Elden Ring - Greatshields

A greatshield buys bounce rather than just bigger numbers, deflecting attacks that medium shields only absorb and turning that recoil into free guard counters, at a bill of 14 to 49 Strength and 8 to 29 weight.

Combat

Pros

• Guard boost is the highest in the game. The Verdigris Greatshield has 82 at +0 and 90.2 at max standard upgrade, and the Fingerprint Stone Shield 77 and 86.24.
• Elemental negation is the best by a wide margin. The Fingerprint Stone Shield blocks 77 magic, 81 fire, 79 lightning and 75 holy, a four-element total of 312, against 207 on the best medium shield and 205 on the best small shield.
• Bounce is the class mechanic. Most attacks, barring heavy guard-breaking ones, bounce off a greatshield, and with the high guard boost that means blocks cost little stamina and open guard-counter windows.
• Most greatshields block 100% physical damage at +0, and the cheapest of those is the Jellyfish Shield at 20 Strength and 8.0 weight.

Cons

• Greatshields cannot parry and cannot take a parry Ash of War, the same exclusion as thrusting shields.
• Barricade Shield cuts greatshield block stamina by only 30%, against the flat 50% that small and medium shields get, so the class's own advantage shrinks under the best defensive skill in the game.
• Weight is the real cost, with the Fingerprint Stone Shield at 29.0, the Verdigris at 28.0, the Visage at 24.0 and the One-Eyed at 20.5, most of a medium-load budget spent on the off-hand.
• Strength walls are steep, with the Verdigris at 49, the Fingerprint at 48, the Visage at 44, the Gilded, Haligtree Crest and One-Eyed at 36, the Black Steel at 35 and the Golden Greatshield at 34, all levels not going into Vigor.

Builds

Strength comes in clean tiers.

• At 14 Strength the Wooden Greatshield (56 guard boost, 91% physical, 8.0 weight) is the cheapest way to feel the bounce mechanic, and at 20 Strength the Jellyfish Shield ties it for lightest in the class while adding 100% physical block.
• At 30 Strength come the towershields (Manor and Crossed-Tree 67, Inverted Hawk 65, Dragon 69) plus the Erdtree Greatshield.
• From 35 to 49 Strength sit the Black Steel at 69, the Haligtree Crest at 71, the Visage at 75 (44 Strength and 24.0 weight), the Fingerprint at 77 and the Verdigris at 82.
• Endurance is the co-requirement, because equip load and blocking stamina both come out of it, and the shield is worthless at heavy load.

Best Weapons

Shield	Image	Guard	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Verdigris Greatshield		82 boost, 100% physical	28	49	-	-	-	-	Verdigris Greatshield has the highest guard boost in the game at 82, rising to about 90 at max upgrade, plus 194 physical attack, the most of any shield. Its guard capacity outstrips its damage negation, with 100% physical but weaker elemental block. Moore's Charge (16 FP) rushes forward while guarding and ends in a knockback shove. It upgrades with Somber stones.
Fingerprint Stone Shield		77 boost, 100% physical	29	48	-	-	-	-	Fingerprint Stone Shield is the base game's best elemental greatshield, with 100% physical block, strong block against all four elements and a 77 guard boost, and its attacks build 70 madness. It deals 139 physical and comes with Shield Bash. It is also the heaviest shield in the game at 29.0, so it suits a build that has already invested heavily in Endurance.
Visage Shield		75 boost, 100% physical	24	44	-	-	-	-	Visage Shield carries a 75 guard boost, the third highest of any shield, plus 186 physical attack, second only to the Verdigris, and strong fire block. Tongues of Fire breathes flame for 5 FP per tick, turning the shield into a ranged fire weapon. The catch is its 24.0 weight and a heavy Strength demand.
Ant's Skull Plate		59 boost, 100% physical	13.5	28	-	-	-	-	Ant's Skull Plate is the only greatshield with the highest hardness tier, so it deflects even greatswords and great hammers, something no other shield does without Barricade Shield. Its attacks build 90 poison and it raises Immunity by 50, alongside 100% physical block and a 59 guard boost. It weighs 13.5, upgrades with Somber stones and cannot be infused.
Jellyfish Shield		52 boost, 100% physical	8	20	14	-	-	-	Jellyfish Shield is the only shield that raises the wielder's damage, since Contagious Fury (9 FP) boosts all damage by 12.5% for 30 seconds while the shield stays out. At 8.0 weight it ties for the lightest greatshield, and its modest requirements make it the cheapest real entry to the class with 100% physical block.

Notes

• A bounced attack staggers the attacker into a recovery animation, the opening a guard counter is designed to fill, and the Ant's Skull Plate is uniquely Tier 3, bouncing even Greatswords and Great Hammers.
• Ground-striking greatshield attacks stagger lighter enemies in a small radius, visible on ordinary and dash attacks against weak enemies.
• Dragonbolt Blessing makes the caster's skin as hard as a greatshield for 70 seconds, a way to get the class's bounce behavior without carrying 20 weight in the off-hand.
• Guard counters deal stance damage comparable to a fully charged heavy attack and come out much faster, and the Curved Sword Talisman adds 20% guard-counter damage, elemental included.
• Deflecting Hardtear, a Shadow of the Erdtree crystal tear lasting five minutes, sets a successful spontaneous guard to 100% physical and 75% elemental negation, negates that attack's status buildup, and stacks 20% guard-counter damage up to 4 times for 80%. Heavier attacks grant 2 stacks, and stacks reset after roughly 5 seconds.

All Greatshields

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Ant's Skull Plate		136 100	0 47	0 42	0 57	0 57	100 59	13.5	D 28	0	0	0	0	200	Shield Bash
Black Steel Greatshield		119 100	0 61	0 59	0 55	0 84	100 69	19.5	D 35	0	0	0	0	100	Shield Bash
Briar Greatshield		98 93	0 50	0 43	0 50	0 50	0 58	9.5	D 21	0	0	0	0	500	Shield Bash
Crossed-Tree Towershield		111 100	0 56	0 66	0 53	0 66	100 67	16	D 30	0	0	0	0	200	Shield Bash
Crucible Hornshield		147 100	0 51	0 50	0 46	0 64	100 60	11.5	D 26	0	0	0	0	500	Shield Bash
Cuckoo Greatshield		110 100	0 70	0 56	0 52	0 60	100 64	15	D 32	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Distinguished Greatshield		112 100	0 65	0 63	0 54	0 60	100 68	17	D 32	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Dragon Towershield		115 100	0 61	0 67	0 55	0 64	100 69	17.5	D 30	0	0	0	0	100	Shield Bash
Dragonclaw Shield		118 100	0 52	0 52	76 76	0 47	100 61	13.5	D 28	E 12	0	0	0	500	Shield Bash
Eclipse Crest Greatshield		110 100	0 72	0 57	0 51	0 59	100 67	15	D 32	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Erdtree Greatshield		120 100	0 66	0 49	0 45	78 76	100 60	13.5	D 30	0	0	D 12	0	500	Golden Retaliation
Fingerprint Stone Shield		139 100	0 77	0 81	0 79	0 75	100 77	29	D 48	0	0	0	0	200	Shield Bash
Gilded Greatshield		115 100	0 60	0 66	0 54	0 65	100 69	17.5	D 36	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Golden Beast Crest Shield		104 100	0 55	0 55	0 48	0 55	100 60	12.5	D 24	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Golden Greatshield		113 100	0 57	0 60	0 57	0 68	100 70	17	D 34	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Haligtree Crest Greatshield		116 100	0 61	0 67	0 55	0 79	100 71	18.5	D 36	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Icon Shield		133 95	0 49	0 45	0 51	0 48	100 59	11.5	D 22	0	0	0	0	500	No Skill
Inverted Hawk Towershield		111 100	0 66	0 56	0 54	0 66	100 65	16	D 30	0	0	0	0	100	Shield Bash
Jellyfish Shield		123 100	0 52	0 52	0 40	0 48	100 52	8	D 20	14	0	0	0	200	Contagious Fury
Lordsworn's Shield		99 94	0 51	0 44	0 52	0 52	100 60	10.0	D 16	0	0	0	0	100	Shield Bash
Manor Towershield		111 100	0 66	0 66	0 51	0 56	100 67	16	D 30	0	0	0	0	200	Shield Bash
One-Eyed Shield		175 100	0 57	0 69	0 59	0 63	100 67	20.5	D 36	0	0	0	0	200	Flame Spit
Redmane Greatshield		108 100	0 54	0 70	0 53	0 52	100 65	14	D 30	0	0	0	0	200	No Skill
Spiked Palisade Shield		116 93	0 50	0 43	0 50	0 50	100 58	11.5	D 20	0	0	0	0	200	Shield Bash
Verdigris Greatshield		194 100	0 72	0 74	0 67	0 68	100 82	28	D 49	0	0	0	0	200	Moore's Charge
Visage Shield		186 100	0 62	0 81	0 65	0 62	100 75	24	D 44	0	0	0	0	200	Tongues of Fire
Wooden Greatshield		95 91	0 49	0 41	0 51	0 47	100 56	8.0	D 14	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill