Elden Ring Shield Build Guide: Mastering the Carrying and Thrusting Shield

Welcome, Tarnished! If you're looking to dominate the Lands Between with an unstoppable shield build, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting your journey in Elden Ring, mastering a shield build can provide you with unmatched defense and offensive capability. In this guide, we will delve into the mechanics of the Carrying and Thrusting Shield build, highlighting weapon choices, talismans, stat allocation, and combat strategies that can help you become a force to be reckoned with. For the Elden Ring items needed to perfect your shield build, players are advised to check out MMOEXP, a reliable source for high-quality gaming resources, including runes and gear.

Let’s dive in!

The Shield Build in Elden Ring: A Balanced Approach
When it comes to building a strong character in Elden Ring, balance is key. A successful shield build offers you the opportunity to absorb damage while dealing consistent, powerful blows. The Carrying and Thrusting Shield stands out as the centerpiece of this setup, offering both defensive advantages and offensive opportunities that allow you to strike back while keeping your guard up. This combination of power and defense is what makes this build a favorite among players who prefer a more tactical approach.

The Main Attraction: The Carrying and Thrusting Shield
The Carrying and Thrusting Shield is the primary focus of this build, and for good reason. This shield is exceptionally versatile, providing a solid defense while also enabling you to launch thrusting attacks. What sets it apart from other shields is its ability to execute thrusting moves without draining stamina, which is a game-changer in prolonged battles.

Blocking Power: The Carrying Shield provides a solid physical damage reduction, making it great for Elden Ring Runes tank-style gameplay. With this shield in hand, you can withstand heavy blows from enemies, allowing you to wait for the perfect opening to strike back.

Thrusting Attacks: When equipped, the Thrusting Shield can deliver quick, powerful thrusting attacks that work exceptionally well when combined with the Flame Skewer Ash of War. These attacks are not only fast but deal significant damage, allowing you to break through enemy defenses while keeping your own intact.

Weapon Choice: Flame Skewer Ash of War
A crucial component of this shield build is the Flame Skewer Ash of War. This Ash of War enhances your thrusting attacks by adding fire damage and increasing your overall damage output. When charged, Flame Skewer can unleash a devastating flame-infused thrust that can deal upwards of 8,000 damage depending on the strength of your build.

Why Flame Skewer?

Fire Elemental Damage: The addition of fire damage to your thrusts can make a huge difference against certain enemies that are weak to fire or resistant to physical damage.
Massive Damage Potential: When fully charged, the Flame Skewer can unleash devastating amounts of damage. With the right stat distribution and buffs, you can deal explosive damage while keeping your defenses strong.
To maximize your damage potential, pair the Flame Skewer with a two-handed sword like the Talman. The Talman, a colossal sword, benefits from high Strength scaling, allowing you to deal massive damage while maintaining the flexibility to use the shield for defense.

Talismans to Enhance Your Build
When it comes to talismans, stat boosts and damage enhancements are key to elevating your shield build. Here are the talismans that synergize perfectly with the Carrying and Thrusting Shield:

Great-Jar's Arsenal: This talisman boosts your equip load, allowing you to wear heavier armor and wield larger weapons without sacrificing mobility. As a shield user, your stamina and mobility are critical to staying in control of the fight. Great-Jar's Arsenal ensures that you can keep up with your opponents while maintaining your defense.

Shard of Alexander: The Shard of Alexander is essential for maximizing the damage output of your Ash of War attacks. It increases the potency of any Ash of War, including Flame Skewer, making every thrust count. This talisman can dramatically increase your ability to deal heavy damage, especially during longer fights where every bit of damage matters.

Spears Talisman: This talisman increases the effectiveness of thrusting attacks, further enhancing the Flame Skewer Ash of War. This is particularly useful for turning your shield's thrusting moves into a devastating weapon, allowing you to break enemy defenses while keeping yourself safe.

Stat Allocation for Optimal Performance
The key to unlocking the full potential of your shield build lies in proper stat allocation. Here is a suggested stat distribution at level 200 to optimize both your defense and damage output:

60 Vigor: This stat will increase your HP significantly, allowing you to withstand heavy damage from powerful enemies. As a shield tank, you’ll want to be able to absorb hits without being knocked out in a few blows.

40 Endurance: Endurance is critical for managing stamina, which is essential for dodging and attacking. The higher your Endurance, the more stamina you’ll have to execute thrusting attacks and perform rolls to avoid damage.

80 Strength: To maximize the damage output of your thrusting shield and other heavy weapons like the Talman, you’ll need to invest heavily in Strength. This stat ensures that you hit hard and can stagger enemies with ease.

55 Dexterity: Since the Flame Skewer scales with Dexterity, it’s important to invest in this stat as well. It allows your thrusting attacks to deal even more damage, making your hits faster and more effective.

18 Intelligence: While not a core requirement, having a small amount of Intelligence is useful for utility, particularly in activating certain Ashes of War or buffing your defense against magic.

Crafting Your Strategy for Battle
Engage in Combat: Defense and Offense
The combination of defense and offensive thrusting attacks makes this build very effective in various combat scenarios. Here's how you can use it:

Start with Shield Up: In every fight, start with your shield raised to absorb incoming attacks. This will allow you to defend against the most aggressive foes while you look for openings for your Flame Skewer thrusts.
Keep Pressuring Enemies: Your thrusting attacks allow you to maintain constant pressure on enemies, even while defending. Use these thrusts to chip away at enemy health while minimizing the risks to your own life.
Use Healing Items
In the heat of battle, having the right healing items is crucial. Make sure to stock up on:

Hefty Rock Pots: These can be used to both distract and damage enemies. They can also provide a bit of breathing room when fighting against aggressive opponents.
Flask of Wondrous Physick: This flask is essential for keeping your health topped off. Be sure to have healing and stamina regeneration buffs prepared to ensure you can sustain long fights.
Invasion Tactics
When invading other players' worlds, your role as a defensive tank can be very effective:

Parry and Counter: Use your shield to parry enemy attacks, particularly against melee-focused opponents. If they overcommit to a strike, counter with a Flame Skewer for high damage.
Pressure the Host: When invading, focus on keeping pressure on the host and their allies with your thrusting attacks. If they try to retreat or reposition, you can use your shield’s offensive capabilities to close the gap quickly.
Team Play: The Tank Role
In cooperative play, your role as the tank is vital:

Absorb Damage: Your shield will be your primary tool for absorbing damage, allowing your teammates to deal with enemies while you draw attention and soak up the damage.
Consistent Thrusting: Keep dealing consistent thrusting damage to weaken your foes. Your shield will keep you safe while you continue applying pressure on the enemy team.
Handling Specific Scenarios
Dealing with Magic Users: When facing enemies that rely on magic, be sure to close the distance quickly while using your shield to block incoming spells. Once you're in range, unleash your Flame Skewer thrusts to deal damage.
Multiple Opponents: In group fights, positioning is critical. Keep your allies safe while using your shield to absorb damage. Focus on hitting enemies with thrusting attacks to weaken them, but always be mindful of your positioning.
Recovery After Close Calls: If your health drops low, use your Flask of Wondrous Physick to recover, but do so when you’re not in the line of fire.
Conclusion: Becoming an Unstoppable Shield Tank
With the Carrying and Thrusting Shield in hand, you’ll become a formidable force in Elden Ring. The combination of defense and offensive thrusting attacks allows you to outlast and outsmart your enemies. To fully master this build, make sure to focus on stat allocation, talismans, and combat strategies that emphasize both survivability and damage output.

For those looking to level up faster or acquire Elden Ring items, consider visiting MMOEXP for a wide selection of resources, including cheap Elden Ring Items for sale  and other essential materials. With the right preparation, you’ll be ready to conquer the Lands Between with your shield raised high!