Equip Load and Dodging

Learn how Equip Load affects dodging in No Rest for the Wicked. Discover the Quickstep and Dodge Roll mechanics, stamina management, and how to optimize your build for combat.

Dodging in No Rest for the Wicked is a core mechanic, performed by pressing the dodge button and a direction. This action consumes Stamina and allows you to evade attacks, with the type of dodge depending on your equipped gear's weight relative to your maximum equip load.

The more gear you carry, the slower and more cumbersome your dodges become. Traveling light allows for faster, more frequent dodges, ideal for avoiding damage. Conversely, carrying more gear enables heavier armor with higher defensive stats, which can mitigate damage when hits are unavoidable. However, lighter gear means lower defense and potentially fewer passive bonuses from armor, increasing the penalty for taking hits.

Investing points into the Equip Load stat upon leveling up increases your maximum equip load, allowing you to wear more or heavier gear while maintaining lower encumbrance tiers. This offers a balance between faster dodges and better protection, but requires sacrificing points from other stats. Ultimately, the choice between faster dodges and higher stats is a playstyle preference, with each approach having its own advantages and disadvantages.

There are three distinct dodge types:

Fast Equip Load - Quickstep

To perform a quickstep dodge, keep your equip load in the “light” category. This dodge is nearly instantaneous, with minimal recovery frames and a significant portion of its duration dedicated to invincibility frames (i-frames). This allows you to evade attacks, close distance, and dodge through projectiles effectively. It's responsive and beneficial for new players prone to panic dodging.

However, quickstepping consumes stamina rapidly, and spamming it can leave you vulnerable and unable to counterattack. Enemies in No Rest for the Wicked are adept at tracking, so mistiming your dodges can still result in taking hits. Maintaining a light equip load limits the gear you can wear, resulting in lower defense and poise. While you aim to avoid hits, they will be more damaging when they land. Poise-breaking attacks can knock you down, but the quick recovery from a quickstep often allows you to evade follow-up attacks.

You can mitigate equip load limitations by investing in the Equip Load stat, but this comes at the expense of other stats. Even with increased Equip Load, you'll be restricted to lighter gear.

Normal Equip Load - Dodge Roll

With a normal equip load, you perform a dodge roll. This roll covers similar ground to the quickstep but is slightly slower and consumes comparable stamina. The i-frames occur at the start of the roll, before you land. A significant portion of the roll's distance occurs during the recovery phase, as you continue to roll after touching the ground before standing up. This dodge roll offers slightly more forgiving timing compared to the quickstep.