Elden Ring, the latest RPG fromDark Soulsdevelopers From Software, launched to critical acclaim this month. Another challenging soulslike title,Elden Ringtakes players on a legendary journey to reforge the titular ring and become Elden Lord. There are plenty of obstacles along the way, ranging from magical knights to gigantic dragons, and players will need to fight hard to survive each new encounter.
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One of the essential tools for a defensivebuild inElden Ringis a shield, which can be used to negate incoming damage at the cost of Stamina. Every shield in the game has a set of ratings to show how much of each kind of damage it can negate, from physical to holy to magical. Magical damage is one of the hardest types to block inElden Ring, and players who are facing a lot of magical enemies will need a shield to match.
Requirements:Strength 9
Base Magic Damage Negation:57
The only Small Shield on this list, the Ice Crest Shield is a great choice forlight-weightElden Ringbuildsthat still want to be able to deal with magical threats. TheIce Crest Shieldhas no skill attached by default, and is a good choice for using Ashes of War.
Players can find the Ice Crest Shield inthe Caria Manor, at the north-east edge of the lower gardens area, behind the building with the locked door. The Shield can be looted from a corpse atop a rocky shelf, with a shattered pillar nearby to climb up.
Requirements:Strength 11
Base Magic Damage Negation:66
TheAlbinauric Shieldis probably the earliest Shield thatElden Ringplayerscan find with decent magic damage negation. On top of its low strength requirement for a medium shield, it also has 100% physical damage negation and the ability to parry.
The Albinauric Shield has a small chance to drop from any Albinauric warrior that wields one, with the odds increased by the player’s Arcane score. The easiest place to farm Abinaurics for the shield is in the Academy Gate Town, particularly as players canuse Torrent’s agilityto only kill the warriors that are using them.
Requirements:Strength 10, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 15
Base Magic Damage Negation:71
TheCarian Knight’s Shieldis the second-best medium shield for magicaldamage negation inElden Ring. The shield combines a 71% magic negation with the all-important 100% physical negation, as well as good protection against holy damage. It drops with no skill attached, and can be enhanced with any shield-based Ash of War.
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The Carian Knight’s Shield can be acquired by defeating Moongrum, the Carian Knight. Moongrum guards the entrance to the Raya Lucaria Grand Library, home to the Rennala Shardbearer boss fight. As a human enemy, Moongrum can parry, dodge, and consume flasks to heal, meaning players may have to adjust their tactics to take him down.
Requirements:Strength 32
Base Magic Damage Negation:70
The first ofElden Ring’s greatshieldson the list is theCuckoo Greatshield, which comes with a hefty requirement of 32 strength. Despite this high barrier to entry, the Cuckoo Greatshield offers a great 70% magical damage negation, as well as high negation stats for all other damage types.
Like the Carian Knight’s Shield, the Cuckoo Greatshield can only be found at Raya Lucaria. However, unlike its medium counterpart, the Cuckoo Greatshield has a chance to drop from any Lucaria Academy Knight that carries one. The easiest place to try and farm the Cuckoo Greatshield is at the East Raya Lucaria Gate, where several Knights can be found along the road to the north-east of the Site of Grace.
Base Magic Damage Negation:72
TheEclipse Crest Greatshieldcan be considered a slight step up from the Cuckoo Greatshield, despite the fact that it has the same strength requirement. With 72% magical damage negation, the Eclipse Crest will keep players safe from even the most powerful of Elden Ring’s bosses.
The Eclipse Crest Greatshield can only be looted from Mausoleum Knights, headless warriors who can only be found on certain spots on the map. While the largest number of Mausoleum Knights can be found in the late-game Consecrated Snowfield region, the easiest one for early farming of the Eclipse Crest Greatshield can be found outside theBlack Knife Catacombs, in the north-east of the Limuria of the Lakes region.
Requirements:Strength 12, Dexterity 10, Intelligence 10
Base Magic Damage Negation:89
Thebest shield inElden Ringfor negating magical damage is undoubtedly the Silver Mirrorshield, with a massive 89% magical damage negation. TheSilver Mirrorshieldalso boasts 100% physical negation, although its fire, lightning, and holy scores are lower than others on this list. The Mirrorshield is also quite light at only 3.5, allowing players to use it with heavier armor.
The Silver Mirrorshield can only be found in the Consecrated Snowfield area, in the far north-east ofElden Ring’s The Lands Between. The Mirrorshield is a treasure item in the Apostate Derelict church, making it only the second shield on this list that players can claim without having to farm or fight.
Elden Ringis available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
