Elden Ring - Medium Shields

Almost any build is best served by a medium shield, which offers 100% physical block for 10 Strength and 3.5 weight, keeping the ability to parry and never demanding the stat points a greatshield does.

Combat

Pros

• Most medium shields block 100% physical damage at +0. The cheapest are the Heater Shield family (Heater, Beast Crest, Blue Crest, Red Crest, Inverted Hawk and Eclipse Crest) at 10 Strength, no Dexterity and 3.5 weight, the cheapest Strength-only full physical block in the game.
• Medium shields keep parry access (4 start-up and 2 active frames) and can take a parry Ash of War, which greatshields and thrusting shields cannot.
• Bounce strength sits between small shields and greatshields, so some free guard counters still come without carrying 15 or more weight.
• Barricade Shield halves block stamina cost here, while greatshields only get 30%, which papers over the guard boost gap for 10 seconds at a time.

Cons

• Guard boost peaks at 64 at +0 (Golden Lion Shield) and 75.64 at maximum standard upgrade (Brass Shield), against the Verdigris Greatshield's 82 and 90.2.
• Elemental negation is mediocre. The best four-element total in the class is the Brass Shield's 207 (55 magic, 59 fire, 39 lightning, 54 holy), against 312 on the Fingerprint Stone Shield.
• The parry window is 2 active frames against a small shield's 5, and every recovery option is 2 frames slower (roll 17 against 15, right-hand attack 15 against 13).
• Only the Silver Mirrorshield and the Golden Lion Shield upgrade with Somber Smithing Stones, so every other medium shield competes with the main weapon for regular Smithing Stones.

Builds

Ten Strength buys the whole point of the class: the Heater family, 100% physical block and 3.5 weight.

• At 12 Strength the Kite Shields and the Serpent Crest and Wolf Crest Shields (55 to 60 guard boost) open up, and 16 Strength is the last stop, for the Brass Shield's 61 base and 75.64 maximum guard boost at 7.0 weight.
• Two exceptions are worth stat points.
• The Golden Lion Shield at 11 Strength is a real Strength weapon with C scaling rising to B, and the caster picks are the Carian Knight's Shield (10 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 15 Intelligence) and the Silver Mirrorshield (12 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 10 Intelligence).
• Beyond that, Endurance beats Strength, because guard boost differences of 5 to 10 points matter far less than having the stamina bar to absorb a full combo.

Best Weapons

Shield	Image	Guard	Weight	Str	Dex	Int	Fai	Arc	Why Take It
Golden Lion Shield		64 boost, 100% physical	5.5	11	-	-	-	-	Golden Lion Shield is the strongest medium shield at base, with 97 physical attack, a 64 guard boost and C Strength scaling at 5.5 weight. Roaring Bash (12 FP) bashes from a guarding stance, knocking back and staggering foes in a wide radius. It upgrades with Somber stones, sparing regular Smithing Stones for the main weapon.
Brass Shield		61 boost, 100% physical	7	16	-	-	-	-	Brass Shield is the stamina-economy pick, with a 61 guard boost at base that ends above the Golden Lion Shield when fully upgraded because it takes regular stones. It also has the best elemental block spread in the class, 100% physical block and 84 physical attack at 7.0 weight, and shield-wielding soldiers drop it, so it costs nothing but the Strength.
Great Turtle Shell		54 boost, 94% physical	5.5	14	-	-	-	-	Great Turtle Shell raises stamina recovery by 3 points per second while equipped, even while another weapon is two-handed, and it stacks with the turtle talismans and Pickled Turtle Necks. It carries Barricade Shield, can be infused, and offers 94% physical block and a 54 guard boost at 5.5 weight.
Heater Shield		52 boost, 100% physical	3.5	10	-	-	-	-	Heater Shield is the cheapest full physical block in the game, with 100% physical, 52 guard boost and 3.5 weight, plus Parry as its skill. Vagabonds start with it, and its crest reskins share the same 77 physical attack and full physical block, differing only by a few points of elemental block and guard boost, so the choice comes down to element.
Silver Mirrorshield		49 boost, 100% physical	3.5	12	10	10	-	-	Silver Mirrorshield blocks 89% of magic damage, the highest magic negation of any shield in the game, on a 3.5-weight Somber shield. The trade is poor lightning and holy block, so it is a tool for Raya Lucaria and sorcerer bosses rather than a general shield, and it earns a swap slot for exactly those fights.

Notes

• Physical negation is not the axis to compare medium shields on, since most of the class already sits at 100%, so guard boost and the four elemental block values decide between them.
• Barricade Shield (12 FP, 10 seconds, Tier 4 Hardness) briefly makes a medium shield harder than a greatshield.
• A shield with No Skill keeps the main weapon's skill available while still blocking.
• The Tarnished Edition Silver Grooved Shield blocks 100% physical damage with 50 guard boost at 3.0 weight, for 9 Strength and 12 Dexterity.

All Medium Shields

Name	Image	Physical	Magic	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit. Boost	Weight	Str.	Dex.	Int.	Fai.	Arc.	Sell Price	Skill
Albinauric Shield		78 100	0 66	0 42	0 23	0 47	100 56	4.5	D 11	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Banished Knight's Shield		81 100	0 49	0 57	0 31	0 48	100 60	6	D 14	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Beast Crest Heater Shield		77 100	0 50	0 43	0 32	0 42	100 54	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Beastman's Jar-Shield		71 98	0 30	0 55	0 60	0 55	100 53	5.0	E 10	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Black Leather Shield		75 93	0 45	0 31	0 46	0 47	100 46	3	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Blue Crest Heater Shield		77 100	0 43	0 42	0 32	0 50	100 53	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Blue-Gold Kite Shield		80 100	0 47	0 53	0 35	0 45	100 58	5.0	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Brass Shield		84 100.0	0 55.0	0 59.0	0 39.0	0 54.0	100 61	7.0	D 16	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Candletree Wooden Shield		76 93	0 42	0 32	0 50	0 43	100 49	3.5	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Carian Knight's Shield		63 100	40 71	0 28	0 19	0 54	100 52	4.5	D 10	10	D 15	0	0	200	No Skill
Eclipse Crest Heater Shield		77 100	0 44	0 44	0 37	0 44	100 54	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Flame Crest Wooden Shield		76 94	0 43	0 32	0 42	0 50	100 49	3.5	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Golden Lion Shield		97 100	0 44	0 43	0 41	0 49	100 64	5.5	C 11	0	0	0	0	500	Roaring Bash
Great Turtle Shell		81 94	0 44	0 39	0 43	0 46	100 54	5.5	D 14	0	0	0	0	100	Barricade Shield
Hawk Crest Wooden Shield		76 95	0 44	0 32	0 44	0 44	100 48	3.5	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Heater Shield		77 100	0 43	0 43	0 27	0 43	100 52	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Horse Crest Wooden Shield		76 93	0 50	0 32	0 43	0 42	100 49	3.5	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Inverted Hawk Heater Shield		77 100.0	0 49.0	0 49.0	0 34.0	0 49.0	100 53	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Kite Shield		78 100	0 47	0 47	0 33	0 47	100 56	4.5	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Large Leather Shield		75 91	0 49	0 36	0 45	0 45	100 49	3	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Marred Leather Shield		75 90	0 49	0 36	0 45	0 45	100 51	3.0	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Marred Wooden Shield		76 92	0 52	0 27	0 50	0 49	100 52	4	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Messmer Soldier Shield		80 100	0 43	0 43	0 43	0 43	100 59	5.0	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Red Crest Heater Shield		77 100	0 42	0 50	0 32	0 43	100 53	3.5	D 10	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Round Shield		76 94	0 50	0 37	0 43	0 50	100 51	4	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Scorpion Kite Shield		78 100	0 45	0 46	0 33	0 50	100 57	4.5	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Serpent Crest Shield		82 100	0 39	0 63	0 39	0 38	100 60	6	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Silver Grooved Shield		61 100.0	0 52.0	0 44.0	0 24.0	0 48.0	100 50	3.0	D 9	12	0	0	0	0	No Skill
Silver Mirrorshield		70 100	45 89	0 31	0 19	0 27	100 49	3.5	D 12	10	D 10	0	0	100	No Skill
Sun Realm Shield		74 92	0 44	0 27	0 40	0 56	100 53	3.5	D 8	0	0	0	0	100	Parry
Twinbird Kite Shield		78 100	0 49	0 50	0 28	0 35	100 55	4.5	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill
Wolf Crest Shield		82 100	0 63	0 38	0 42	0 40	100 59	6.0	D 12	0	0	0	0	100	No Skill