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Elden Ring introduces a huge variety of combat mechanics intended to make melee fighting and defensive gameplay much less about turtling and more about getting into the action. In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, constantly being on the offensive is a legitimate strategy. In Elden Ring, it's easier to stay in the fight than ever before thanks to mechanics like Guard Counter.

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Elden Ring two character are fighting
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A Guard Counter works similar to a Perfect Parry in Sekiro, though it doesn't require nearly as precise timing. It's a mechanic that makes defensive builds much more fun. Instead of hiding behind a Shield and poking for damage every once in a while, a Guard Counter gives defensive players a new tool that can punish especially aggressive opponents.

Updated June 7, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: The new Elden Ring counter attack is called a Guard Counter, but it doesn't work quite the same as a parry or an attack made in the middle of an enemy's animation, like in previous FromSoftware games. Though it's easy to perform this combat move when you figure out how Guard Counters work, learning how to Guard Counter in Elden Ring can be tough for new players and experienced Souls fans alike. This guide to the Elden Ring Guard Counter system has been updated to more clearly explain how to perform a Guard Counter, as well as to include new details on why you might want to take advantage of this surprisingly powerful new maneuver. Check each section for some new tips on how to improve your Guard Counter and which early game shields are the best to take advantage of this powerful counter system.

Guard Counters Make Shields And Melee Builds More ViableElden Ring How To Guard Counter Guide Turtle Melee Builds

A Guard Counter is a special attack that can be performed after defending with a Shield. It deals far higher damage to posture than a regular Heavy Attack – very weak enemies will be stunned in a single hit by a well-timed Guard Counter. It's great for interrupting enemies who like to cast right after striking, like the Godskin Apostle (Dominula, Windmill Village) , but its real strength comes from triggering Critical Hit opportunities.

When the hidden posture meter is broken, an enemy will be stunned and usually have a specific place players can strike to initiate a unique Critical Hit. In Elden Ring Guard Counters deal significantly more damage to this hidden stagger meter, and make it much more likely to actually stun enemies – even bosses. Because Guard Counters deal so much damage to this meter, it should be a regular part of your melee build rotation if you are using a Shield.

Guard Counter Tips

Melee builds in other FromSoftware games revolve around ducking in and out of combat to deal a bit of damage at a time. With this mechanic, staying in the middle of a fight is much more encouraged than in the Dark Souls series as it gives shield-wielding melee players another mechanic to look out for and take advantage of.

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Use Shields with a higher Guard Boost value to maximize your Stamina reduction, and consider using the Ash of War: Barricade Shield to make Blocking even more effective, leaving plenty of Stamina for the comeback. The Guard Boost stat can be found on every Shield, and typically the heavier and more defensive shields offer the highest Guard Boost.

A great early option is the Brass Shield that can sometimes drop from various soldiers, as it's both relatively low-weight and has a high Guard Boost stat.

Guard Counters can only be done if you have Stamina remaining after blocking, so be sure to keep your Shield lowered in between enemy attacks to recover Stamina much more quickly.

How To Guard Counter In Elden Ring

Elden Ring How To Guard Counter Guide Blocking Beastman Of Farum Azula

To pull off a Guard Counter, first find an enemy who hits up close. The Godrick Soldiers in early Limgrave are a good enemy to test this mechanic out on, but any enemy that deals blockable damage can trigger the Guard Counter. Blocking a melee strike from a Soldier will allow you to trigger a Guard Counter, but the feature can also be triggered by ranged attacks (though you likely won't hit your target at such a distance).

For example, blocking a Glintstone Pebble at melee range will still allow a Guard Counter just like a physical damage attack, and this can be helpful against enemies that like to cast and then move in quickly, like in PvP.

To Guard Counter, first raise your Shield with the left shoulder button (L1) as you are about to take a hit. As soon as the attack hits your Shield and your Stamina bar takes damage, press the right trigger (R2), or your equivalent normal input for a Heavy attack.

If done correctly, you will hear a special sound play as your character whisks around to retaliate in a unique animation, dealing a huge amount of damage to both the enemy's HP and hidden posture meter.

Some enemies can also use Guard Counters on you, like the Leyndell Knights that wield lightning, so listen for this sound to know when enemies are about to perform this move, too.