One of the best things about Elden Ring is that it gives players so many weapons and items to use in battle. It's a game that can be customized to fit any player's particular style, allowing them to settle in with whatever weapon set and combat pacing they feel most comfortable with. Some opt to carry large greatswords, while others favor the speed of a dagger. But past all of the "traditional roles," there are a wide array of interesting builds that utilize strange combos of weapons and actually manage to work quite well against opponents.
A great example of this is the 
Fingerprint Stone Shield . This massive, hulking Greatshield allows players to become walking bunkers, hiding behind its insanely high defensive stats. By equipping a thrusting sword that does damage over time, they can hide behind their makeshift riot shield, avoiding damage, while thrusting towards the enemy once they have an opening. Thanks to the damage over time, players are able to bunker down and outlast their opponents. Here's how players can grab the Fingerprint Stone Shield in Elden Ring if they want to try the strategy for themselves.
Where To Find The Fingerprint Stone Shield
The path to the Fingerprint Stone Shield is long and arduous. It's easily one of (if not THE) best Greatshields in the game, but players will have to embark on a journey across multiple areas to reach it. To gain access to the "jumping puzzle" guarding the Fingerprint Stone Shield, players first need to make it to the bottom of the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds. The danger-filled sewer-like catacombs are located in Leyndell, Royal Capital, a zone that players likely won't reach until the midgame at the earliest.
Although it is possible to make it to the city by piecing together the Dectus Medallion and bypassing Stormveil Castle to ride the Grand Lift of Dectus, players will find themselves trying to dodge and run from some truly imposing enemies just to make it to the location. To make matters worse, they'll need to tangle with two particularly powerful bosses along the way in the Draconic Tree Sentinel that guards the city gates, as well as Mohg, The Omen. Both of these bosses will prove pretty overwhelming for low-level players, so it's recommended that they don't attempt to snag this shield until they're adequately leveled.
Those that are struggling to get through the complex and winding Subterrean-Shunning Grounds can use the following guides to gain access to them and get through them.
- For those looking to reach the Subterranean-Shunning Grounds.
- For those that need help making it to the bottom of the Subterranean-Shunning Grounds.
Once players have made it to the bottom of the expansive area and unlocked the Forsaken Depths Site of Grace, they'll need to head into the nearby boss room and defeat Mohg, The Omen. Once the powerful boss is slain, players will unlock a new Site of Grace called Cathedral of the Forsaken. Nearby this Site of Grace is a chest, and directly behind it is a large altar. If players attack this structure, it will slowly open and reveal a hidden path. Continuing down the path, players will eventually come to an area littered with bodies and a long wooden beam jutting out across a large chasm filled with coffins.
To reach the Fingerprint Stone Shield, players will need to carefully navigate their way down this deep pit, using the wooden beams and stone slabs jutting from the wall to make their way downward. This part can be incredibly tedious, as the platforms are small and it's easy for players to slip off. One wrong move will send players to instant death by fall damage. To better illustrate the best path and jumps to take to navigate the pit, players can follow along with the Youtube video below.
Once players reach the "bottom" of the jumping puzzle, they'll be rewarded with the Inescapable Frenzy Incantation (picked up from a nearby corpse on the final platform that players will jump to). But that's not the only thing here. If players move into the small alcove near where they picked up the Incantation, they can continue along to the right and around a bend. There, at the end of the body-littered "hallway" is the corpse containing the Fingerprint Stone Shield.
What Does The Fingerprint Stone Shield Do?
The Fingerprint Stone Shield is one of the best Greatshields in the game, giving players an immense amount of blocking power thanks to its Guarded Damage Negation stats (100 Physical, 81 Fire, 79 Lightning, 77 Magic, 75 Holy) as well as its beefy 81 Guard Boost. The Guard Boost used to be higher and has been nerfed as of Patch 1.04, but the shield is still very capable of turning players into a bunker that's difficult to defeat in both PvP and PvE settings.
The shield requires a hefty 48 Strength to wield correctly but players will be able to infuse it with a variety of Ash of War. This gives it a great utility, allowing players to place it into a chosen build in a number of ways, with useful and punishing Ash of War to catch their opponents off guard.
