There’s been no shortage of contentious discussion surrounding Shadow of the Erdtree’s difficulty, particularly when it comes to the bosses. Relentless combo chains are probably the most-bemoaned aspect of encounter design in the DLC, but I have come to sing the praises of our friend, our granter-of-damage, our savior: the Deflecting Hardtear.
Where to get the Deflecting Hardtear
This is very easy to find, and very early in the DLC. The first Furnace Golem you see in the Land of Shadow will drop the Deflecting Hardtear when defeated. Defeating it is just a matter of walking up and whacking its tootsies until it “stance breaks” three times, at which point it will fall to the ground primed for a high damage punish to its face.
Just make sure you watch the feet and jump over the resulting flames on Torrent (or on foot if you’re feeling brave). If it jumps with both feet, back away a distance to avoid the resulting AoE. Once it’s down, mix the Deflecting Hardtear into your Flask of Wondrous Physick at the nearby Grace.
How to use the Deflecting Hardtear
The Deflecting Hardtear is deceptively simple and powerful. It completely negates damage and vastly reduces stamina drain when you block in the precise moment you would otherwise take damage (think of it working nearly the same as a parry in Sekiro). This works with shields, weapons, even your bare hands. You can tank hits that would otherwise pancake you with nothing more than a dagger if you press block when the blow lands.
What’s more, the tear also increases your follow-up Guard Counter. This bonus lasts a few moments and also stacks up to four: if you land four perfect guards in a row the resulting Guard Counter will be boosted by a staggering 80% damage.
These two boons are enough to positively annihilate any humanoid-style enemy like Messmer. Yes, you’ll need to learn their attack patterns to be able to land perfect guards, but if you combine the tear with a powerful shield you’ll safely block any attacks you try to block too early. Blocking too late will get you hit, but blocking about half of any incoming blows is still a huge damage reduction when trying to learn fights.
Now, could this have been a talisman instead of a flask buff? Yeah, probably. But rest assured: the buff lasts 5 minutes, which is long enough for any boss encounter in the DLC and more than enough to get you through any difficult scuffles on your way to the next site of Grace.
Deflecting Hardtear build advice
Combining the Deflecting Hardtear with the Curved Sword Talisman, which further improves Guard Counters, is a no-brainer. I’d also suggest using it with either a high poise-damage weapon (like a Colossal weapon) or any weapon that inflicts something like bleed and hits multiple times on Guard Counter (like Blood-infused Backhand Blades). This will let you land more stance breaks or deal consistent damaging afflictions when you do land Guard Counters.
If you’d like to play it safe, you can combine the tear with a Greatshield for additional cushioning on missed perfect blocks. But, if you’re feeling zesty, you can simply rock a two-handed weapon with the Two-Handed Sword Talisman, which boosts damage when any weapon is held in both hands. If you’re looking for something in-between, try a two handed weapon with a high physical block value, like the Greatsword of Solitude.
Using the Deflecting Hardtear facilitates my new favorite playstyle in Elden Ring. Taking it into the base game and countering Melania’s Waterfowl Dance is positively cathartic. I do wish it were “baked in” to the game’s options a little more, but the fact that we got a parry at all is more than welcome.
