cast spells without using FP.
- Incantations – Sacred seals unlock the ability to perform incantations via Enhanced Focus instead of FP.
- Shield skills – Greatshields grant shield-based skills like shield bashes.
Enhanced Focus Skills tend to be much stronger than normal weapon skills. However, the Focus meter takes longer to fill up again after using them. Manage your Focus carefully to maximize damage.
How To Get The Most Out Of Focus
Here are some tips for using Focus effectively in combat:
- Increase Focus level – Leveling up Focus boosts the duration and strength of Focus buffs. Get it to at least 20 early on.
- Use Talismans – Certain Talismans, like the Arsenal Charm, increase Focus gauge size and Focus point gain.
- Change armament Skills – Skills can be changed at Sites of Grace. Equip Skills that synergize with Focus.
- Activate during openings – Look for enemy attack windows to activate Focus and go on the offensive safely.
- Combo into Skills – Use Regular Focus buff to deal more damage, then flow into Enhanced Skills.
- Manage Stamina – Focus regenerates faster when Stamina isn’t depleted. Only exhaust some of your Stamina.
Why is Focus essential?
Sleep and Madness can be very dangerous status effects, so it is important to have some resistance to them. It can easily lead to death if caught off guard by either of these effects.
Focus is especially important if you are playing a caster character, as Sleep and Madness can interrupt your spells. It is also important for players exploring PvP areas, as some use Sleep and Madness builds.
How to increase Focus in Elden Ring
There are two ways to increase Focus in Elden Ring:
- Level up your Mind attribute. Mind is the attribute that governs Focus, so leveling it up will naturally increase your Focus stat.
- Equip items that increase Focus. Several articles in the game can increase your Focus stat, such as the Clarifying Horn Charm talisman and the Mottled Necklace talisman.
Elden Ring Focus FAQs
Does Focus reset on death?
No, your Focus gauge and Enhanced Focus state remain unchanged when you die or rest at Sites of Grace.
Does activating Focus cost FP?
No, Focus does not use any FP. It has its own dedicated Focus meter.
Can you activate Focus during enemy attacks?
Yes, Focus can be activated instantly and used mid-attack or mid-combo. Timing it well lets you counterattack or poise through hits.
Do Somber weapons have Focus Skills?
Special weapons upgraded with Somber Smithing Stones also get unique Skills that can be triggered with Enhanced Focus.
Can spellcasting build utilize Focus?
Yes, staves and sacred seals gain powerful sorceries and incantations that can be cast using Enhanced Focus without consuming FP.
Does two-handing or power standing affect Focus?
No, Focus functions identically whether wielding armaments in one or two hands/power stances.
Can Focus be used to block or parry attacks?
No, Focus is purely an offensive mechanic. You cannot block or parry with it.
Can I activate Focus at any time in Elden Ring?
No, you need to build up your focus meter by engaging in combat or defeating enemies before you can activate it.
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Final Words
Focus is a defensive stat in Elden Ring that increases your resistance to Sleep and Madness status effects. It is not a stat you need to prioritize, but it can be beneficial against certain enemies and bosses.
Two ways to increase Focus in Elden Ring: level up your Mind attribute and equip items that increase Focus. The best things for increasing Focus are the Clarifying Horn Charm talisman and the Mottled Necklace talisman.
If you are struggling with Sleep or Madness status effects, then it is worth investing in some Focus. This will give you resistance to these effects and make it easier to survive against enemies and bosses that inflict them.
