Last updated: 26 June 2026

How to Parry in Elden Ring — Shields, Timing & Ripostes

Parrying is one of the highest-risk, highest-reward mechanics in Elden Ring. Land it correctly and a staggered enemy opens up for a critical riposte that can delete a huge chunk of their health bar. Miss it and you eat a full attack. This guide covers every parry type, which shields to use, how the timing works, and which attacks are simply not parryable.

01What Parrying Actually Does

A successful parry deflects an incoming melee attack, breaks the attacker's stance, and staggers them briefly. During that window you can walk up and press R1 / RB to trigger a critical riposte — a slow, cinematic strike that deals massive bonus damage. Against regular enemies one parry is usually enough. Against many bosses you may need two or three consecutive parries before the stance-break threshold is crossed.

Riposte damage scales with your weapon's critical stat (daggers and thrusting swords are highest) and your overall attack rating, so weapon choice matters as much as shield choice on a parry build.

02How to Perform a Parry (Controls)

You need a shield or weapon carrying the Parry skill equipped in your left hand. Press L2 / LT — the left-hand skill button — just before an enemy's attack connects. Do not press L1 (that is a normal block).

1. Equip a compatible shield or weapon in your left-hand slot.
2. Make sure it carries a Parry Ash of War (Buckler Parry, Parry, or Golden Parry).
3. Face the enemy and watch their attack hand, not the weapon tip.
4. Press L2 / LT as the enemy's hand begins its forward swing toward you — not at the peak of the wind-up.
5. If the parry connects you hear a distinct clang and see the enemy stagger. Approach and press R1 / RB for the riposte.
6. If you triggered too early or too late, you simply take the hit — reset and try again.

03Parry Types: Shields and Ashes of War

Not every parry animation is equal. Each variant has different startup and active windows; more active frames means more room for error.

• Buckler Parry — found on the Buckler (buy from Gatekeeper Gostoc in Stormveil). Has the largest active window and fast recovery, making it the most forgiving parry in the game. Best choice for beginners and experts alike.
• Parry (standard) — the default Ash of War usable on small/medium shields, daggers, curved swords, thrusting swords, fists, and claws. A much tighter window than Buckler Parry — you must be more precise.
• Golden Parry — an Ash of War that adds a golden AoE burst on activation, catching ranged and delayed attacks. Excellent for PvP timing mix-ups.
• Carian Retaliation — exclusive to the Carian Knight's Shield; it also destroys incoming magic projectiles and turns them into Glintblade attacks, making it great against sorcery-heavy enemies.
• Weapon parries (fist/claw/dagger) — equipping a parry weapon left-handed frees your right hand for a high-critical weapon, maximising riposte damage.

For pure reliability, start with the Buckler. Once your timing is consistent, experiment with weapon parries to maximise riposte damage.

04Timing: Reading Enemy Attacks

The general rule: press L2 as the enemy's weapon hand starts moving toward you, not at the very start of the wind-up and not at the point of impact. React to commitment rather than anticipating the move.

• Watch the hand, not the weapon. Weapon tips and effects can mislead; the forward drive of the attack hand is your cue.
• Slow attacks are deceptively hard. Big telegraphed swings tempt you to press too early — wait longer than feels natural.
• Quick jabs and flurries need a faster reaction; the Buckler's larger window helps here.
• Practice on weak enemies first — Godrick Soldiers near Gatefront Ruins and the guards in Stormveil have readable patterns.
• Don't panic-parry chains — multi-hit combos bait early presses; watch for the final hit, which is often safest to parry.

05What Cannot Be Parried

Attempting to parry the wrong attack wastes the skill and leaves you exposed. Learn which categories are off-limits.

• Arrows and bolts — ranged projectiles cannot be parried.
• Sorceries and Incantations — magical projectiles and beams bypass parry (Carian Retaliation handles magic only on that specific shield).
• Grab attacks — anything that transitions into a grab is unparryable; dodge instead.
• Most jump attacks — airborne strikes generally cannot be parried.
• Whips — the whip class deals damage through blocks and cannot be deflected.
• Colossal two-handed attacks — hits from ultra-heavy weapons are generally unparryable.
• Some boss attacks — many endgame boss moves cannot be parried, and mounted bosses cannot be riposted even when staggered.

When fighting a new boss, test a parry attempt cautiously rather than committing every encounter to it. If the animation plays but the boss is unaffected, that attack type is off-limits.

06Gear and Build Tips for Parry Playstyles

A dedicated parry build pairs a left-hand parry tool with a right-hand weapon that maximises critical-hit damage.

• Right hand: high-critical weapon. Daggers (especially the Misericorde, with a 140 critical rating) deal the most riposte damage. Thrusting and curved swords are also strong.
• Left hand: Buckler with Buckler Parry. The default for learning; a +10 Buckler also raises guard boost for the times you must block.
• Stats: parry timing has no stat dependency, but riposte damage scales normally with your attack rating — invest in your weapon's primary scaling stat.
• Talismans: the Lord of Blood's Exultation or Rotten Winged Sword Insignia can stack damage in the burst windows ripostes open.
• Keep medium load or below so your dodge roll stays quick — you will need to roll the attacks you cannot parry.