Like any good obtuse action/adventure RPG, Elden Ring boasts some combat complexity. You have multiple defensive options in a scrap, such as dodging, blocking, guard countering and hitting first. There’s also a parry, something that Soulslike players will be familiar with. But it doesn’t quite work the same way in Elden Ring as it does in say, Demon’s Souls. So for our more beginner level readers, here’s how to parry in Elden Ring.
Related: Elden Ring: How to Use Ashes of War
First of all, you need a shield. Parrying can be used with small or medium-sized shields. You can’t parry with a Greatshield, but you probably don’t need to if you’re rocking one. But you can’t just grab a shield and start baiting attacks – you have to make sure you have parry. In Elden Ring, the Parry skill is one of the Ashes of War you can collect. That means you have to find Parry, then attach it to whichever shield you want.
That said, some shields you pick up will have Parry on them already.
Luckily you don’t have to go far to pick up the Parry Ash of War. You just need to get past the Gatefront Ruins, one of Elden Ring’s first big hurdles. From there, follow the road until you hit the Stormhill Shack, then go right, still following the road. You’ll come across the Warmaster’s Shack.
The grizzly soldier inside sells several Ashes of War, and Parry is one of them. It’s pretty cheap as well; 600 Runes and you’re good. Once you have the skill equipped, you can actually start practicing parries. It’s finicky, to put it lightly.
Unlike parrying in games like Sifu or Street Fighter III, FromSoftware’s parrying style includes a windup. Your character will swipe their shield out in front of them, which of course means the margin of error is pretty wide. You really just have to feel it out and get an idea, but there’s still guesswork involved due to all the different weapons and animations you have to contend with. You’ll know you got it when you stun your enemy, leaving them open for a Critical Hit.
You can also find variant skills, such as Buckler Parry or Storm Wall. These offer different properties from the standard Parry skill, but still function the same fundamentally.
