If you're looking for a way to make Elden Ring easier, you may well be interested in thrusting shields — a new weapon type that's been introduced via Shadow of the Erdtree. Essentially, these shields let you attack and block at the same time, meaning that you don't have to worry about timing your strikes, because you're just tanking through incoming blows as you poke, poke, poke.
It sounds crazy on paper, but you should see it in practice. As demonstrated by @pirochanbanzai, thrusting shields can completely break the game's difficulty. In the below social media clip, they utilise one against an infamously tough DLC boss, and the results speak for themselves. All you have to do is hold down the block button while using the weapon's shield bash skill.
Please note that the clip may contain Shadow of the Erdtree spoilers.
Naturally, these weapons are now a hotly debated topic within the Elden Ring community. "New thrusting shields are the strongest weapons in the entire game and it's not even close," reads a particularly popular post on Reddit. And hey, it's hard to argue when you see them in action.
While thrusting shields are undeniably effective — especially when upgraded and paired with specific equipment — they are a bit... boring to actually use. But we suppose that's the price that you have to pay if you want to cheese a game like Elden Ring.
We're left wondering whether FromSoftware will address thrusting shields in a future patch. The developer's already felt the need to nerf certain weapons, abilities, and character builds in the base release, and we would assume that the team didn't foresee the sheer dominance of thrusting shields. If you want to break Elden Ring, now's probably the time to do it.
There are currently two available thrusting shields, both of which are found in a DLC dungeon called the Shadow Keep. You can click that link for a dungeon guide, and you can check out our Scadutree Fragment and Revered Spirit Ash guides if you want to make thrusting shields as potent as possible.