Can someone explain to me what's the point of shields?

[Zeriel00]

They weight a ton

They usually don't provide any passive bonus

They have a limited area of block and you would take full damage if missed

They consume massive amounts of Stamina to prevent damage

While blocking you won't have stamina left to attack

The block can often be broken and you would be stunned (Poise broken)

Their Ashes of War are often not used because they replace the Weapon's

So at what point would it be better to use a shield instead of just rolling away? You can roll away for little Stamina, roll more often than you can block, and if timed you would always take 0 damage.

I don't see any reason to use a shield instead of dodging

[Dr Nighty]

Originally posted by Phantom:

1 - You can get some shields that negate 100% of almost ALL damage taken with 0 stamina use
2 - Some shields have other bonuses... the PK shield of choice obliterates players with multiple invisible spells that cost only a couple of RUNES to cast... totally OP
3 - You CAN switch your shield and weapon slot then just left hand the weapon (you can rebind your controls for that too if your used to what is attack)
4 - Yes dodge is a good move... if you time a dodge sure you get 0 damage... if you time a block you stagger the enemy and get free hits on them


Essentially

Dodging = new players and lower skill tier players
Shields = experts and griefers

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

[[STG] Dante]

Dual shields are reserved for giga chads, just ignore them until they call upon thee

[AlienJay]

Shields are good in this game dude. And if the weight is an issue, there are two Talismans that make it so you can carry more weight. Arsenal Charm which is available early game, and Great Jar's Arsenal which is a bit harder to get, but significantly better .

[El Fuerte]

Originally posted by AlienJay:

Shields are good in this game dude. And if the weight is an issue, there are two Talismans that make it so you can carry more weight. Arsenal Charm which is available early game, and Great Jar's Arsenal which is a bit harder to get, but significantly better .

I remember readin tons of threads in this forum about how "greatshields are pointless because small shields have 100% damage negation anyway". As soon as i got a Greatshield in this game i said to myself "yeah they're clueless lol".

Its all about that Guard Boost stat baby! Which was previously called Stability in Dark Souls if i remember correctly. It also CAN be upgrated. Many people don't know this because upgrating a shield just once will not raise the guard boost stat yet, just its offensive abilities.

[-2B]

I'm not new to souls games, but with each new instalment i always get my ass kicked, lol. Normally i like to do a more defensive attack style on my first playthrough so i can get a feel for it, but on my second playthrough and onward i drop the shield and play more aggressively.

I use a light shield, weight is 4.0 i think

[Amereth]

Originally posted by Zeriel00:

Originally posted by Phantom:

1 - You can get some shields that negate 100% of almost ALL damage taken with 0 stamina use
2 - Some shields have other bonuses... the PK shield of choice obliterates players with multiple invisible spells that cost only a couple of RUNES to cast... totally OP
3 - You CAN switch your shield and weapon slot then just left hand the weapon (you can rebind your controls for that too if your used to what is attack)
4 - Yes dodge is a good move... if you time a dodge sure you get 0 damage... if you time a block you stagger the enemy and get free hits on them


Essentially

Dodging = new players and lower skill tier players
Shields = experts and griefers

You have some interesting points, what PK shield do you mean? I barely see shields in PVP

PK = Player Killer.

people that hunt other people in video games. Pretty sure that therm became popular with diablo 1.

Unless there is another meaning that im unaware off.

[Baron01]

There is a lot of incorrect information or exaggeration posted in this thread. If you want to use shield as your main defensive option and also utilize guard counter, you have to properly build your character for it and gear for it as well.

First priority is to get shield with 100% physical damage negation, however, next most important stat is guard boost. Reason for it is that past mid-point of the game, enemies start doing a lot of damage, especially bosses, and trying to block them will cost a lot of stamina. Using medium shields, even Brass shield that is heaviest and with highest guard boost, will almost force you to use Barricade Shield ash of war otherwise you will run out of stamina very quickly. If you move to greatshields, Manor Towershield is in my opinion relatively weight vs guard boost efficient option that might allow you to stop relying on Barricade Shield. Blocking end-game bosses will still eat a lot of stamina so you will have to carefully manage it.
Only shield that will allow you to block any attacks with no stamina costs, in reality each block costs 1 stamina, is fully upgraded Fingerprint shield combined with Greatshield Talisman. I'm using this combo only for absolute heavy hitters at end-game, otherwise, I'm using just the shield and different talisman. Another downside is that the shield is extremely heavy and will almost inevitably force you to use Great-Jar's Arsenal talisman and a lot of points in Endurance if you want to avoid fat roll.

Yes, Fingerprint Shield + Greatshield Talisman will make blocking brain-dead simple but it has its costs. It is extremely heavy and requires 2 talismans to work (potential 3 if you use Green Turtle Talisman to boost stamina regen with shield up) that limits your offensive options.

I liked Brass Shield with Barricade Shield for early to mid-game but since Fromsoft nerfed Barricade Shield to increase its costs and lower its time considerably, it became more tricky to use, which ultimately forced me to try Manor Towershield. Fingerprint Shield is in my opinion end-game option for people who do not restrict their levels since it requires a lot of Strength and Endurance to use.

[YosemiteBear]

a broad piece of metal or another suitable material, held by straps or a handle attached on one side, used as a protection against blows or missiles

[NAKMUAY]

man this community is toxic. Some of yall need to touch some serious grass, like some serious buffalo rolly pollies. go see the sun.

No one bar you cares that you rolled and greatsworded every boss. no bar you cares that you didnt summons anyone. quite literally no one. And if you do have a girlfriend that you rant on about how great you are at elden ring and casuals are ruining the game, i can bet you she also does not care. she just wont tell you. just like she wont tell you your ♥♥♥♥ is as small as your mind.

[Amereth]

Originally posted by Baron01:

There is a lot of incorrect information or exaggeration posted in this thread. If you want to use shield as your main defensive option and also utilize guard counter, you have to properly build your character for it and gear for it as well.

First priority is to get shield with 100% physical damage negation, however, next most important stat is guard boost. Reason for it is that past mid-point of the game, enemies start doing a lot of damage, especially bosses, and trying to block them will cost a lot of stamina. Using medium shields, even Brass shield that is heaviest and with highest guard boost, will almost force you to use Barricade Shield ash of war otherwise you will run out of stamina very quickly. If you move to greatshields, Manor Towershield is in my opinion relatively weight vs guard boost efficient option that might allow you to stop relying on Barricade Shield. Blocking end-game bosses will still eat a lot of stamina so you will have to carefully manage it.
Only shield that will allow you to block any attacks with no stamina costs, in reality each block costs 1 stamina, is fully upgraded Fingerprint shield combined with Greatshield Talisman. I'm using this combo only for absolute heavy hitters at end-game, otherwise, I'm using just the shield and different talisman. Another downside is that the shield is extremely heavy and will almost inevitably force you to use Great-Jar's Arsenal talisman and a lot of points in Endurance if you want to avoid fat roll.

Yes, Fingerprint Shield + Greatshield Talisman will make blocking brain-dead simple but it has its costs. It is extremely heavy and requires 2 talismans to work (potential 3 if you use Green Turtle Talisman to boost stamina regen with shield up) that limits your offensive options.

I liked Brass Shield with Barricade Shield for early to mid-game but since Fromsoft nerfed Barricade Shield to increase its costs and lower its time considerably, it became more tricky to use, which ultimately forced me to try Manor Towershield. Fingerprint Shield is in my opinion end-game option for people who do not restrict their levels since it requires a lot of Strength and Endurance to use.

you don't really need 100% shield, icon shield for example with its regen pretty much cancel the 5%. If you have any form of regen and a decent armor, you won't feel the chip dmg from that 5%.

[w0Lart]

Because shields.

[Tao314zdin]

Do little magic men bother you with their pew-pew from range?

Lemme introduce you to the Carrion Retaliation - snap that bad boy on your shield and see little magic man pop like a corn.

And do not worry, that thing will be nerfed, but even after it will keep popping them because little magic man have much magic and not much brain - they will keep ignoring vigor and getting popped.

Enjoy.

[NimBold]

It's the best option for newcomers to souls series because you don't need to dodge roll every attack, you can block some attack and make the weaker enemies stagger and last but not least they will feel safe when they know they can block 1 or 2 attacks of the huge bosses.
It was the most valuable thing for me when I was playing DS 1.

[Zeriel00]

Originally posted by Sabaithal:

Originally posted by Mr.Hmm:

I mean.. you are not supposed to try and block a HEAVY attack that's coming at you that you can see it from MILES AWAY, you are supposed to dodge these cause 9 times out of 10 they will break your stance and you will either die or be close to death.

Not with a greatshield. Blocked attacks that took a full five seconds to execute, barely took any stamina damage, and had time to counter 3 times before the next swing with the last enemy I tried that with.

The final bosses are the only enemies I've really seen that have truly unblockable attacks, as in the shield straight up will not block them at all. Can't recall any others that weren't grab attacks. Or at least nothing memorable lol.

I want to know how you're doing this because my experience with a great shield is that most mobs either break my stance or their moves get around it (Eclipse Great Shield). I could give you a specific example, the giant Bear in Limuria literary S*ts all over me with a shield and I can't block 90% of it's attacks. I'm level 70+ with most of my stats in Vit and End, with heavy Armor and I still can't stand to this one bear. Same for the big Star fall creatures, same for the Erd tree sentinels and I suppose it will be the same for bosses.

I just don't see shields as worth using no matter how much I want to make a "Knight" type character.

[Zeriel00]

Originally posted by Amereth:

Originally posted by Zeriel00:

You have some interesting points, what PK shield do you mean? I barely see shields in PVP

PK = Player Killer.

people that hunt other people in video games. Pretty sure that therm became popular with diablo 1.

Unless there is another meaning that im unaware off.

Oh I thought you meant a specific shield. I haven't seen shields too often in PVP, it's mostly katanas and spears.

Also the PVP in this game is another issue. Dueling is straight up broken when the game gives so many advantages to the host. Invading is also dumb when it's 1 v 2. I don't know what the creators where thinking, but I lost all interest in PVP because there's no achievement in beating a guy who is gimped. This is another topic for another day though.