"Nerf inevitable": Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree players around the world are dunking on bosses using the DLC's absurd new dueling shields

Elden Ring DLC dueling shield
(Image credit: FromSoftware / Bandai Namco)

If 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:overpowered perfume and 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:cheesy spells aren't your thing, maybe the latest and safest 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Shadow of the Erdtree insta-win button will win you over. It turns out 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Elden Ring's new dueling shields can destro❀y even the toughest bosses almost one-sidedly, with little to no room ꦐfor counterplay or user error. 

There are two dueling shields in Shadow of the Erdtree – spiked shields which can attack while defending – with the Carian Thrusting Shield beinꦯg the stronger pick. You'll find it in Shadow Keep just past the Storehouse Site of Grace, by a table near a Fire Kn🎐ight. Juice that thing to +25, slap on whatever damage affinity suits your build – bleed remains a spicy pick – equip it with both hands, and you've basically got this build figured out. 

lays it out in helpful detail, but the best bit is probably this clip of him winning fights by holding block and then banging the attack button into his forehead. 

A Japanese Twitter user concocted a similar build, and their fight𓄧 against Rellana likewise demonstrates how foolproof this strategy can be. "Nerf inevitable," their post reckons (machine translated). They alsജo rightly speculate that dueling shields as a whole are bugged and not taking stamina damage correctly, which seems mighty plausible looking at footage like this. 

And yes, it worꦐks against the final b♛oss, even when you literally aren't using a controller.

If you can manage your stamina and press two buttons at once, yoꦡu can embarrass anything in the game, up to and including the final boss, with this shield build. I slapped together a version of it myself, and it really is as simple as it looks. The more you lean into it, boosting your stamina and defenses and poke damage, the easier it gets. Is it fun? Debatable. But is it effective? Oh yeah. 

You don't need Scadutree Blessings to beat Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, as long as you're prepared to match this streamer's 516-death, 16-hour attempt at the final boss.

Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game jo🌱urnalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize🍨 his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.