In Ring of Firea defensive approach to fighting the game’s dangerous bosses is a solid strategy that requires the best shields you can use.
While Elden Ring may seem like a game where you constantly have to input commands, avoid attacks, and use items, you can slow down the pace of a fight by taking your time and blocking incoming attacks.
If you’re planning to block incoming damage while you wait for a window to attack enemies, we can help you with this list of best shields in Elden Ring.
Best Elden Ring Shields
Not everyone needs or enjoys using shields in Elden Ring, but there’s no denying that they are powerful tools for those who learn how to use them. Shields aren’t just useful for blocking attacks and preventing you from taking damage. You can attack enemies with them or parry their attacks, which creates a window to land critical hits.
Now, when it comes to finding the best shield, there are a few aspects you need to consider. Each shield has a specific guard boost number and physical damage reduction. While the former determines the amount of stamina spent when an attack is blocked, the latter reduces the amount of damage you take from Slash, Standard, Strike, and Piece attacks. THE the best shields provide a solid guard boost while keeping at least – for medium and large shields – 100 physical damage reduction.
At the same time, it is important to consider shield weight. Even if you could use a shield with 100 Guard Boost, it wouldn’t be worth it if it increases your gear charge too much. Lately, prioritize which shields you can infuse Ashes of Warwhich gives you the opportunity to use the best parrying abilities in the game.
Below you will find the best shields in Elden Ring!
Fingerprint Stone Shield
This shield takes the idea of taking cover to another level. The Fingerprint Stone Shield, which is literally a large piece of stone, is a large shield that requires 48 Strength so you can use it and adds responsible for your equipment. All these high numbers are justified by the fact that this shield has a guard boost of 77 and physical damage reduction of 100, making it one of the best when it comes to remaining unscathed.
You can find this weapon in the Underground escape grounds, the underground area of Leyndell. In a lower level of this area you can find a room where you face Mohg, the Omen. After defeating him, you can access a secret area by hitting the altar behind the chest. From there you need to make your way to where the Fingerprint Stone Shield is.
Brass shield
When choosing a shield for your character, you may want to consider focusing on medium-sized shields, as they provide a good balance of weight and protection. The Brass Shield is one of the best in this category. It offers 100 physical damage reduction and 56 guard boost. With these numbers, you can take a few hits and stay alive during an attack sequence.
The minimum requirement to use the Brass Shield is 16 Strengthwhile it only adds 7 at your equipment expense, which makes it easier to maintain the average level. In addition to offering everything we look for in an average shield, you can actually find a brass shield quite early in the game. In the Gate ruins one of the first areas you visit when starting the game, you can find Godrick Soldiers
Shield of the Carian Knight
Still thinking about average shields, another fantastic shield is the Carian Knight Shield. You want to consider running this one over others, especially if you want to increase your defense against magic. In addition to having 100 physical damage reduction, it also has 71 magic reduction, which is higher than the Brass Shield. On the other hand, the Carian Knight’s Shield only has 49 Guard Boost.
In addition to being an excellent shield against magical attacks, it is also quite light, adding 4.5 to your equipment load. It is, however, a little more demanding in terms of statistics than the Brass Shield. You need 10 Strength, 10 DexterityAnd 15 Information to use it. If the Carian Knight’s Shield is what you’re looking for, you can obtain it by defeating Moongrum, the Carian knightthat you find in the Raya Lucaria Academy before the elevator that takes you to the area before the Rennala boss arena.
Coil Shield
Among the small shields, the Coil Shield stands out not for its statistics but for its high skill. This shield’s 65 physical damage reduction is more than enough if you want a shield in this category. He has 29 Guard Boos, which isn’t necessarily great. However, the Coil Shield comes with the Viper bite skill, which inflicts deadly poison on enemies, a more powerful version of the harmful effect of Poison. This skill is a very nice feature for many builds, like the Scarlet Rot build, making it one of the best in the game.
Smaller shields aren’t a problem when it comes to weight, and with the Coil Shield it’s no different. This only adds 1.5 to your equipment charge. At the same time, this only requires 10 Strength And 10 Dexterity to use, affecting builds very little in general. To find this shield you must explore the Volcano Cave, a dungeon located in the Mount Gelmir region. Inside the cave you can find a body with the Coil Shield.
Spiral Horn Shield
Now, if you don’t need a specific small shield like the Coil Shield, then the best option for you is the Spiralhorn Shield. It has 35 guard bonuses and 61 physical damage reduction. The lower physical damage reduction is offset by a passive ability this shield has that increases the user’s immunity, toughness, and focus, which is a great buff. If you hit an enemy with this shield, it may cause blood loss.
In terms of statistical requirements, you only need 8 Strength And 10 Dexterity to use it. The Spiralhorn Shield is a bit heavier than the Coil Shield, which adds 2 to your equipment charge, but that’s nothing to worry about. To acquire this shield, you need to search for the location of the Uld Palace Ruins in the northeast of Liurnia of the Lakes. Closer to a lake there is a walking mausoleum, and on one of the rocks surrounding it you find a body from which you get the Spiralhorn shield.
Need help? Return to our Elden Ring boss list or our Elden Ring walkthrough.
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