AlthoughElden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeadded a plethora of new lore and bosses, it also added new weapon types that allow for completely different playstyles compared to the base game. These include the quick and elegant Light Greatswords, deadly Great Katanas, swift Backhand Blades, and many more. Even variants of pre-existing weapons feel entirely different with certain Ashes of War or heavy attacks, with a good example being theSmithscript Greathammerand its ability to be thrown with two-handed strong attacks like a massive version of Thor’s Mjölnir.
The Smithscript Greathammer is but one example of aShadow of the Erdtreeweapon that can greatly change a playstyle, but it isn’t the most effective for PvP due to its wind up. For PvE, it is a fun, hilarious, and versatile weapon that can have an Ash of War on top of its heavy attack, butit is trumped by a shield of all things. With a certain Ash of War, shields can be even more deadly than Greathammers and other massive armaments, especially for PvP situations due to the use of true combos.
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New Elden Ring DLC Ash Of War Makes Shields Deadly
And It Can Be Paired With Other Weapons
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeadded Thrusting Shields, which are essentially shields with points on either end, to use them as a weapon. A good example of this weapon type is theCarian Thrusting Shield, which comes with theAsh of War: Shield Strikeand can be found in theShadow of the Erdtree’s Shadow Keep. If paired with specific weapons, the Shield Strike Ash of War can be used to make true combos thanks to the swiftness of its attack, which makes it particularly effective for PvP.
Players can access the Colosseum for PvP using the Marika Statue in the Roundtable Hold.
To understand what makes the Shield Strike Ash of War so good,players need to understand true combos and why PvP lovers tend to seek them. While weapons can have combos, when a Tarnished is hit by the first attack of the combo, they can still dodge the next strike most of the time. With the Shield Strike Ash of War, if the blow is followed up by certain weapon attacks, it cannot be dodged and guarantees extra damage if the first attack lands. True combos tend not to be affected by Poise.
The guaranteed combo damage from the Shield Strike Ash of War works best with the Curved Greatsword weapon type, such as theOmen Cleaver. Players can use the Ash of War to get a true combo of a Curved Greatsword’s neutral and running attacks, although there are other options that are less effective. Halberds with the light neutral attack and Colossal Greatswords with the thrusting attack will both work with the Shield Strike Ash of War to create true combos.
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Stabbing With A Shield Is Weirdly Effective
One of the best things about using this combo is thatplayers can still block using Thrusting Shields as if they were regular shields. It should be pointed out that parrying is no longer an option, which could be aproblem for PvEplayers who have memorized a boss' attack pattern from head to toe, but players can still use Guard Counters. This is particularly useful for smashing through an enemy’s Poise and helps with the overall speed of attacks that using Thrusting Shields facilitates with their Ash of War.
One of the unfortunate issues with Thrusting Shields is that they don’t have 100 Physical Guard,meaning that players will take some damage when blocking. This varies depending on the Shield, since there are two of this weapon type, theCarian Thrusting Shieldand theDueling Shield, with the former having higher Physical Guard but requiring a base Intelligence stat. These shields can be two-handed if players want to use them alone for a defensive, yet effective, playstyle too.
Players can bolster Thrusting Shields with theScholar’s Shieldspell to improve its Physical Guard.
Another thing to note about Thrusting Shields is thatthey benefit from buffs and being upgraded. The Thrusting Shields do not have an element either, meaning that magic and consumables can be used to make them even stronger. This works forPvP in the Colosseumin particular, since there is often time for the Tarnished to buff themselves before a fight starts. Using the Curved Greatsword and Thrusting Shield combo when both are buffed can lead to outrageous damage in PvP.
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The Sword And Shield Has Never Been Deadlier in Elden Ring
True Combos Are A PvP Player’s Friend
There are plenty of deadly weapons that the Tarnished can take into the PvP arena from theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC. There’s theBackhand Bladeand the confusing hit boxes of the Swift Strikes Ash of War, theunderrated Leda’s Swordand its debuffing effects, andEuporia’s ridiculous damage, all of which are effective. With everything that’s been added, apointy shield might not be the first thing players think of when it comes to effective PvP weapons, but here it is tearing the place up.
Realistically, the Thrusting Shield and Curved Greatsword combo is still an upgraded version of the classic shield and sword that has seen players through many Soulslike games.It gives players more offensive options, especially from a speed perspective with its true combo capabilities, while still offering decent defense. Players can still use Guard Counters and can block most of the damage that comes their way while dealing some heavy hits of their own, and most players won’t know that the Shield Strike attack is a true combo and could panic.
Ultimately,Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtreeadds so many new weapons and combinations to the base gamethat there are plenty of powerful options for players to take into the PvP arena. There are a handful of other weapons that give players the option of using true combos, but very few are as simple and easy to land as the Curved Greatsword and Thrusting Shield combo. It offers great offense and defense while ensuring that players will have the attack speed advantage over their opponents most of the time.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring is a popular game released by From Software, creators of games such as Armored Core, Dark Souls, and Bloodborne. Players assume the role of a Tarnished, a being once exiled to the Lands Between and has returned to repair the Elden Ring after the events of “The Shattering.” “The Shattering” occurred when the offspring of Queen Marika battled to claim the shards of the Elden Ring, known as Great Runes. Their war has brought lawlessness, destruction, and chaos to the land, and the player will challenge them with the assistance of a Maiden known as Melina as they travel towards the great Erd Tree to face their destiny and to become the one true Elden Lord. Players can tackle the game how they choose and can adventure across realms as they build their character how they want - be it a powerful magic caster or a brutal swordsman - they will have complete control over their build.
