Elden Ring is a complete game that has everything an RPG lover could ever want. An exhaustive weapon list, a good leveling system, a breathtaking world, and an in-depth combat system that has a low skill floor and high skill ceiling. One combat mechanic that is often improperly used by new players is buffing and buff stacking.

Like other games in the genre, Elden Ring lets players stack different kinds of buffs. However, it doesn't explain that not all buffs stack with one another. Some overwrite others, while some can synergize fantastically well. Knowing which buffs to use, how long they last, and how they synergize with one another is a key part of any good strategy.

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What Is Buff Stacking In Elden Ring?

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What is Buff Stacking in Elden Ring

There are a multitude of buffs in Elden Ring. These range from the effects players get from Crystal Tears and Talismans, to consumables and spells that increase certain aspects of their character. Buff stacking is the practice of using multiple buffs at the same time to maximize your potential, primarily before a tough boss fight.

Not all buffs are stackable in this game, though. There are different kinds of buffs that affect different parts of the player's experience. The general guideline is that you can only have one buff from each category active at a time, other than unique buffs. There are four buff categories (plus unique buffs that don't really fit into any of them):

Aura Buff Table, Elden Ring
  • Aura Buffs: Effects that make changes to the player, as well as surrounding allies, are called Aura Buffs.
Body Buffs Table, Elden Ring
  • Body Buffs: B uffs that only affect the damage, defense, or other attributes of a single player are body buffs.
  • Weapon Buffs: Effects that apply a special condition to your weapon are weapon buffs. These buffs cannot be applied to most somber weapons (except Bloodhound's Fang and Varre's Bouquet), or weapons with a non-standard affinity.
Regeneration Buffs Table, Elden Ring
  • Regeneration Buffs: Buffs that regenerate your health fall under regeneration buffs.

You can have one aura buff, one body buff, one weapon buff, and one regeneration buff at any given time. However, the game also features unique buffs that don't fall into any of the above categories. These include great runes, Talismans, passive effects from armor pieces/weapons, certain spells and weapon skills, and some items. All unique buffs can be stacked indefinitely with each other as long as the conditions are met.

There are some items in the game that give a passive effect. All these buffs fall under the unique buff category, meaning they won't interfere with any other buff you apply. These are only applied when the armor piece or weapon is equipped, meaning you can only have a maximum of six active at a time.

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How Do Debuffs Work In Elden Ring

Debuffs Table, Elden Ring

Loosely, there are three types of debuffs in the game. These don't interfere with any of the buffs and act as separate categories for the purpose of stacking.

  • Status Effects: Bleed, Poison, Madness, Scarlet Rot, Frostbite, Sleep, and Eternal Sleep can exist at the same time. Triggering one effect won't remove the rest, and multiple status effects can be active at the same time.
  • Standard Debuffs: Most debuffs from weapon skills and spells fall under this category. They overwrite each other, only letting one instance of a debuff at a time. For example, you can't stack Rennala's Full Moon with Ranni's Dark Moon, or Greyoll's Roar with Shriek of Milos.
Debuffs Table (2), Elden Ring
  • Unique Debuffs: Oil Pots, Cursed-Blood Pot, Darkness, Bewitching Branch, Blade of Death skill, and the Knowledge Above All skill are unique debuffs. These can technically be stacked with each other, though it's hard to do so in practice.
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Best Buffs From Each Category In Elden Ring

Best Buffs from Each Category, table, Elden Ring

Buff Category

Buff Names

Buff Effect

Aura Buffs

Golden Vow

Increases attack by 15% and increases all damage negation by 10% for 80 seconds.

Uplifting Aromatic

Increases Physical Damage by 10% and gives 90% negation for one hit for 40 seconds.

Rallying Standard Skill

Increases damage by 20% and increases damage negation by 20% for 30 seconds.

Body Buffs

Howl of Shabriri

Buffs attacks by 25% and increases damage taken by 30% for 40 seconds.

Bloodboil Aromatic

Increases physical damage by 30%, max stamina by 20%, and reduces damage negation by 25% for 60 seconds.

Boiled Crab

Grants 20% physical damage negation for 60 seconds.

Weapon Buff

Bloodflame Blade

Adds fire damage and causes blood loss build up for 60 seconds.

Ash of War: Royal Knight's Resolve

Increases the next hit's damage by 80% and its stamina damage by 300%. Lasts for 10 seconds.

Moonlight Greatsword Skill

Adds 65 Magic damage, 15 Frostbite buildup to the Dark Moon Greatsword. Heavy attacks shoot out magic projectiles. The effect lasts 60 seconds.

Regeneration Buff

Blessing of the Erdtree

Heals self and allies at the rate of 12 HP per second. Lasts for 90 seconds.

Unique Buff

Terra Magica

A sorcery that increases magic damage in the designated area by 35% and lasts 30 seconds.

Oath of Vengeance Skill

Increases all attributes by 5, prevents stagger, and increases damage negation by 45%. The stat increase lasts for 60 seconds but the rest of the effect only lasts for 5 seconds.

Contagious Fury Skill

Increases damage by 20% when skill is used on the jellyfish shield. This buff is lost if the shield is swapped and lasts for 30 seconds.

How To Stack Buffs In Elden Ring

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How to Stack Buffs in Elden Ring

There are many different playstyles in Elden Ring, and the buffs you can use will depend on your build and the way you play the game. However, no matter how you play the game, buffs can play a great role in enhancing your experience. You don't have to spend five minutes before every boss fight applying buffs on yourself — though that is a valid playstyle. Spending just a few extra seconds cycling through some key buffs can vastly improve your damage.

First, choose one buff from each category that you can cast without too much trouble. There are some choices that are better than others, and you can optimize your buffing routine as much as you want. However, doing a simple routine is better than not doing one at all. The specific buffs depend on what kind of build you're running and what you can actually cast.

Then, sort the buffs from longest to shortest and create a routine where you apply the longest lasting buff first. Typically, this will involve drinking the Flask of Wondrous Physick, but some Crystal Tears don't last very long, so you'll have to use your discretion for the exact timing. Once you've applied your buffs, enter the boss arena and use any debuffs if you want.

After that, engage the enemy and watch their health bar deplete at a shocking rate. You can increase or reduce the number of buffs you apply to suit your specific needs. More buffs equals better defense and offense, but it also means more time spent on the set-up. An example routine is as follows:

  • Use your Great Rune of choice.
  • Drink the Flask of Wondrous Physick.
  • Use Golden Vow (Aura buff).
  • Use the Uplifting Aromatic for its special effect of giving the player a 90% one-hit damage reduction effect.
  • Use Flame, Grant me Strength (Body Buff). This will overwrite the body buff effect of the Uplifting Aromatic, but its special effect won't be affected.
  • Assuming you have a standard affinity, non-somber weapon, use Bloodflame Blade (Weapon buff). Otherwise, skip this step.
  • Use the Flask of Cerulean Tears to restore your FP and enter the boss arena.
  • Use the Holy Ground Ash of War, switch to the Jellyfish Shield, and use Contagious Fury (Unique Buffs).
  • Use the Acid Spraymist (Unique debuff) and engage the enemy.
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Equipment Swapping & Temporary Buffs

Character menu in elden ring shadow of the erdtree with the Kindred of Rot's Exultation Talisman

If you're deep into the buffing meta in Elden Ring, you'll come across a method of increasing the number of total buffs you can get, i.e., swapping certain equipment pieces with others at the right time. This is an advanced technique, and it doesn't work with everything. Some Talismans, such as Lord of Blood's Exultation and Kindred of Rot's Exultation, give the player a buff when the associated status is inflicted in the player's vicinity.

Since this applies to anything applied to the player as well, they can use this to their advantage and make the effect go off on their own body, giving them a temporary buff that lasts 30 seconds. As soon as the status effect is triggered, swap it out for a Talisman that buffs some other aspect of your gameplay.

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Elden Ring Tag Page Cover Art
Elden Ring
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10 /10
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Released
February 25, 2022
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

ESRB
M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
Developer(s)
From Software
Engine
Proprietary
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
Cross-Platform Play
PS4 & PS5 and Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
Cross Save
no
Steam Deck Compatibility
yes
Genre(s)
RPG, Action
How Long To Beat
58 Hours
PS Plus Availability
N/A
The Erdtree in Elden Ring
6 Images