Some of the best Shields in Elden Ring under the Medium-sized category offer a good balance between weight and defense. They’re not as heavy as large shields but still, provide solid protection. While they can’t parry as well as small shields, they have a decent guard and can be improved with Ashes of War. This boosts their ability to reduce damage and improve their special skills. Depending on your style of play and your needs in different fights, you can choose the best medium shield for you.
- Elden Ring offers 27 different medium shields to choose from.
- Medium Shields in Elden Ring offer substantial protection and are lighter in weight compared to other types of shields.
- While not as strong at parrying as Small Shields, Medium Shields can be significantly improved using the best Ashes of War in Elden Ring.
- Ashes of War enhance the ability of these shields to reduce damage while guarding, as well as their respective abilities.
- Some Medium Shields can block 100% physical damage, making them highly effective in combat situations.
- Author’s Note: With more than dozens of hours of experience in Elden Ring, I feel more than obliged to provide you with hands-on experience on the topic below.
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My Picks For The Best Medium-Sized Shields In Elden Ring
Shields are vital defensive equipment and the medium shields are the best of both worlds when it comes to having the strengths and weaknesses of Small & Large sized shields.
Here is an overview of all the best medium shields in Elden Ring showcased alongside the physical and elemental defensive stats:
Serial Number | Medium Shield Name | Best For | Physical Guard | Magical Guard | Fire Guard | Lightning Guard | Holy Guard | Boost Guard |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Brass Shield | The Highest Guard Boost In Medium Shields | 100 | 55 | 59 | 39 | 54 | 56 |
2 | Great Turtle Shell | The Best Stamina-Regen Shield In Elden Ring | 87 | 44 | 39 | 43 | 46 | 49 |
3 | Inverted Hawk Heater | The Best Defense-To-Weight Ratio In Medium Shields | 100 | 49 | 49 | 34 | 49 | 50 |
4 | Blue Gold Kite Shield | The Best Early-Game Medium Shield | 100 | 47 | 53 | 35 | 45 | 53 |
5 | Carian Knight’s Shield | The Best Early-Game Shield For Magic Defense. | 100 | 71 | 28 | 19 | 54 | 49 |
6 | Banished Knight’s Shield | The Best Looking Medium Shield | 100 | 49 | 57 | 31 | 48 | 55 |
1. Brass Shield
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Brass-Shield.webp)
Attack Stats | Guard Stats |
---|---|
Phy 84 | Phy 100 |
Mag 0 | Mag 55 |
Fire 0 | Fire 59 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 39 |
Holy 0 | Holy 54 |
Crit 100 | Boost 56 |
- Why I Chose This: The Brass Shield provides substantial guard boost and all-type defenses making it the Best Medium Shield in Elden Ring.
- Excellent guard boost and can use parry skills like Golden parry.
- Best all-around defenses in medium shields.
- Small efficiency problems due to higher weight.
- Needs tedious farming and has extremely low drop rate.
2. Great Turtle Shell
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Great-Turtle-Shell.webp)
Attack | Guard |
---|---|
Phy 81 | Phy 87 |
Mag 0 | Mag 44 |
Fire 0 | Fire 39 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 43 |
Holy 0 | Holy 46 |
Crit 100 | Boost 49 |
Scaling | Str D |
Requires | Str 14 |
- Why I Chose This: The Great Turtle Shell is the best shield for low End biulds due to its passive stamina-regen while also bieng good defensively.
- Helpful in guarding strong blows with innate skill Barricade Shield.
- Regenerates stamina passively even when two-handing weapon.
- The stamina regen though valuable, is low in quantity.
- Comparatively low Physical defenses.
3. Inverted Hawk Heater
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Inverted-Hawk-Heater.webp)
Attack | Guard |
---|---|
Phy 77 | Phy 100 |
Mag 0 | Mag 49 |
Fire 0 | Fire 49 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 34 |
Holy 0 | Holy 49 |
Crit 100 | Boost 50 |
- Why I Chose This: Inverted Hawk Heater Shield provides the most balanced negations for it’s wieght making it a worthy pick.
- The parry skill provided can be changed.
- Substantial defenses and guard boost for its weight.
- Outclassed by Brass shield overall except the weight.
- No passive boost and lower Lightning dmg reduction.
4. Blue Gold Kite Shield
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blue-Gold-Kite-Shield.webp)
Attack | Guard |
---|---|
Phy 80 | Phy 100 |
Mag 0 | Mag 47 |
Fire 0 | Fire 53 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 35 |
Holy 0 | Holy 45 |
Crit 100 | Boost 53 |
- Why I Chose This: Blue Gold Kite Shield remains your best defensive shield throughout early game if you can afford it’s wieght.
- Pretty light-weight and can be acquired fairly early.
- Great weight-to-defenses and guard boost ratio.
- Has comparatively lower Lightning defenses.
- Slightly higher weight than other medium shields.
5. Carian Knight’s Shield
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Carian-Knights-Shield.webp)
Attack | Guard |
---|---|
Phy 63 | Phy 100 |
Mag63 | Mag 71 |
Fire 0 | Fire 28 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 19 |
Holy 0 | Holy 54 |
Crit 100 | Boost 49 |
- Why I Chose This: Carian Knight’s Shield is your ideal option for magic-defense and can be obtain earlier in the game.
- At maximum level, provides a high upgrade to guard boost (~61).
- Fairly good Physical and Magic dmg protection.
- Has very low Lightning dmg negation (19).
- Carian Knight is difficult to beat at beginner level.
6. Banished Knight’s Shield
![](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Banished-Knights-Shield.jpg)
Attack | Guard |
---|---|
Phy 81 | Phy 100 |
Mag 0 | Mag 49 |
Fire 0 | Fire 57 |
Ligt 0 | Ligt 31 |
Holy 0 | Holy 48 |
Crit 100 | Boost 55 |
- Why I Chose This: Banished Knight Shield has the second best defenses in medium shields, is lighter than Brass Shield and is pretty good looking.
- Grants good Physical and Fire defenses.
- Second highest guard boost in medium shields (68).
- Low Lightning and Holy defenses.
- Obtained after farming certain enemies.
Alternative Shields
Here are some other best medium shields in Elden Ring that I did not include in the guide because of personal preferences, but they are worth mentioning.
- Spiralhorn Shield: A good shield if you are looking to deal blood loss to an enemy while having decent defense.
- Inverted Hawk-Heater Shield: Useful shield if you are looking for dodging and blocking with low strength requirement.
- Blue-Gold Kite Shield: This shield is good for reducing the damage taken, and it is easier to acquire.
What Are Medium Shields In Elden Ring?
Medium Shields are a type of shield that offers guards from substantial damage and are relatively lighter in weight as compared to other types of shields. Although they are weaker at parrying than Small Shields, most of these Medium Shields can be modified with Ashes of War, which enhances their ability to reduce damage while guarding and their respective abilities.
My Experience On Using Medium Shields
Many veterans frown upon the use of shields, but even with my experience in Elden Ring, I like keeping a shield around, just in case. Medium shields have always been my go-to shields because they do not weigh too much and offer ample protection.
![hammad ijaz elden ring save slot](https://cdn.exputer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/hammad.jpg)
I’ve personally ended one of my playthroughs of Elden Ring with the Carian Knight’s Shield, as it is one of my favorite shields due to it barely weighing anything and offering 100% protection against physical damage and fantastic protection against Magic and Holy damage.
By now, I believe that my guide has given you ample information regarding Elden Ring’s Medium Shields in terms of their Blocking Stat, Compatibility with Ashes of War, and weight, so you can decide the best Elden Ring Medium Shield according to your needs.
In conclusion, medium shields in Elden Ring are a great choice for their balance of weight and protection. They are strong and can be improved with Ashes of War. These shields can help you in many battles, even blocking all physical damage in some cases. The best shield for you depends on your play style and the fights you face. So, picking the right medium shield can really help you succeed in the Elden Ring.
While you’re at it, I highly suggest that you go through Elden Ring: BEST Dual-Wield Weapons, BEST Prisoner Build, BEST Curved Swords, and How To Play Elden Ring GeoGuessr guides and learn more about the game.
Next:
- Elden Ring: Bird Farm
- Best Elden Ring Builds
- Best Dagger Elden Ring
- Elden Ring: All Sacred Tear Churches Locations
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