Best Elden Ring Sword And Shield Build [2024]

Sword and shields cover a major portion of the Elden Ring’s arsenal. However, it serves a unique role for the playthrough and aid players with the best gameplay experience. In my early stages of Elden Ring, I found it to be troublesome! Whether you are on a quest or not, enemies are always lurking in the shadows of the open world of Lands Between.

Sword And Shield Build

Here is my comparison table for the Sword and Shield Build:

No.	NAME	PHYSICAL	MAGIC	FIRE	LIGHTNING	HOLY	CRITICAL	BOOST	VS STRIKE	VS SLASH	VS PIERCE
1	WEAPONS	67	40	40	40	40	0.0	45	0.0	0.0	0.0
2	ARMOR	33.5	25.6	27	25.3	26.5	0.0	0.0	31.5	35.5	34.9
3	SHIELD	100	52	52	76	47	0.0	61.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
4	TALISMANS	71.0	38.0	38.0	38.0	38.0	100	50.0	0.0	0.0	0.0

However, coming prepared with the right stats and arsenal can greatly benefit players to keep a safe side from these enemies. Moreover, it will also ensure success in combat, especially the boss fights. My guide entails all the details you need to know for building the best Elden Ring sword and shield build. With that said, let’s get right into it. 

Similar Read: Elden Ring Dragon Priest Build

Basics

If you are going to focus on the single character build to progress in the storyline, there are numerous aspects that you will need to incorporate to build a perfect character.

1. Choose a Class: Select a Class that aligns with your sword and shield build. In this case, the Vagabond Class is recommended for its focus on Strength, Vigor, and Dexterity.
2. Initial Stat Allocation: Your character’s initial stats should prioritize Strength, Vigor, and Dexterity. These attributes will enhance your melee combat capabilities, increase HP, and boost damage output.
3. Endurance: Invest in Endurance as it is crucial for blocking and rolling during combat, which is essential for a sword and shield build in Elden Ring.

Apart from these, the next most important stat that you might want to increase, in my opinion, is Endurance. This is because it covers blocking and rolling during the combat, which is not an exception in the case of the sword and shield build in Elden Ring. 

Attribute	Value
Vigor	15
Mind	10
Endurance	11
Strength	14
Dexterity	13
Intelligence	9
Faith	9
Arcane	7

Weapons

With a game of infuriatingly huge arsenal of weapons, making the right choice for maximizing the damage output and defense can become overwhelming. However, to make things easy, I advise that you start with any item that you can find early in the game and then progress to obtain the final endgame item to meet the build requirements. 

As for the weapon, you can start with any sword. However, if you really need a perfect entry sword with a shield, then I’d suggest using the Zweihander. Zweihander is a colossal sword that makes up an ideal heavy-weight combat weapon for the builds involving shield. If the heavyweight concerns players, then I’d suggest you consider it for the scaling with Strength and Dexterity. This way, your character will be dishing out huge damage to the enemies and boss fights. 

Attribute	Attack	Guard
Physical	141	67
Magic	-	40
Fire	-	40
Lighting	-	40
Holy	-	40
Critical	100	-
Boost	-	45

Attribute	Grade	Value
Strength	D	19
Dexterity	D	11

1. Zweihander (Starting Weapon):
   • Base Physical Damage: 141
   • Critical Damage: 100 (Instantly kills enemies during Critical Attacks)
   • Cost: 3500 Runes
   • Location: Purchase from the Isolated Merchant in the Weeping Peninsula, west of the area.
2. Starscourge Greatsword (Endgame Weapon):
   • Requirements: Strength 38, Dexterity 12, Intelligence 15
   • This colossal sword is ideal for the endgame phase.
   • Features the unique skill “Starcaller Cry,” which draws enemies toward you with gravitational force and delivers a powerful slam attack with the Greatsword.

Attribute	Attack	Guard
Physical	129	65
Magic	83	47
Fire	0	34
Lighting	0	34
Holy	0	34
Critical	100	-
Boost	-	52

Attribute	Grade	Value
Strength	D	38
Dexterity	D	12
Intelligence	E	15

To obtain the weapon, you will be making a trade with Enia at the Roundtable Hold as a part of the storyline. This means you can only obtain it when you have progressed enough to use the Starscourge Greatsword. Or you can beat the mighty Starscourge Radahn boss to trade the soul for his sword. 

Armor

Additionally, you will also need a defensive element like armors to protect the character from potential threats. Survival in the Elden Ring is extremely difficult, but it does not necessarily have to be. For that instance, I would recommend you to obtain Beast Champion Armour to satisfy your defensive needs for the character build. 

Beast Champion set is an aesthetic fashion-soul armor set that not only pleases the defensive side but also adds a unique outlook to the character. The complete set grants a whopping 37.6 Physical and 28 Magic Damage Negation. On the other side, it is dropped by an NPC Knight Bernahl, which is part of the storyline. If you are a completionist player, you might want to complete his questline before making any horrendous move. 

Attribute	Value
Physical Damage	33.5
VS Strike	31.5
VS Slash	35.5
VS Pierce	34.9
Magic	25.6
Fire	27
Lighting	25.3
Holy	26.5

Attribute	Value
Immunity	135
Robustness	215
Focus	100
Vitality	91
Poise	72

As for the early game, you can consider armor sets like Raging Wolf for both fashion and Damage Negation. It goes well with the sword and shield builds with medium weight and 29.3 Physical and 22.1 Magical Damage Negation. 

Attribute	Value
Physical Damage	25.9
VS Strike	23
VS Slash	25.9
VS Pierce	24.9
Magic	19.8
Fire	22.1
Lighting	13.8
Holy	18.5

Attribute	Value
Immunity	75
Robustness	131
Focus	42
Vitality	42
Poise	42

Shield

Lastly, you will need a good shield to perform the Parry and get the damaging kill on the enemies. One of the best shields I’ve found for the build is Dragonclaw Shield. It is a Greatshield that combined with the Greatsword will boost your block and Parry attacks on the enemies.

Attribute	Attack	Guard
Physical	118	100
Magic	0	52
Fire	0	52
Lighting	76	76
Holy	0	47
Critical	100	-
Boost	-	61

Attribute	Grade	Value
Strength	D	28
Dexterity	E	12

1. Dragonclaw Shield:
   • Offers a full-body coverage shield with a Physical Damage Guard of 100.
   • Scales with Strength and Dexterity, enhancing your protection and defense.
   • Obtain it by defeating the Draconic Tree Sentinel in Capital Outskirts.
2. Shield Usage Tips:
   • Avoid keeping your shield up constantly, as it depletes stamina quickly.
   • Continuous blocking reduces stamina regeneration speed.
   • Learn enemy attack patterns and raise your shield at the right moments for efficient stamina management.

Since you are already putting a value on Strength and Dexterity, it is vital to experiment with different weapons. It includes spears and rapiers, which will be a great help during the tough bosses with clusters of strikes. Using these spears and rapiers will allow you to keep up your shield and still attack the enemy, thus boosting your defenses even further. Apart from that, you can continue with your sword and shield build as you were for the sake of the character playstyle. 

Talismans

Talismans are items that are dropped by the bosses and unique enemies. These items will contribute a unique effect to the damage and defensive strategies of the players. Considering the painful balancing of the Elden Ring, Talismans can make a huge difference in increasing your chances of survival. As for sword and shield build, you might also want to fill your Talisman slots to gain tactical advantage during the combat for survival and offense. 

The first and most important Talisman is will be Green Turtle Talisman. You are already wearing a heavy load with a huge sword that may hinder your performance by using more Stamina.

To ease that, Green Turtle Talisman will increase the stamina recovery speed. This is a great aid when you are swinging and smashing your Greatsword in boss fights. To obtain the Talisman, all you need to do is to come to Summonwater Village, the northeast side of the Limgrave on the map. 

Here you will be looking for turtles roaming around underground stairs. You will not be allowed to enter the underground stairs as it requires a Stonesword Key. Upon interacting with the Stonesword Key statue, you will easily gain access to the basement. Take the straight path to the door that you will need to open by interacting. In the room, you will find a chest with the Green Turtle Talisman. 

You will also need Great Jar’s Arsenal Talisman to boost your equipment load. As the name implies, you will be picking up loot and all kinds of items after defeating the bosses and enemies.

Great Jar Talisman will enhance your equipment load to maximize the performance of your character. You can obtain this Talisman by completing the Great Jar questline. You still have the freedom to add more Talismans that fit your character and playthrough requirements. 

From my personal experience, there are no limits to adding and removing items and accessories from your perfect sword and shield build in Elden Ring. You can include your own choices that meet your playstyle and ease of access early in the game. So make sure to experiment with different equipment and Talismans for the playthrough you want to pursue in Elden Ring.