Verdigris Greatshield
Verdigris Greatshield is Moore’s massive Shadow of the Erdtree shield, obtained through his quest outcome or from his equipment drop. It offers exceptional guarding and the fixed Moore’s Charge skill, but its immense weight makes it a commitment for high-Strength, high-Endurance builds.
Key Takeaways
Verdigris Greatshield is a Shadow of the Erdtree greatshield built around exceptional defensive weight rather than flexibility. Its defining passive rewards a heavier overall equip load, making its handling and build cost part of its performance.
DLC greatshield with a weight-based defense mechanic
The Verdigris Greatshield is available in Shadow of the Erdtree and gains greater defensive value as the user's equip load increases. This makes the shield especially relevant to heavily armored builds.
Its passive changes the equip-load tradeoff
The shield's distinctive mechanic turns its extreme weight into part of its defensive identity, but carrying it can push a character into a slower equipment-load category if the rest of the build is not planned around it.
High Strength is required
The Verdigris Greatshield requires 49 Strength to wield, so it is not an early general-purpose shield for low-Strength characters.
Shield Bash is its fixed skill
It uses Shield Bash as its weapon skill, giving the shield an offensive guard-based option without making attack performance its primary role.
Upgrades use the unique-weapon path
The shield follows the Somber Smithing Stone reinforcement path and can be upgraded to its maximum reinforcement level through that system; its fixed skill is not treated like a freely infusible shield skill.
Its comparison is with other top-end greatshields
Compared with the Fingerprint Stone Shield, Verdigris Greatshield offers a different defensive tradeoff: its defining benefit is tied to equip load, while the Fingerprint shield is evaluated more directly through its own guard profile and defensive properties.
Overview
Verdigris Greatshield is a unique greatshield from Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, built for players who want to make shielded movement, blocking, and guard-counter play the center of their defense. Its defining identity is tied to Moore and to the Verdigris equipment associated with the Land of Shadow.
Unlike a general-purpose medium shield, Verdigris Greatshield is a commitment to the greatshield role. It emphasizes front-facing protection and the ability to hold ground against attacks that would force a lighter shield user to retreat. That protection comes with the usual greatshield trade-offs: substantial equipment burden, greater demands on the build, and a slower defensive style that rewards reading enemy attack patterns rather than constant repositioning.
The shield is also more than a passive wall. Its unique skill, Moore's Charge, gives it an offensive shield action that lets the wielder advance with the shield raised before following through with a shield-based attack. This makes the weapon distinct from greatshields whose main appeal is simply their guard profile, although the skill still belongs to a deliberate, committed playstyle rather than a replacement for ordinary attacks.
Verdigris Greatshield is a Shadow of the Erdtree weapon and is associated with Moore, so it is not part of the base game's standard shield progression. Its availability is therefore tied to DLC content and to an encounter or quest state involving that character. The shield's place in progression is best understood as a specialized late-game option for a character already prepared to support a heavy defensive setup, not as an early replacement for a lighter shield.
Compared with parry-focused shields, Verdigris Greatshield gives up agility and convenience in exchange for a more imposing defensive presence. Compared with other greatshields, its most obvious distinction is the combination of Moore's association and the Moore's Charge skill. It suits players who value controlled advances, guarded retaliation, and blocking through pressure; it is less appropriate for builds that depend on low equipment burden, frequent rolling, or rapid weapon-skill cycling.
Statistics
Elden Ring publishes no 0–100 stat bars, so this page lists the verified requirements, scaling and handling figures instead. Taken from the project's verified weapons database, not from generated text.
- CategoryGreatshields
- Damage TypeStandard
- Primary ScalingStr C
- Weight15
- SkillShield Bash
- Str Req24
- How to ObtainSold by Nomadic Merchants
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar greatshields
| Weapon | Str Req | Weight | Primary Scaling |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verdigris Greatshield | 24 | 15 | Str C |
| Spiked Palisade Shield | 24 | 15 | Str C |
| Eclipse Crest Greatshield | 24 | 15 | Str C |
| Manor Towershield | 24 | 15 | Str C |
| Briar Greatshield | 24 | 15 | Str C / Fai D |
Requirements, scaling grades and weight are the game’s own published figures. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- Shadow of the Erdtree DLC.
- Access to Gravesite Plain and the Main Gate Cross area.
- Moore must still be present at Main Gate Cross for the direct route; if his quest has already advanced, the direct opportunity at that location may no longer be available.
- No NG+ or additional game-mode requirement.
- 01Travel to the Main Gate Cross Site of Grace in Gravesite Plain, within the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Moore is present near the cross. Defeat Moore there; the Verdigris Greatshield is a guaranteed item drop from this NPC, so no farming or separate drop-rate check is required.
- 02Loot Moore's remains after the fight to receive the shield. This direct acquisition route does not require defeating a boss, purchasing the shield from a vendor, or completing Moore's quest. Because Moore is a non-hostile quest NPC, attacking him can alter or end his questline and should be treated as a one-per-playthrough acquisition opportunity.
Availability
Requires Shadow of the Erdtree expansion and access to its content
Available during a standard Elden Ring playthrough; no separate NG+ or difficulty requirement is established.
Mechanics and Handling
Verdigris Greatshield is handled as a defensive greatshield rather than an offensive weapon. Its defining behavior is the interaction between its exceptional mass and guarding: carrying it imposes a substantial equipment burden, but that mass is also central to the shield’s ability to absorb attacks while the player remains behind it. The practical trade-off is reduced mobility and a heavier loadout in exchange for a more reliable blocking platform.
Weight-Driven Guarding
The shield’s weight is not merely an equipment statistic. Verdigris Greatshield’s design ties its defensive performance to its mass, making it especially suited to players who intend to hold their ground against strong physical attacks rather than evade every hit. Blocking still consumes stamina and can eventually lead to guard break, so the shield does not remove the need to manage attack timing, stamina recovery, and incoming pressure. Its burden also matters when maintaining a preferred equip-load threshold.
Shield Bash
Verdigris Greatshield uses Shield Bash as its weapon skill. The skill braces the shield and drives it into the target while preserving the shield-forward posture during the attack. It can shove weaker enemies and may stagger suitable targets, but it should not be treated as a universal interruption tool: larger or more resistant enemies can withstand the impact, and the skill does not replace careful positioning. Its value is greatest when the player has already committed to close-range defense and wants to turn that guarded stance into a short-range counterattack.
Parrying, Status, and Offensive Use
This is not a parry-focused shield, and its signature handling does not come from a special status buildup or a ranged attack. Its defensive identity is instead blocking backed by weight, with Shield Bash providing the notable offensive action. Players using it offensively still need to account for the time and stamina involved in raising the shield, absorbing a blow, and following with a counterattack. It is therefore most natural for a guard-oriented character, while a lightweight parry shield offers a different rhythm rather than a direct upgrade.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Provides the defensive profile expected of a greatshield, letting a player block physical attacks and create openings for guard counters rather than relying on repeated rolls.
- Its very high weight supports a stationary, shield-forward playstyle: attacks that would stagger lighter shields are more manageable when the wielder has sufficient stamina and equip-load capacity.
- Shield Bash gives the shield an offensive way to pressure nearby enemies while maintaining a defensive posture.
Weaknesses
- The shield's substantial weight creates a major equip-load opportunity cost and can force heavier armor, talisman, or attribute investment to avoid a fat roll.
- Blocking is not a universal answer: elemental damage, repeated attacks, and poor stamina management can still drain the guard and leave the user vulnerable.
- Its defensive strengths matter less against enemies that punish passive turtling or require mobility, spacing, or frequent repositioning.
Best uses
- PvE front-line play against enemies whose physical attacks can be safely blocked.
- Heavy builds that can absorb the equip-load cost and want reliable guard-counter opportunities.
- Close-range encounters where Shield Bash can interrupt or pressure an enemy without fully abandoning the shield’s defensive role.
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Shield role | Distinctive trait | Trade-off / fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verdigris Greatshield | Its defining benefit is increased maximum equipment load, alongside a heavy defensive profile. | Best suited to builds that can meet its high strength and weight demands while valuing extra load capacity. | — |
| Fingerprint Stone Shield | Combines very strong guarding with innate Madness buildup and Shield Bash. | A specialized choice for players who can exploit Madness; its extreme weight competes directly with Verdigris Greatshield’s load requirements. | — |
| Greatshield of Solitude | Provides a high-end defensive option with its own shield skill and a less load-focused identity. | A practical alternative when the player wants a strong DLC greatshield without specifically building around Verdigris Greatshield’s equipment-load benefit. | — |
| Haligtree Crest Greatshield | Offers a more conventional greatshield profile with broad elemental defenses. | Generally a more straightforward defensive alternative for builds that prioritize protection and requirements over colossal-shield specialization. | — |
Lore and Design
The Verdigris Greatshield is associated with Moore, one of Miquella’s followers encountered in the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion. Its item description presents the shield as being formed from a massive quantity of verdigris, a naturally occurring patina associated with copper and bronze, and attributes protective significance to the material. This establishes the shield’s connection to Moore and to the visual language of his equipment, but the description does not explain the material’s origin in greater historical detail. The design therefore has documented in-game associations with Moore and Miquella’s group; claims about a specific real-world model, cultural inspiration, or developer intent would go beyond the available evidence.
Trivia
- The name “Verdigris” refers to the green corrosion patina associated with copper and bronze. In Elden Ring, that name is shared with Moore’s armor set, linking the shield visually and thematically to Moore rather than identifying a separate faction or weapon lineage.
- The shield’s item description connects its verdigris metal with exceptional defensive qualities, presenting the material itself as part of the equipment’s identity rather than merely a surface decoration.