Encumbrance in Dragon's Dogma is a measure of how much a character is carrying, and the effect on the character's mobility. Characters who carry way too much become overencumbered.
Overview[]
- "A heavy load will cause your Stamina to deplete more quickly. Sell or discard any and all items you no longer need."
| Encumbrance Limit | SS | S | M | L | LL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very Light | <10 | <10 | <15 | <20 | <20 |
| Light | 10 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| Average | 20 | 30 | 25 | 40 | 45 |
| Heavy | 30 | 40 | 45 | 55 | 70 |
| Very Heavy | 35 | 45 | 55 | 65 | 85 |
| Overencumbered | >40 | >50 | >65 | >75 | >100 |
For a given character there are five levels of encumbrance, each corresponding to a range of carried weights (including weapons and armor). Exceeding the highest encumbrance level results in the character being Overencumbered, which greatly reduces movement speed and prevents any more objects being picked up.
The five levels are Very Light, Light, Average, Heavy, and Very Heavy. Exceeding the 'very heavy' limit results in the character being Overencumbered.
The actual ranges of carryable weight for each encumbrance depends on the character's size, which is determined specifically by Character Weight. Character Weight has five size classes defined from very small (SS) to very large (LL). The ranges are:
| Weight Class | SS | S | M | L | LL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Range | Under 50 | 50–69 | 70–89 | 90–109 | over 110 |
Stamina use[]
| Encumbrance | Recovery Time |
Running Stamina use |
Running Speed |
Jogging Speed |
Climbing Stamina use |
Carrying Stamina use |
Grapple Stamina use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ultra Light" | 100% | 85% | 100% | 103% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Very Light | 100% | 100% ‡ | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% (66% †) | 100% § |
| Light | 100% | 117% | 95% | 95% | 150% | 150% | 83% |
| Average | 100% | 135% | 82% | 86% | 200% | 200% | 67% |
| Heavy | 120% | 165% | 74% | 77% | 250% | 250% | 50% |
| Very Heavy | 140% | 200% | 67% | 68% | 300% | 300% | 33% |
| Overencumbered | 140% | 200% | 67% | 68% | 300% | 300% | 33% |
| Figures relative to very light encumbrance † Stamina drain is extra low if carrying items 'naked' (no equipment) ‡ Absolute stamina use is ~44 Stamina per second for a LL Character Weight at very light Encumbrance § Grapple stamina use is approx. 30/sec | |||||||
Encumbrance affects stamina use and regeneration in many cases. From very lightly-encumbered to over-encumbered running time is halved, whilst stamina recovery time increases by a two fifths. Stamina recovery rate for a given character is constant from very light to average encumbrance, and only decreases when the encumbrance becomes heavy or very heavy.
The greatest variations with encumbrance is stamina drain when carrying. Moreover, the stamina used doubles when moving from a standing carry to a jog, and doubles again if a human or creature is carried.
Stamina drain also increases greatly with encumbrance when climbing or clinging; tripling from very light to very heavy, and with large increases between each level. Conversely stamina use is lowest when grappling with high encumbrance, and highest with low encumbrance.
Jogging speed slows as encumbrance increases; the differences between very light and light are minor. If the augment Leg-Strength is equipped movement affected by encumbrance is improved to the level of the next lightest level. If the encumbrance is "very light" then a slightly better "ultra-light" level is attained, though the differences are minor.
Running speed also slows as encumbrance increases, by roughly relatively the same amounts as which jogging is affected.
Augments, equipment, etc[]
- Both Leg-Strength and Sinew can help reduce encumbrance.
- Trophy Boots increase weight limit by 10.
- Possible bonus enhancement for Bitterblack Armor Lv.3's Leg Armor:
- "Slightly increases maximum item-carrying capacity.'" (Increases weight limit by 10.)
- "Increases maximum item-carrying capacity.'" (Increases weight limit by 20.)
- Dreamwing Nostrum can cause the Invigoration or Disencumbered, which reduces encumbrance rank by one.
Overencumbrance[]
When the amount carried exceeds the character's capacity they are said to be overencumbered. For purposes of mobility and stamina use overencumbered characters act as if they had very heavy encumbrance, even if they massively exceed the weight limit.
- Overencumbered characters cannot pick up items.
- Coin Pouch and Rift Crystals are exceptions since they don't increase the carried weight.
- Overencumbered characters are not able to undertake any Combining activity, even if the combining would reduce overall weight.
- The skills Pilfer and Master Thief can still be used to add items to the inventory, even when over encumbered.
Notes[]
- Encumbrance doesn't seem to affect the distance covered by jumping. However it can still be the difference between success and failure in difficult jumps due to the differences in pre-jump move speed affecting the accuracy of jumps needing good timing.
- Encumbrance has no effect on skill stamina use.
- Encumbrance levels are clearly shown for Arisen and Pawns on the inventory menu.
- Though encumbrance affects movement (Walking and jogging) speed for a given character, overall movement speed is affected by leg length, and by extension Character Height.
- The encumbrance mass (not the encumbrance class) plus Character Weight seems to be the primary factor in the speed of operation of Pressure Plates - thus a single naked character with no items or weapons can still fully depress such plates, but very slowly.
- Assassin's walking and jogging and running speeds are improved compared to other classes, as if they were one rank lower in encumbrance (similar to Leg-Strength) - stamina use is not lowered however.
- The Ultra Light encumbrance level is not shown in-game. It is obtainable by using the augment Leg-Strength at an already 'very light' encumbrance level.
- ERROR!!! It seems logical or likely that the weight limits for average encumbrance for 'small' and 'medium' sized characters were swapped by mistake - as the values are the opposite from the naturally increasing progression seen elsewhere - in practice this can be a handicap for 'medium' sized characters in terms of encumbrance relative to all other weight classes.