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But, players shouldn’t expect to breeze through Elden Ringsince they’ll need to use the best equipment to survive as a Tarnished soul in a monster-filled world. One type of equipment that can prove useful in vanquishing enemies is a shield since it can protect a player from lethal blows. But, with so many shields in Elden Ring, it can be a challenge to know which one is the best one to get the job done.
Updated May 8, 2022 by Daniel Dilena:Even though shields played a less critical role in a player’s build in previous FromSoftware games (especially Bloodborne), shields now are an essential aspect of any build in Elden Ring. And FromSoftware has continued to push the use of shields by slightly tweaking some of their stats, making some worthy of being added to this Elden Ring shield tier list. Be sure not to overlook these best shields in Elden Ring.
15 Shield Of The Guilty - Small Shield
Location:
Demi-Human Forest Ruins
Active Skill:
Shield Bash
Even though small shields aren’t the best at reducing attacks due to their size, Shield of the Guilty is an exception since it has 68 points of Guard Protection. On top of that, since it’s a small shield, players can dodge attacks a lot quicker and easier without using too much Stamina.
Another feature that makes this one of the best shields in Elden Ring is that players can use the Active Skill “Shield Bash,” which can stagger most enemies. Players can find the Shield of the Guilty before the main building with the Demi-Human Queen mini-boss.
14 Beastman’s Jar-Shield - Medium Shield
Location:
Crumbling Beast Grave Depths
Active Skill:
No Skill
Players who want the best of a greatshield and a small shield will enjoy using the Beastman’s Jar-Shield since it balances damage reduction and agility. Another reason why the Beastman’s Jar-Shield deserves its spot among the best shields in Elden Ring is that it can be infused with Ashes of War, Magic, and other Consumables.
The only problem with this medium shield is that players can only find it at Crumbling Farum Azula, which is considered the end-game area of Elden Ring. But, players that wish to wield this powerful medium shield can farm it near the Crumbling Beast Grave Depths Site of Grace.
13 Fingerprint Stone Shield - Greatshield
Location:
Cathedral of the Forsaken
Active Skill:
Shield Bash
Even though the Fingerprint Stone Shield is one of the heaviest shields in Elden Ring since it requires 48 Strength, it’s still viable for any strength-heavy build. But, one of the main reasons why the Fingerprint Stone Shield is one of the best shields in Elden Ring is that its Active Skill causes Madness build-up.
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Unfortunately, obtaining this greatshield is no easy task since players will first need to defeat Morgott, the Omen King, and Mohg. And even after beating both of these powerful bosses, players will need to go down a specific set of platforms that will lead them to the shield.
12 Jellyfish Shield - Greatshield
Location:
Four Belfries
Active Skill:
Contagious Fury
The Jellyfish Shield is undoubtedly one of the most unique-looking greatshields in Elden Ring that most players may ignore due to its squishy appearance. But, this greatshield merits a place in this Elden Ring shield tier list since its Active Skill boosts the player’s attack by 20% for 30 seconds.
But, the buff only applies to single-handed weapons, so players can’t use its Active Skill and switch to a two-handed weapon as it will nullify the effects. Players can find this powerful shield next to a corpse guarded by four Jellyfish north of the Foot of the Four Belfries.
11 Scripture Wooden Shield - Small Shield
Locations:
Auriza Hero’s Grave Deathtouched Catacombs
Active Skill:
Parry
The Scripture Wooden Shield is the go-to shield for most players who enjoy using magic builds since it offers a modest amount of defense while still being light enough for players who avoid investing in Stamina. But, the real beauty of the Scripture Wooden Shield is that it can Parry most attacks from bosses like that of Malenia Blade of Miquella.
Players can easily obtain this small shield by farming the skeleton enemies found inside Deathtouched Catacombs. But, parrying attacks takes time and practice, so players new to parrying should practice on easier enemies before tackling larger ones.
10 Blue-Gold Kite Shield - Medium Shield
Location:
Nomadic Merchant in East Limgrave
Active Skill:
Parry
The Blue-Gold Kite Shield is a decent starter shield that players can purchase from the Nomadic Merchant for 1000 runes. While it lacks agility due to its size, it’s a great shield to reduce incoming damage or block certain attacks. Moreover, a well-timed Parry can stagger most enemies and bosses, turning the tide of a battle.
And if a player has a Talisman that increases maximum Stamina like the Viridian Amber, they can block more attacks. But, despite its decent stats, other shields can get the job done a lot better, but the reason why Blue-Gold Kite Shield is among the best is that it’s a lot easier to obtain when compared to the other shields on the list.
9 Visage Shield - Greatshield
Location:
Caelem Ruins
Active Skill:
Tongues of Fire
Undoubtedly, Greatshields are very effective shields that can protect players from certain death, but players will need to invest in Strength if they want to wield one. And the Visage Shield is a useful Greatshield since it not only protects players but can also spray several jets of fire from its front.
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Moreover, players can use Magic and Consumables to buff Tongues of Fire’s damage. But, players will use up FP while using the skill, so players do well acquiring the Cerulean Hidden Tear, which grants unlimited FP for a short duration.
8 Marred Leather Shield - Medium Shield
Location:
Stormveil Castle
Active Skill:
No Skill
Even though the Marred Leather Shield doesn’t have any Active Skill, it does have a Passive one that causes Blood Loss Buildup, which will inflict a massive amount of damage. So, the Marred Leather Shield paired with an Uchigatana can prove to be a lethal combo since both pieces of equipment cause Blood Loss Buildup.
Unfortunately, players will need to enter Stormveil Castle, filled with powerful enemies and bosses. So, if a player accepts the challenge, they’ll be able to find the Marred Leather Shield shortly after locating the second Site of Grace. But, if not, they can always skip the entire Stormveil Castle by taking a shortcut.
7 Coil Shield - Small Shield
Location:
Volcano Cave
Active Skill:
Viper Bite
Players who enjoy rolling around and dodging attacks (which the Bandit class excels in) will enjoy using the Coil Shield since it’s classified as Small Shield, making it lightweight. But, as players can expect, this shield offers little to no damage mitigation, especially against bosses.
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Despite that minor setback, the FromSoftwareoutdid itself with this shield’s design since its Active Skill Viper Bite unleashes a Viper that performs a bite attack on enemies. Moreover, Viper Bite causes Poison to enemy players, slowly eating away their HP.
6 Great Turtle Shell - Medium Shield
Location:
Weeping Peninsula
Active Skill:
Barricade Shield
Even though some players may refer to this shield as the Great Dog Shell (which is a running meme in the Elden Ring community), the Great Turtle Shell has a decent balance of defense and weight. But the reason why the Great Turtle Shell is ranked so high is because of the Active Skill since it temporarily increases defense which can deflect lethal blows.
Moreover, the Great Turtle Shell has a Passive Skill that boosts stamina recovery rate, proving useful against chain attacks. And the good news is that players can obtain this shield without fighting an enemy since it can be looted off a corpse.
5 Carian Knight’s Shield - Medium Shield
Location:
Raya Lucaria Academy
Active Skill:
No Skill
The Carian Knight’s Shield has one of the best Guard Boost stats in Elden Ring, especially once it’s upgraded past +10. Moreover, this shield is ideal for magic wielders since it only requires 10 Strength and 10 Dexterity. But, obtaining Carian Knight’s Shield won’t be easy since it’s only dropped by Moongrum Carian Knight.
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Fortunately, players won’t need to fight the Moongrum Carian Knight head-on since they can easily be lured to the nearby elevator in the Raya Lucaria Academy Grand Library and knocked down (a similar tactic some players use to farm millions of Runes).
4 Brass Shield - Medium Shield
Locations:
Limgrave Gatefront Ruins Raya Lucaria Academy
Active Skill:
No Skill
Despite having multiple drop locations, the Brass Shield is one of the rarest (0.8% Drop Chance) medium shield drops in Elden Ring, which is why it’s not ranked higher. But, players who manage to get this shield will see it’s a great medium shield to use, especially in the early part of Elden Ring.
The best place to farm the Brass Shield is by farming Raya Lucaria soldiers that are gathered outside of Raya Lucaria Academy. Moreover, players can farm Godrick Soldiers, but they should only attack the ones carrying the shield itself.
3 Dragonclaw Shield - Greatshield
Location:
Capital Outskirts
Active Skill:
Shield Bash
Arguably the coolest looking shield in Elden Ring, the Dragonclaw Shield is a fantastic Greatshield that can block even the strongest attacks. But, obtaining this massive shield will require killing a Draconic Tree Sentinel, which means players will need to prepare for a horseback fight.
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Fortunately, this optional boss also drops the Colossal Weapon Dragon Greatclaw, making the fight even more worthwhile. The Active Skill is also useful during combat, especially for players who aren’t good at parrying. Moreover, Shield Bash will push weaker enemies and stagger bosses, both valuable while traversing the land of Elden Ring.
2 Beast Crest Heater Shield - Medium Shield
Location:
Near Deathtouched Catacombs
Active Skill:
Parry
Undoubtedly, the best starter shield in Elden Ring, the Beast Crest Heater Shield has the highest Physical Guard for Medium Shields. On top of that, it only weighs 3.5, making it ideal for any mage class, and it only requires 10 Strength.
And obtaining the Crest Heater Shield is quite easy since players will only need to defeat a few low-tier enemies and a Beast Crest Heater Knight. Additionally, players can upgrade the Crest Heater Shield with Ashes of War, further increasing its strength and versatility.
1 Erdtree Greatshield - Greatshield
Location:
Altus Plateau
Active Skill:
Golden Retaliation
The Erdtree Greatshield is not only the most powerful shield in Elden Ring, but it also has one of the best Active Skills. And that’s because Golden Retaliation dispels all spells and incantations, making it the bane of all magic wielders. Moreover, players have found a way to exploit Golden Retaliation with self-harming incantations like Fire’s Deadly Sin, which sets a large area ablaze.
Obtaining this shield will require the player to kill two Tree Sentinels, which is never easy. Sadly, players can’t fight one by one, so they’ll need to fight this dynamic duo simultaneously. So, players should not fight them until they’re ready level-wise and skill-wise.
Elden Ring is available now for PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, and Xbox One and Series X|S.
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