Robust and sturdy, shields are the best equipment to defend yourself from incoming attacks, and we’ve listed the top shields to get in Elden Ring.

Shields may not be essential for most Elden Ring players, but they can be valuable in defending yourself by parrying and blocking enemy attacks. With three different types of shields tailored to meet various builds and playstyles, most shields come equipped with unique Shield Skills to increase your shield's abilities further.

As for what classifies as the best shields in-game are based on their overall stats, accessibility, and utility, but do keep in mind that it's not required to use a shield in-game. With that said, let's look at the best shields to have and their locations in Elden Ring.

What Are The Best Shields To Get In Elden Ring?

Elden Ring boasts various shields, ranging from small to Greatshields, each boasting varying stats and unique Shield Skills. While many shields can be utilized throughout most of your gameplay, a few stand out above the rest, and all require Strength to wield them.

However, a few shields deserve to be recognized alongside the best shields and are good options. So, we've listed other good shield options which can be considered if any of the shields in this guide are too hard to get:

• Dragonclaw Shield: Head to the Capital Outskirts and find the Draconic Tree Sentinel enemy by defeating it to acquire the shield.
• Great Turtle Shield: From the Castle Morne Rampart Site of Grace, locate a corpse atop a rampart's tower; you can use Torrent to access the tower.
• Inverted Hawk-Heater Shield: Found at Siofra River, it can be looted atop a hill beside the Hallowhorn Grounds.

Now that we have mentioned other worthy shields you can find in The Lands Between, we have listed the best shields to find and acquire for various builds and classes in Elden Ring:

Coil Shield

The only small shield listed in this guide, the Coil Shield, is excellent for parrying, dodging, and blocking minor enemy attacks. This light shield may not need as much Strength as other shields listed; it does have a notable Shield Skill, Viper Bite, inflicting a Poison status effect before it aggroes enemies.

This shield can be looted from a corpse on Volcano Manor, found north of the Ninth Mt. Gelmir Campsite Site of Grace. From this Site of Grace, enter the cave and find a large open space before heading down the furthermost tunnel to the right until its end.

Find a cliff before dropping down, and go down the tunnel before finding another room. Defeat the enemies here before finding the body and looting it to get the shield.

Blue-Gold Kite Shield

This medium shield mainly scales with Strength, requiring 12 Strength, as it has an adequate defense and weight distribution, which makes it a great well-balanced shield. While it may not help parry enemy attacks; however, it has to reduce incoming damage and block all attacks.

Acquiring this shield is straightforward as you'll need to find a Merchant NPC near the Minor Erdtree in the Mistwood, East Limgrave. You will need to fork out 1000 Runes to complete the purchase, and you can enhance its capabilities with Ashes of War and any Magic or Consumable items.

Carian Knight's Shield

Scaling with Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity, the Carian Knight's Shield is a fantastic option for Magic/Sorcery builds due to its stats, needing 10 Strength and Dexterity to wield. It possesses one of the best Guarded Boost stats and, when upgraded, can increase its magic damage reduction.

Finding this particular shield is slightly tricky as you'll need to locate a specific Carian Knight, Moongrum, and defeat it for the shield. This Carian Knight can be located at the Raya Lucaria Academy, where you can find them either from the Raya Lucaria Grand Library or the Schoolhouse Classroom Sites of Grace.

Jellyfish Shield

Despite its ethereal name, the Jellyfish Shield is a Greatshield or heavy shield providing significant protection and blocking from enemy and boss attacks. While it's significantly heavier than small and medium shields, it has a unique Shield Skill, Contagious Fury, which increases attack power by inciting the wrath of a jellyfish, lasting 30 seconds.

This shield isn't too hard to find, as it's found when looting a corpse nearby a destroyed wagon north of Foot of the Four Belfries Site of Grace. Do proceed cautiously, as the wagon is surrounded by jellyfish, which can be easily defeated.

Brass Shield

The Brass Shield is one of the more accessible shields to obtain, especially around the early to mid-game sections. While it may not have a Shield Skill to utilize, it's still a preferred option by many players having the highest Guarded Boost stats for a medium shield.

Why this shield is the most accessible in that the Godrick Soldiers can drop it in Limgrave, Raya Lucaria Soldiers outside the Raya Lucaria Academy. The Gatefront Ruins Site of Grace location is a great farming spot for this shield, so you will have plenty of opportunities to acquire it.

Beast Crest Heater Shield

Another great medium shield, the Beast Crest Heater, is considered one of the best starting shields for Tarnished, regardless of class and build. Ideal for Magic/Sorcery build due to how light it is, it only asks for 10 Strength to equip it to your off-hand.

Luckily, you'll have to defeat a few lower-leveled enemies, Godrick, Foot Soldiers, Soldiers, and a Knight, nearby at Stormveil Castle. They're located at the campsite west of the Saintsbridge and Deathtouched Catacombs Sites of Grace, and once they've been defeated, look for a chest, and the shield is yours.

Banished Knight's Shield

The Banished Knight's Shield is the more popular medium shield amongst dedicated players between the Brass and Blue-Gold Kite Shields. Scaling in Strength, requiring 14 Strength, this shield can be enhanced with Ashes of War to be an effectively powerful armament.

Like the Brass Shield, it too can be dropped by various enemy NPCs in The Lands Between, particularly from the Banished Knights. These knights can be found at Stormveil Castle, Castle Sol, and much later in the game at Crumbling Farum Azula.

Visage Shield

It may appear grotesque; the Visage Shield is mainly known for its unique Shield Skill, Tongues of Fire which spews fire, dealing Fire damage to enemies. Being an effective shield for inflicting AoE damage, this Shield Skill has a low FP cost meaning you can continuously use this skill until you need to refill your FP.

As it's the second heaviest shield in-game, it's in the underground location of Caelem Ruins in the eastern area of the ruins. Additionally, you are to defeat the Mad Pumpkin Head bosses guarding a room where you can find this shield.

Erdtree Greatshield

One of the most popular Greatshields in-game, the Erdtree Greatshield is an excellent mid-to-late game shield to obtain, and its stats make it worthwhile for most Faith builds. Its Shield Skill, Golden Retaliation, summons a protective spell that allows the shield to dispel incoming projectiles, including sorceries using "golden power."

This shield is one of the best in-game because it's the most difficult to get, as you'll need to defeat two formidable bosses. To beat the Tree Sentinel Duo bosses, travel to Outer Wall Phantom Tree Site of Grace in the Altus Plateau and head west to find them.

Fingerprint Stone Shield

For a good reason, the best shield in Elden Ring is the heaviest and one of the more missable shields. Despite this, it has the best overall stats dealing one of the highest Physical damage stats, but 48 Strength is needed to utilize it.

Getting this shield is as challenging to locate as you'll need to defeat Morgott, the Omen King, to break a seal at the Subterranean Shunning Grounds before heading out to find the shield. Access the area and drop down into the shaft before landing on a wooden beam south of the shaft.

Keep an eye out for a Nomad NPC left of you as you'll need to drop onto a series of three tombstones nearby this NPC. You'll need to carefully jump onto all three without hugging the wall, and once reaching the fourth tombstone, enter the recess before going right down the corridor, and the shield is at the end.

And that completes this guide on how to find the best shields in Elden Ring. We want to thank the YouTube channel LukeCanWin for the complete breakdown of all shields available in-game. Please consider subscribing to their channel and watching the video below for more details.