What Does Focus Do In Elden Ring?

This post was last updated on September 1, 2023

There is no shortage of statistics to keep track of in Elden Ring. Sure, the main three attributes are HP, FP, and stamina, but there are a couple of other stats that will increase each time you increase your rune level. One of these is Focus.

Focus is a defensive stat with the primary goal of increasing your resistance to Sleep and Madness effects. This can be extremely useful to watch if you plan on playing a lot of PVP.

Read on as we take a deeper look into this surprisingly useful stat and the ways you can change it.

What Is Focus?

Focus, not to be confused with Focus Points, is a defensive attribute. Its purpose is to give increased resistance to your character to the sleep effect and madness attacks.

Sleep and Madness

The two status that Focus gives resistance to are sleep and madness.

Sleep: Sleep will appear on your screen as a bluish buildup meter bar. If the bar fills up, your character will fall asleep for up to 60 seconds or until you take damage.

Not many enemies inflict sleep in Elden Ring. The main one is the Giant Somniferous Crab found roaming Liurnia and the Consecrated Snowfield. The other enemy is the Mimic Tear Boss, but this will only happen if you have sleep equipment equipped.

Madness: Madness will appear on your screen as a yellow buildup meter bar. If the bar fills up, your character will lose FP and take damage. The damage is equal to 100 + 15% of the target’s maximum HP. So investing points in your focus stat is important to avoid death as your health bar can quickly fall and no FP makes you unable to cast spells.

There are far more enemies who will inflict madness attacks than there are sleep. The main ones are frenzied enemies. These are the enemies with yellow eyes, and a lot of them can be found in the Frenzy-Flaming Tower area of Liurnia. In this same area, the Giant Eye will inflict madness as long as it can see your character.

Hooded Trolls can use madness incantations, and finally, the NPC invader Vyke has madness attacks.

When Will You Need High Focus Levels?

As just noted, there aren’t that many enemies in the game that will attack you with madness or sleep effects. The main place you will see either of these is while playing multiplayer PVP. Inflicting madness is a common play style (at least for those not spamming Rivers of Blood). It can be wise to be prepared to face such attacks, especially as you might face them too often while playing single-player.

Equipment Inflicting Sleep

The following are some of the items and spells that will cause the Sleep status effect.

• Sword of St Trina (Straight Sword)
• St. Trina’s Torch (Torch)

• Mists of Slumber (spell)
• Fires of Slumber (spell)
• Sleep Pot
• St. Trina’s Arrow
• Soporific Grease

Equipment Inflicting Madness

Here are some of the items and spells that will inflict the Madness status effect:

• Vyke’s War Spear (Great Spear)
• Frenzied Flame Seal (Seal)
• Fingerprint Stone Shield (Greatshield)
• The Flame of Frenzy (spell)
• Frenzied Burst (spell)
• Inescapable Frenzy (spell)
• Unendurable Frenzy (spell)
• Frenzyflame Thrust (spell)
• Howl of Shabriri (spell)

How To Upgrade Focus

Unlike some other stats in Elden Ring, it can only be increased in a few ways. The simplest option is to raise your rune level. It also has a direct relationship with the Mind stat, but you won’t see any changes until you reach Level 30, and even then, the first soft cap comes only at Level 40.

There are also some items you can equip to increase your focus stat. The highest known focus values you can get from armor allow is 233.

Equipment To Increase Focus

• Clarifying Horn Charm talisman– Found on a corpse leading to Deep Siofra Well
• Clarifying Horn Charm +1 – Found on a corpse in a ruin in Nokron, Eternal City.
• Mottled Necklace –  Found on the ruined bridge leading to Nokron, Eternal City.
• Mottled Necklace +1 – Found overlooking Hallowhorn Grounds in Nokron, Eternal City
• Rift Shield – The Prisoner Class starts with one or it can be purchased from the Nomadic Merchant located in Liurnia of the Lakes.
• Shield of the Guilty – In a cellar area in the Demi-Human Forest Ruins on the Weeping Peninsula.
• Spiralhorn Shield – Uld Palace Ruins in northeast Liurnia of the Lakes

Protective Gear To Increase Focus

• Greathood – Given as a reward for solving the puzzle of the Sorcerer Painting (Castle Sol to start)
• Corhyn’s Robe – Received from Brother Corhyn, at the end of the Goldmask questline. 
• Mushroom Arms and Mushroom Legs – Found in a cavern in Seethewater Cave
• Fire Prelate Gauntlets and Fire Prelate Greaves – You can farm it from Fire Prelates
• Astrologer’s Trousers – The Astrologer Class start with them or it can be purchased from the Nomadic Merchant in Liurnia of the Lakes 
• Gold Waistwrap –  Found on Goldmask’s body after the completion of Brother Corhyn’s questline

Final Thoughts

On the surface increasing the focus attribute seems like it should be a good idea, after all it increases your character’s resistance toward sleep and madness attacks. But these status effects aren’t all that common in Elden Ring.

Unless you play a lot of PVP or future DLC changes things then a higher focus stat isn’t necessary. Instead you should focus on adding points to the stats you know you’ll benefit from. The mind attribute isn’t needed unless you are going to use many spells so don’t dump points into it just to increase your focus attribute.