Does Attunement Increase Casting Speed in Elden Ring?
The short answer is no, attunement does not directly increase casting speed in Elden Ring. While attunement is a crucial stat for any magic-focused build, affecting your FP (Focus Points) and the number of spell slots you have, it does not impact how quickly your character casts spells. This is a common point of confusion for new players, especially those familiar with other RPG systems where spellcasting speed is often tied to a mana-related stat. In Elden Ring, casting speed is primarily influenced by Dexterity and specific equipment.
Casting Speed Mechanics in Elden Ring: The Key Factors
Understanding the mechanics of casting speed in Elden Ring requires focusing on a few specific areas:
Dexterity is King (Mostly)
The primary attribute that impacts your casting speed is Dexterity. However, the relationship isn’t linear. The game has a soft cap, meaning that past a certain point, additional Dexterity points provide diminished returns.
- 35-45 Dexterity: This range is where you see the most noticeable gains in casting speed. Prior to 35, Dexterity has no impact on casting. Each point in this range provides a small decrease in the cast time.
- Beyond 45 Dexterity: You will continue to see an increase in casting speed, but much less significantly. Reaching 70 Dexterity is considered the hard cap for casting speed with diminishing returns before then, although further leveling to 99 Dexterity is possible.
- Diminishing Returns: The returns for additional dexterity decrease at higher levels. For example, you might need around 36 Dexterity to reduce your cast time by approximately 0.1 seconds. Because the returns are so small past 45, many players don’t level beyond this if they are trying to optimize their stat investments, unless that build specifically utilizes the benefits of reaching 70 Dex.
Talismans and Equipment
Besides Dexterity, specific items can also play a vital role in increasing your casting speed:
- Radagon Icon: This legendary talisman is a game-changer for casting. It effectively adds the equivalent of +30 Dexterity to your casting speed calculation, enabling you to reach higher casting speeds without investing as many levels into Dexterity itself. This is an indispensable piece of equipment for any player hoping to optimize their casting speed.
- Azur’s Glintstone Staff: Offhanding this staff provides an additional virtual +40 Dexterity, allowing you to reach the casting speed cap of 70 Dexterity, even with minimal levels invested in the attribute. It does not need to be your primary casting staff for the effects to take place, allowing you to make use of the spell scaling from another staff.
Other Factors That Do Not Affect Casting Speed
It is equally important to recognize what does not contribute to your casting speed.
- Attunement: As discussed, attunement only increases your FP and spell slots. It does not impact casting speed.
- Intelligence: Despite the correlation between Intelligence and Sorceries, this stat has no impact on casting speed.
- Faith: Like Intelligence, Faith also has no impact on the casting speed of miracles or incantations.
- Strength: Strength is unrelated to casting speed.
- Equip Load: Your equip load affects your rolling speed, but it has no impact on your spell casting speed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Casting Speed in Elden Ring
To further clarify, here are 15 frequently asked questions regarding casting speed:
1. Does leveling Faith or Intelligence increase casting speed?
No. While Faith and Intelligence are crucial stats for increasing the power and scaling of incantations and sorceries respectively, they do not directly affect casting speed.
2. How much does Dexterity affect casting speed?
The effect is not linear. Dexterity provides the most noticeable increases between 35 and 45 points. Past 45 the increase is extremely minimal with 70 dexterity being the effective cap. Each point below 45 dexterity will give a progressively bigger return in casting speed.
3. What is the best way to achieve the fastest casting speed?
The optimal method to achieve the fastest casting speed is to obtain 70 total virtual dexterity. To achieve this, you can utilize a combination of leveling up, equipping the Radagon Icon (+30 virtual dex), and offhanding Azur’s Glintstone Staff (+40 virtual dex).
4. Does the type of spell affect casting speed?
No, the base casting speed of a spell is static, but some spells inherently have longer animation times that can not be directly modified with Dex. For example, a slow-moving AOE type of spell will always have a longer animation than a quick projectile spell. The modifiers from Dex will reduce the speed of both of these spells proportionately.
5. Is there a hard cap for casting speed?
Yes, the effective hard cap for casting speed is at 70 Dexterity.
6. Does attunement increase the speed of spell casting?
No. Attunement does not increase casting speed. It only increases the number of spell slots available and total FP (Focus Points).
7. What is the Radagon Icon Talisman?
The Radagon Icon is a talisman that reduces the casting time of sorceries and incantations. It provides the equivalent of +30 Dexterity towards casting speed.
8. Can I reach the maximum casting speed without leveling Dexterity?
Yes, using the Radagon Icon and offhanding Azur’s Glintstone Staff, you can reach the maximum casting speed without investing any levels into Dexterity itself.
9. Does equip load affect spell casting speed?
No, Equip Load only impacts rolling and movement speed, not spell casting speed.
10. Does movement speed affect casting speed?
No, movement speed is independent of spell casting speed. You can move normally while casting spells, but not as a factor to increase the speed.
11. Does Dexterity increase movement speed?
No, Dexterity does not increase movement speed. Only your equip load affects your movement speed.
12. Does Dexterity increase weapon attack speed?
No, Dexterity does not directly increase weapon attack speed. It increases the attack rating by increasing the scaling of weapons that require dexterity, which may allow for faster kills and the impression of increased weapon speed.
13. Is there any benefit to leveling Dexterity past 45 if I am only concerned with casting speed?
There is a small return on casting speed by leveling beyond 45 dexterity, however, the amount of cast speed gained is minimal. It will still provide a minor benefit, but many choose to stop at 45 if only focused on maximizing spell casting speed, and focus on other stats.
14. Does dexterity increase pyromancy casting speed?
The article mentions pyro being tied to attunement, but yes, pyromancy casting speed is affected by Dexterity. However, remember the 35-45 Dex range is the most impactful.
15. What is the best quick casting spell in Elden Ring?
Carian Slicer is considered one of the best fast casting melee sorceries in Elden Ring. It offers good damage and a quick cast time for its cost.
Conclusion
In summary, attunement is not related to casting speed in Elden Ring. Instead, focus on maximizing your Dexterity stat between 35 and 45, utilize Radagon Icon and Azur’s Glintstone Staff to reach the soft and hard cap of cast speed, respectively. By understanding these core mechanics, you can greatly improve your spellcasting and ensure you’re making the most of your magic build in the Lands Between.