You've been there. Facing down a Crucible Knight in Stormveil or some nameless banishing knight in Crumbling Farum Azula, and you're just... panic-rolling. It sucks. We’ve all done it. But then you see those clips on YouTube. Someone just stands there, cold as ice, clinks their shield at the perfect microsecond, and sends a god-slaying boss reeling. That’s the power of the parry Ash of War Elden Ring players either love or absolutely despise because of the learning curve.
It’s not just about timing. Honestly, it’s about math.
People think parrying is just a "vibe" or a reflex test. It isn't. FromSoftware built this system on frame data, and if you're using the wrong tool, you’re basically trying to catch a bullet with a toothpick. Most players slap a standard parry on a medium shield and wonder why they keep getting "partialed"—that annoying thing where you lose stamina and take damage but don't get the riposte.
Why Your Parry Keeps Failing
Size matters. In Elden Ring, the "active frames" of your parry—the window where the game actually counts your move as a success—depend entirely on the equipment.
If you put the parry Ash of War on a medium shield, you're playing on hard mode. The startup is slower. The active window is narrower. It’s objectively worse than using a small shield like the Buckler or the Iron Roundshield. You’ve probably heard people swear by the Buckler, and they’re right, but even that isn't the "end game" for parrying anymore.
The real secret? Golden Parry and Carian Retaliation.
These two specific Ashes of War actually change the frame data of whatever shield you put them on. If you put Carian Retaliation on a medium shield, it suddenly gets the same (or better) startup frames as a small shield. It’s a literal game-changer. You get the 100% physical damage reduction of a heavy-duty kite shield but the lightning-fast parry speed of a tiny buckler. It feels like cheating, but it's just efficient build-crafting.
The Physics of the "Clink"
Let's talk about the actual animation. When you press L2, three things happen.
First, there's the startup. Your character prepares the move. You can't parry anything here. Then, there are the active frames. This is the sweet spot. If the enemy's weapon hit-box touches your shield's parry hit-box during these few milliseconds, you win. Finally, there’s recovery. You’re wide open.
Most people mess up because they try to parry the hand, not the weapon. Or they react to the wind-up instead of the "swing" phase. Elden Ring bosses love to delay their attacks just to mess with your internal clock. Margit is the king of this. He’ll hold that staff in the air for three business days just to watch you panic-parry early.
Carian Retaliation vs. Golden Parry
Which one should you actually use?
Golden Parry costs FP every time you swing it, but it has incredible range. You don't even have to be touching the enemy. You can parry a spear from three feet away. It’s wild. But if you run out of FP, the frames get worse. It becomes a "sad parry."
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Carian Retaliation is the smarter choice for most. It costs zero FP to parry a physical attack. It only consumes FP if you parry a spell (which then turns into glintblade phalanxes that shoot back at the enemy). It has the best frame data in the game. Period. If you aren't using Carian Retaliation, you're essentially choosing to make the game harder for no reason.
Equipment Check: What to Pick
Don't just grab any shield. If you're going for a parry-centric build, look at the Buckler for early game. It has a unique "Buckler Parry" that is faster than the standard version.
However, once you get to Liurnia, grab Carian Retaliation from Pidia (that creepy servant in Caria Manor). Slap that on a Brass Shield. Why? Because the Brass Shield has the highest guard boost of almost any medium shield. If you miss the parry and just end up blocking, you won't lose all your stamina. It's a safety net.
- Small Shields: Fastest, but if you miss, you’re going to hurt.
- Medium Shields: Great for Carian Retaliation/Golden Parry swaps.
- Daggers: Don't do it unless you're showing off. The frames are terrible.
- Thrusting Swords: Very niche, very stylish, very difficult.
The Bosses You Can (and Can't) Bully
Not everything can be parried. This is where a lot of players get frustrated. Generally, if an enemy is twice your size and using a colossal weapon with two hands, you can't parry it. Radagon? Parriable (but you have to do it three times to get one riposte). Malenia? Extremely parriable, though it takes three hits to break her stance too.
Giant dogs in Caelid? No.
The Fire Giant? Absolutely not.
You’re looking for "humanoid" attacks. Swords, spears, curved blades. If it’s a flail or a whip, forget it. You can't parry those. It's a hard rule in the game's code. Knowing what not to try and parry is just as important as knowing the timing.
Transitioning from "Panic" to "Precision"
The best way to learn the parry Ash of War Elden Ring timing isn't by fighting a boss. It's by going to the Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave. Those Godrick Knights are parry tutors. They have clear, telegraphable moves.
Spend thirty minutes there. Don't even try to kill them. Just stand there and try to catch the blade. You’ll start to notice a "spark" when you get a partial parry. That means you were close—usually a frame or two late. If you get hit cleanly, you were too early.
The Critical Damage Factor
Why bother with all this? The "Riposte."
When you successfully parry, you open the enemy up for a critical hit. This scales with your weapon's "Critical" stat. Most weapons are at 100. Daggers like the Misericorde are at 140. If you keep a Misericorde in your second weapon slot and swap to it after a parry, the damage is astronomical. We're talking about deleting half a health bar in one animation.
It’s a high-risk, high-reward playstyle that makes the game feel entirely different. It turns Elden Ring from an action-RPG into a rhythm game.
Step-by-Step Optimization for Your Build
To truly master this, you need a setup that rewards your successes and punishes your mistakes less severely.
- Acquire the Misericorde: Found in Stormveil Castle behind a stonesword key door. It has the highest critical modifier in the game. Infuse it with whatever scales with your primary stat (Lightning for Dex, Fire for Strength).
- Get Carian Retaliation: Buy it from Pidia in Caria Manor. If Pidia is... unavailable... check the Twin Maiden Husks at the Hold for his Bell Bearing.
- Equip the Assassin’s Crimson Dagger Talisman: This heals you every time you land a critical hit. It makes the parry playstyle sustainable because every successful riposte is basically a free health potion.
- Practice on the Crucible Knight: The one in the Evergaol in Limgrave is the perfect "final exam." He is extremely consistent. Once you can parry him into oblivion, you can parry almost anything in the game.
The learning process is painful. You will die. A lot. But the moment the system clicks, the "intimidation factor" of the game's hardest enemies evaporates. You stop being the prey and start being the encounter they should be worried about. Stop rolling and start standing your ground. It's time to actually use those shields for what they were meant for.