The launch of Elden Ring’s long-anticipated Shadow of the Erdtree has everyone returning to FromSoftware’s deadly adventure game. However, some players are not just enthralled with the expansion’s new bosses, locations, and stories, but instead with the arrival of all new thrusting mechanics.
In Shadow of the Erdtree, the best defense is a good offense, as the game’s community rallies behind the new Thrusting Shields as the go-to weapon for demolishing bosses. Rather than using the new shields to defend against onslaughts of attacks, Elden Ring players thrust all over the place as their winning strategy, something we missed during our Erdtree review.
Players on the Elden Ring subreddit claim that the new thrusting shields are “the strongest weapons in the entire game and it’s not even close.” With thrusting shields able to be enchanted with any affinity or damage type, they can easily be cheesed to wipe the floor with any of the game’s bosses.
Players are even using the thrusting shields to demolish the DLC’s final boss. Instead of struggling against Promised Consort Radahn and sweating as they attempt to dodge roll against quick strikes, gamers who have “got good” instead slap him with shields and put him back in his place.
“Being able to guard counter to break poise while not worrying about timing and only taking chip damage is insane,” one player said. “Being able to just spam attacks and tank through everything while only taking chip damage is insane. The stamina drain from attacking through attacks seems really minimal even against massive boss attacks. And its damage is really good as well, especially as its attacks are considered thrust and benefit from the spear talisman.”
One gamer managed to not only use the thrusting shields to defeat Erdtree’s Messmer the Impaler but did so without summons and while using an electric saxophone as a controller.
After streamers beat the base game on a dance pad and a YouTuber played the game with a Greatsword controller, Elden Ring players keep finding new ways to blow our minds.
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree is available to play right now on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC.