Shields have a❀ bad reputation ✨among fans of From Software games. In Dark Souls, the consensus was that using them was worse than simply dodging your enemies’ attacks. As a result, they are mostly used by beginners and in meme builds.

168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Elden Ring: 1꧑3 🦄Best Areas To Explore First
If you're lost and feeling overwhelmed at the start of your adventure in The Lands Between, here's where you𒁏 should go first.
However, Shields are more viable in , in large part thanks to the introduction of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ashes of War, which grant Weapon Skills that can up the effectiveness of your Shield significantly. If you want to try a more defensive playstyle💃, here are ten Ashes of War that make good choices.
Updated October 9, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: Your shield Ashes of War might slip your mind, but there's a new addition 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC that will change the way you use shields forever. While standard Elden Ring shield Ashes of War (AoWs) like Parry may immediately come to mind, there are various useful Ashes of War to discover.
11 Storm ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚWall
If you played the Dark Souls series, you will be extremely familiar with 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the concept of parrying. When timed properly, you can stun your opponent, leaving them open for a high-damage riposte. Unlike previous games, Elden Ring has multiple different types of shield Ashes of War that can parry, with different speeds, timing windows, and ♛some uniq𝓰ue effects.
isn’t the worst of them (sorry, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Thop’s Barrier) but it’s also far from the best. It ꦯhas worse frame data than some of the other parry types higher on this list (although it is more effective on Medium Shields than the regular Parry). Mor⭕e importantly, though, is the fact that its special ability, deflecting projectiles, just isn’t that good. Usually, you’ll be better off dodging or just strafing around the projectile.
If you still want this Ash of War, head north from the Stormhill Shack in Stormhill, where you’ll find a Teardrop Scarab th♍at drops it.
10 Parry
The conventional Parry is the fastest, longest-window parrying Elden Ring shield Ash of War that doesn’t cost any FP. If you want to pull off parries with a low Mind build, this is the easy option. That sai🅠d, there are a 𓆏few factors that are worth remembering.
First, it works best on Small Shields. While you could put this on a Medium Shield or certain weapons, it won't be as effective. Second, the Buckler comes with a unique that is better than the regular version, so if you really want a 🃏completely FP-free parry, you might want to opt for that instead.
Additionally, there are a coupꦚle of parries higher on this list that come with some unique advantages and better frame data in exchange for a bit of FP. Still, if you are particularly strapped for FP, the Parry can be bought from Knight Bernahll, who you’ll first find at the Warmaster’s Shack, in Stormhill.
9 🃏 Shiel൩d Bash
is the default Weapon Skill on many Shields, and it does exactly what it sounds like: you take your Shield and smash it into your opponent’s face. This can deal far more damage than you would expect, especially when equipped on Greatshields such as the .

Eld🌱en Ring: All Dragon Bosses, Ranke𒁃d By Difficulty
From fire breathers to lightning sword wielders, here 💯are all the dragon bosses in Elden Ring ranked from easiest t💎o hardest.
You will also continue blocking while the skill is active, and it’s nearly impossible to be st💟aggered out of it, allowing you to attack and defend at the same time. There are only a couple of aggressive options for Shields, and Shield Bash is one of the earliest options you can find. It’s dropped by a Teardrop Scarab in Liurnia of the Lakes, just to the northeast of the East Gate Bridge Trest🐈le Site of Grace.
8 Holy🌳 Ground 🧔
creates a defensive area around your character that reduces the amount of damage you take by 20 percent and heals you for a total of 600 health over 35 seconds. The effect will buff your allies as well, including ꧋phantoms and Spirit Summons, giving it potential uses when playing solo, co-op, or when competing in PvP.
And of course, as an Ash of War, using it doesn’t rဣequire any stat investments, which is unusual for buffs in Elden ๊Ring.
Unfortunately, Holy Ground is one of the trickier Ashes 💙of War on this list to get. You’ll need to find the Azuria Hero’s Grave in the Capital Outskirts and destroy the three chariots within. Doing so requires raising a flame pillar to adjust their p𝔍athing causing them to crash into each other, although this can be simplified by using either Margit’s or Mohg’s Shackle to trigger the pillar from far away.
7 V📖ow Of The Indomitable💦
is a unique Weapon Skill, for Shields or otherwise. When used, it causes you to briefly become invincible. It's not quite as gooꦕd as that description might make it sound since you can't move during the duration. However, the invincibility lasts 30 frames, longer than any other ability in the game, including rolling.
This allows ꦍyou to dodge boss attacks that would otherwise be either extremely difficult or impossible to evade, such as Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance, with relative ease.
Vow of the Indomitable is not hard to get either; head South from the Folly on the Lake Site of Grace in Liurnia of the Lakes until you find a Teardrop Scarab. Kill it, and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:your Malenia woes will be over.
6 🌠 🎃 Barricade Shield
The strength of Barricade Shield’s effect has been changed a few times since Elden Ring’s launch, but it still does essentially the same thing. It🌊 incre🃏ases the Hardness of your Shield for ten seconds, causing many attacks to bounce off of you.
The nerf did make it so this Weapon Skill is more effective on smaller Shields than larger ones😼♚, so choose your options carefully.
If what you want to do is make your Shield better at, well, shielding you, is the perfওect Ash of War. It is dropped by a Night’s Cavalry field boss, specifically, the one that patrols near the Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace on the Weeping Peninsula.
5 🌱 Golden Parry
is a strong competitor for the best parry in Elden Ring. It’s tied both as the fastest parry and the♛ one with the longest activ🍎e window. That alone would make it enough to be worth considering, but its unique ability also allows you to parry attacks from a surprising distance away from you, making it even easier to land a devastating parry.
Golden Parry does cost four FP each time you use it, but that’s a small price to pay for the many benefits it gives you. To get it, head up the stairs next to the Finger Reader Crone in the Capital Outskirts, where you’ll see a Teardrop Scarab on𒅌 a railing to your left. Kill it, and this Ash of War will be yours.
4 No Skill
The Ash of War might be overlooked since its utility isn’t immediately apparent. After all, why would you want a Weapon Skill that doesn't do anything? But reading No Skill's description reveals its secret: if you hold a Shield in your left hand that has No Skill equipped, you can use the Weapon Skill of your main weapon without needing to put the Shield away.
In other words, you can keep the benefits of a Shield without sacrificing offensive potential♏. To get this simple, but effective, Ash of War, you’ll need𝓡 to find Knight Bernahl again, just like you did for the Parry.
3 Shield Strike 🅰
was introduced in the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC and uses your shield as a melee weapon, swinging it around and allowing you to chain up to three follow-up swings. While you m📖ay not think of your shield🦄 as a weapon, this Ash of War redefines the purpose of a shield to great effect.
Combine Shield Strike with large options, like the (which uses this AoW as its default Skill) to enjoy decent damageꦬ and excellent staggering capabilities against rank-and-file enemies.
2 𒆙 S♌hield Crash
Given its name, it should come as no surprise that is extremely similar to Shield Bash. Both involve using a nor𒁏mally defensive Shield as a bludgeoning weapon, but there are a few key differences. Instead of a quick smash, Shield Crash sends you charging forward, hitting multiple times before ending with a final strike.
Even uncharged, it deals mo🎀re damage than Shield Bash and far more than that if the full effe🐓ct hits. That makes this Ash of War a bit slower and riskier to use, but its potential power is far higher.
Additionally, the multiple hits from Shield Crash allow you to inflict status effects. The Spiked Palisade Shield, for instance, has innate Bleed buildup and can be given the Poison or Cold Affinity. When equipped with Shield Crash, it can trigger those effects with extreme consistency. Like many of the other Ashes of War on this list, Shield Crash is dropped by a Teardrop Scarab. This one is found in the Lux Ruins, early in the Altus Plateau.