Note that in DS2, rolling distance is also a dynamic factor with respect to encumbrance.
Note: Having more AGI (iframes) and rolling shorter distance is actually more rewarding.
Which is really goddamn counter-intuitive! A fat roll that has 15 iframes? Gah, crazy!
Edit!
Fat roll only starts after 70%(or nearby), so if you have equipment less than 70%..its actually very very useful in general. As you aren't getting very far from the target(s) who is/are attacking, since you don't roll very far and its easy to land a strike with some turn adjustment after the roll. (since half the meele weapons in the game have low reach)
Also with 70% (or 50%) encumbrance budget, you got a bit more items/equipment on yourself.
It just strikes me as very strange, considering that in DkS1 the length of the roll was directly tied to your encumberance, and thus, the iframes you gain. Whereas now you can have 15 iframes (Dark Wood Grain Ring flip in DkS1) on a full Havel doing near-fat rolls.
The slow, invincible, roll just highlights the iframes themselves, which were sort of camouflaged by the fast jumps you got in DkS1 with DWGR and Fast Roll.
Combat-wise, having a lot of iframes and a near-fat roll is actually really beneficial in many situations, where low encumberance rolls can really screw you over by rolling too far. Just another reason to not play a light armor build I suppose.
