Summary
AnElden Ringplayer came across the OP guard boost feature while upgrading their shield, which gives users much more incentive to use their Smithing Stones on something which might they might not consider their first priority. What’s surprising is the fact that they discovered it after 1400 hours inElden Ring, and many other players missed this mechanic too.
With theShadow of the ErdtreeDLC just a month away, severalElden Ringplayers are flocking back to the game to prepare for its release. While some arefine-tuning theirElden Ringbuildsto gear up for the challenge the Land of Shadows will bring, others are just starting from scratch all over again. Amid that, a player has come across a pivotal aspect about shields which is quite easy to miss.
In a post on theElden Ringsubreddit, user PompousGoblin reveals an interesting discovery they had after spending over a whopping 1400 hours in the game. They highlight thatupgrading shields inElden Ringwas something that wasn’t on their priority list considering it didn’t affect the guard boost, which is by far one of the most crucial attributes of shields. However, since they had an abundance of Smithing Stones, they ended up upgrading it, only to realize that it does indeed affect the guard boost.
Two Years After Its Release, Several Elden Ring Fans Still Unaware of Shield Guard Boost
Guard boost, also known as stability, is a metric that determines how much stamina is used by the players per block. A shield with better guard boost attributes will ensure that players are able to get more blocks without running out of stamina. This affects the meta significantly, considering the fact that players will need to indirectly spend fewer points on increasing their stamina as well. It is quite easy to miss this, since shields only gain a guard boost after every few upgrades, so investing the preciousElden RingSmithing Stoneson shields early on in the game might not seem quite pivotal at first glance.
Surprisingly, many other players seemed to be unaware of this as well. In fact, a few didn’t even know what the guard boost mechanic was. That being said, some in the community are not really sold on the idea of upgrading shields merely for guard boost and believe that it is only viable for a few shields in the game, such asElden Ring’s popular Brass Shield. As with a number of other things inElden Ring, a lot of factors influence this choice, with the overall build and playstyle being the most pivotal aspect.
Elden Ring
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ELDEN RING, developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin. Danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to date. Hidetaka Miyazaki - President and Game Director of FromSoftware Inc. Known for directing critically-acclaimed games in beloved franchises including Armored Core and Dark Souls.George R.R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast For Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
