Best Shields Post Patch 1.14 (Brass Shield)

With the latest patch 1.14 to Alden ringA variety of weapon and equipment changes have shaken up the meta once again. Small shields and medium shields have their damage negation and guard boost buffed To make them more viable in all content. While Greatshields have consistently been powerful, they have always come with a massive equip load penalty, forcing players to build around them by using fewer or lighter weapons and armor.

Given that Some medium shields can now fight with Greatshields’ Guard Boost statTheir ease of use has skyrocketed for the average player. This will allow the Shield playstyle to help many players find success against the toughest bosses in the Shadow Of The Erdtree DLC. However, there are nearly 100 different shields in it Alden ringSo the question remains as to what are the best shield options for players to upgrade and build around.

Best little shields

For buckler parry enthusiasts

The best small shield in the game, even after the buffs, is still these Buckler

Which comes with a unique skill called Buckler Parry

. The shield has been a staple throughout the Dark Souls franchise and is consistently viewed as The most forgiving parry option in the game. The Buckler can be found early in a playthrough at the end of Stormveil Castle. While the Buckler Parry doesn’t have as much range as Ashes of War, such as Golden Parry or Carian Retaliation, its sheer speed makes up for its short reach.

Due to the nature of small shields, the damage negating and guard boost buffs are not as noteworthy as most small shields are not used for their ability to block successive attacks. rather, Small shields have always been used as a parry toolAs the default parry skill on small shields has a 5-frame startup with a 5-frame parry window. This is what makes Buckler Parry so powerful, as its 4-ram startup window and shorter recovery time make it quite approachable for all players.

Best device shields

Brass shield is still king

The best medium shield in the game always has been and will continue to be brass shield

. With a higher average elemental damage negation than other medium shields and the highest guard boost stat of all medium shields, The 7.0 weight it has is more than justified. Given that this shield can be acquired from Godrick Soldiers and Raya Lucaria Soldiers, it’s safe to say that most players will have found one by the time they reach the Altus Plateau.

Another incredible device shield option is the Twinbird chain shield

Which at first glance may seem unclear. However, it comes with an intrinsic ability that Boosts Attack by 5% and Defense by 10% when below 20% max HP. Combo the shield with the red-feathered branchsword and the Blue-feathered branchwort

For an additional 20% attack boost and a 50% defense boost, respectively. Traditionally, lowering your HP for a damage buff would be considered a particularly risky move, but with the increases to medium shields’ damage negation and guard boost, the trade-off is better than ever.

Best big shields

The train of bosses

Greatshields have been an amazing option ever since Alden ring was released, allowing players to easily tank devastating attacks and combos from even the game’s most challenging bosses. With the bosses of the DLC having more combos than the bosses of the base game, Greatshields have become a necessity for some players in order to overcome certain challenges. The Reminiscence Chief Commander Gaius is especially susceptible to Greatshields, vi His hitboxes are incredibly misleading but can be negated by blocking.

It is difficult to choose between these Fingerprint stone shield

And these Verdigris grease shield

Like the Fingerprint Stone Shield has higher elemental damage negation while the Verdigris Greatshield has higher Guard Boost. However, because the fingerprint stone shield can be infused with ashes of war such as Barricade shield

, It is effectively the better shield due to its versatilityAs well as acquiring it much earlier in the game. Regardless, equipping one of these shields will improve survivability in boss fights by a considerable margin.

Honorable Mentions

Some shields have specific purposes

Although the shields discussed above are the best slot for general play, there are some shields that can find even more success in specific situations. For example, the Black steel Greeshield
Has the highest holy damage negation of all shields In the game, that makes it an excellent choice against bosses that deal Holy damage, such as Promised Consort Radahn or Elden Beast. The Jellyfish shield

Has the most versatile buff in the game, a 12.5% ​​damage boost that stacks with every other buff in the game.

The Banished Knight’s Shield

Is quite similar to the Brass Shield, with only 1 less guard boost but also weighing 1.0 less. Given that harvest is the true endgame, the Banished Knight’s Shield may be the perfect choice for some players.

The shield of night

is an excellent choice for PVP, Especially for those who use the new deflecting hardtear. I’ve been able to counter players with the shield’s unique skill for up to 1,000 damage. With how well shields have done in PVP since patch 1.14, more and more players will start keeping a shield handy at all times Alden ring.

Video Credit: Rusty / YouTube