Elden Ring offers a vast array of shields, each with its unique properties and advantages. This tier list ranks the shields from the least to the most effective based on various factors such as damage negation, special effects, and overall utility. That will help you make the right shield choice for your build coming into DLC!

Elden Ring Shield Tier List 2024 - Best Shields for Elden Ring DLC

When it comes to defending oneself in the treacherous lands of the Elden Ring, a shield is more than just a piece of armor - it's a statement. From the humble wooden buckler to the impenetrable greatshields, each has its place in the armory of the Tarnished. Here's a tier list that delves into the best and worst of what the game has to offer.

• 69. Rickety Shield - The laughingstock of shields, with negligible damage negation except for lightning.

• 68. Perfumer's Shield - Unimpressive stats, and the immunity increase hardly justifies its use.

• 67. Marred Leather Shield - Has the worst physical negation among medium shields and doesn't redeem itself with its bleed perk.

• 66. Pillory Shield - More of a public humiliation than a functional piece of equipment.

• 65. Hawk Crest Wooden Shield - A disappointing medium shield that's outclassed by others in its category.

• 64. Red Thorn Roundshield - Misleading description and subpar performance.

• 63. Black Leather Shield - Aesthetically pleasing but ultimately let down by its stats.

• 62. Horse Crest Wooden Shield - A wooden crest shield that fails to serve any significant purpose.

• 61. Flame Crest Wooden Shield - Lacks the thematic bonus it should have, which could have been a boost in focus.

• 60. Large Leather Shield - Slightly better than its black counterpart but still lackluster.

• 59. Blue-White Wooden Shield - An odd one among wooden shields with unimpressive overall stats.

• 58. Riveted Wooden Shield - Unremarkable, with metallic rivets that don't add much value.

• 57. Scripture Wooden Shield - Nothing special to note.

• 56. Candletree Wooden Shield - Decent lightning negation but falls short in guard boost and physical negation.

• 55. Rift Shield - Poor elemental defenses but offers decent physical negation for its weight.

• 54. Dragonclaw Shield - Uninspiring except for its lightning negation.

• 53. Man-Serpent Shield - Good fire absorption but otherwise unimpressive.

• 52. Spiralhorn Shield - An underrated option with passive resistances but spread too thin to be efficient.

• 51. Buckler - More for parrying than blocking, given its abysmal defenses.

• 50. Sun Realm Shield - The highest holy damage negation among medium shields, but with sacrifices elsewhere.

• 49. Marred Wooden Shield - Interesting because of its passive status effect buildup but still not worth it.

• 48. Shield of the Guilty - Cool looking and has passive effects but there are better options out there.

• 47. Briar Greatshield - Decent negation but questionable bleed buildup for a great shield.

• 46. Heater Shield - 100% physical negation is its only selling point, which is common among shields.

• 45. Lordsworn's Greatshield - Lacks outstanding defensive qualities or side benefits.

• 44. Round Shield - Heavy for a wooden shield and not particularly great at anything.

• 43. Smoldering Shield - More about looks than actual performance.

• 42. Icon Shield - HP regen is nice but doesn't stand out in terms of defense.

• 41. Wooden Greatshield - Good for early Paladin builds with its lightweight and low strength requirement.

• 40. Silver Mirror Shield - Highly niche with a focus on magic negation.

• 39. Great Turtle Shell - More of a fashion statement with stamina regen rather than a functional shield.

• 38. Red Crest Heater Shield - Decent magic negation but nothing outstanding.

• 37. Blue Crest Heater Shield - Almost identical to its red counterpart, offering holy negation.
  

• 36. Eclipse Crest Heater Shield - Unremarkable and lacks thematic bonuses.
  

• 35. Crucible Hornshield - Misleading description but decent holy negation and lighter weight.

• 34. Kite Shield - Common and reliable but not particularly impressive.

• 33. Beast Crest Heater Shield - Average in almost every way but notably lightweight.

• 32. Twinbird Kite Shield - Offers extra damage negation at low HP but not as useful as it may seem.
  

• 31. Carian Knight's Shield - Good magic negation but overshadowed by other shield options.
  

• 30. Inverted Hawk Heater Shield - Lightweight for a medium shield and offers 100% physical negation.

• 29. Jellyfish Shield - Light and decent magic/fire negation, popular among a certain subset of players.
  

• 28. Cuckoo Greatshield - Common and easily accessible with decent magic damage negation.
  

• 27. Albinauric Shield - Focuses on magic negation and has good flexibility.
  

• 26. Golden Beast Crest Shield - Demands high strength but offers goodprotection and low weight for a greatshield.
  

• 25. Gilded Iron Shield - A small shield with notable holy negation and an emphasis on weight over wooden shields.

• 24. Inverted Hawk Towershield - A tower shield with slightly better absorption and guard boost compared to its peers.
  

• 23. Manor Towershield - Offers slightly different stats for those concerned with min-maxing fire and magic negation.

• 22. Crossed-Tree Towershield - Similar to other tower shields but with slight stat adjustments for those who prefer specific defenses.

• 21. Redmane Greatshield - Light and asymmetrically designed, offering substantial fire negation.

• 20. Iron Roundshield - Impressive physical negation for a small shield and offers reliable parrying.

• 19. Erdtree Greatshield - Unique due to its ability to parry projectiles, despite not being the best in negation.

• 18. Scorpion Kite Shield - A well-rounded medium shield with a theme of surprise attacks and counterstrikes.

• 17. Ice Crest Shield - A small shield offering robustness and surprisingly high damage negation.

• 16. Distinguished Greatshield - Solid physical absorption but lacks unique skills or bonuses.

• 15. Dragon Towershield - Slightly better than other tower shields in absorption and guard boost.

• 14. Spiked Palisade Shield - A formidable offensive shield with the ability to deal significant damage to foes.

• 13. One-Eyed Shield - A heavy greatshield with a powerful unique skill, making it more than just a defensive tool.

• 12. Beastman's Jar Shield - Underrated for its surprising effectiveness despite its quirky appearance.

• 11. Blue-Gold Kite Shield - A step towards higher-tier shields, offering good balance between guard boost and weight.

• 10. Eclipse Crest Greatshield - Straightforward in its role with good magic negation and no unnecessary frills.

• 9. Ant's Skull Plate - Offers tier three hardness and boosts immunity, making it effective against poison.

• 8. Coil Shield - More of a weapon than a shield, with its unique appearance and function.

• 7. Gilded Greatshield - Well-rounded with excellent negation and guard boost, common among enemies in early areas.

• 6. Haligtree Crest Greatshield - Offers significant holy negation and enables a straightforward defensive strategy.

• 5. Visage Shield - Heavy but offers a unique skill with fire damage, despite its counterproductive high fire absorption.

• 4. Banished Knight's Shield - A popular choice due to its balance of style and efficiency.

• 3. Golden Greatshield - Efficient and symmetrical, representing the pinnacle of the Golden Order's ideals.

• 2. Fingerprint Shield - Objectively powerful but its massive weight limits its versatility.

• 1. Brass Shield - The highest guard boost among medium shields and exceptional damage negation, widely available and arguably the best shield in Elden Ring.

In the end, the choice of shield in Elden Ring often comes down to personal preference, playstyle, and the situation at hand. Whether you choose the lowly Rickety Shield for a challenge or the Brass Shield for its unparalleled guard, each shield has its own story to tell on the battlefield.