Mastering Deflection in Elden Ring Reforged (ERR)

If you are reading this, you are probably tired of the “Dark Souls roll-spam.” You installed Elden Ring Reforged (ERR) because you heard the rumors: You can finally play this game like Sekiro.

But the reality hit you hard. You tried to deflect Margit’s cane, got smashed, and wondered if your game was bugged.

It’s not bugged. It’s just widely misunderstood.

The deflection system in ERR is not just a “nice-to-have” add-on; it is a complete rewriting of the combat engine. Unlike the vanilla Deflecting Hardtear (which is just a temporary buff), Reforged builds this mechanic into the DNA of every shield and weapon.

This guide is your manual. We are going to deconstruct the math, the specific frame data, and the invisible “Retaliation” mechanics that will turn you from a panic-roller into a deflection god.

1. The Core Mechanic: Understanding “The Frames”

In vanilla Elden Ring, blocking is passive. You hold L1, take chip damage, and lose stamina. In Reforged, blocking is an active trigger.

The moment you press block, an invisible timer starts. Depending on when the enemy hits you during that timer, one of three things happens. Assuming the game runs at 60 FPS, here is the exact breakdown:

The Three Stages of Blocking

State	Window (60 FPS)	Time	What Actually Happens?
1. Perfect Deflect	Frames 1–6	0.0s – 0.1s	God Mode. You take 0 damage. You lose almost 0 stamina. You are immune to status buildup (Rot, Bleed). Visual: White Flash.
2. Imperfect Deflect	Frames 7–16	0.1s – 0.25s	Survival Mode. You take 0 Physical damage (if 100% shield) but still take elemental chip damage. Stamina cost is reduced. Visual: Orange Sparks.
3. Standard Block	Frame 17+	0.25s+	Vanilla Mode. You take standard chip damage and full stamina penalty. You will likely get guard-broken by bosses.

⚠️ The “Input Lag” Trap

This is where 90% of players fail.

You are pressing block when the attack hits. That is too late. Because of input latency and animation startup, you must press block right as the enemy begins their forward swing, not when the weapon touches your face.

If you see Orange Sparks, you were too early (you hit the “Imperfect” window).

If you get Hit, you were too late.

If you see a White Flash, you nailed it.

2. The “Retaliation Window”: Why You Should Deflect

“Rolling gives me invincibility frames. Why risk blocking?”

In Reforged 2026, rolling has been nerfed slightly, and enemy tracking is tighter. But the real reason to deflect is the Offensive Buff.

Reforged doesn’t just prevent damage; it rewards aggression. When you land a Perfect Deflect, you trigger a hidden status effect called “Retaliation” for exactly 1.3 seconds.

During this 1.3-second window, your next attack gets:

• +13% Physical & Elemental Damage

• +16.7% Poise Damage (The most critical stat)

• +16% Stamina Damage to blocking enemies

• +125 Virtual Dexterity (Massively speeds up spell casting)

The Meta Shift: The optimal way to play ERR isn’t Dodge -> Poke. It is Deflect -> Guard Counter -> Stance Break. You are not deflecting to survive; you are deflecting to set up a poise-breaking nuke.

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3. Deflection vs. Parrying: What’s the Difference?

New ERR players often confuse these two, but they are totally different mechanics.

Feature	Deflection (L1 Tap)	Parrying (L2 Skill)
Input	Tap Block	Ash of War Skill
Works on?	EVERYTHING. Giant crusher hammers, Radahn’s meteor, Malenia’s Waterfowl Dance.	Only specific “parryable” physical attacks.
Result	Mitigates damage & buffs your next attack.	Instantly stuns the enemy for a critical hit (Riposte).
Risk	Low. If you miss, you usually just block.	High. If you miss, you eat the full hit.

Pro Tip: You can use both. A common strategy is to Deflect the first two hits of a boss combo to build up poise damage, and then Parry the final slow attack to secure the critical hit.

4. The “Sekiro” Build Progression Guide

If you want to commit to the Deflection lifestyle, standard “Strength” or “Dex” builds aren’t enough. You need gear that interacts with the Guard Counter mechanic.

Early Game (Limgrave & Liurnia)

• Weapon: Lordsworn’s Straight Sword. It has a fast Guard Counter animation (110% poise damage).

• Shield: Iron Round Shield. (Buy from the nomadic merchant in Weeping Peninsula). It has the stability of a medium shield but the lightweight speed of a small shield.

• Talisman: Curved Sword Talisman (Stormveil Castle). Essential. It boosts your Guard Counter damage by 20%. In ERR, this stacks with the Retaliation buff.

Mid Game (Altus Plateau)

• Weapon: Cross-Naginata or any Spear. Spears allow you to deflect and poke simultaneously (“Shield Poking”), which is safer for learning boss patterns.

• Ash of War: Storm Wall. Put this on your shield. Even if you don’t use the parry function, having it equipped in ERR provides better stability against projectiles.

• Talisman: Greatshield Talisman. In Reforged, this widens your “Imperfect Deflect” window slightly, making it more forgiving if your timing is off.

End Game (The “Sekiro God” Loadout)

• Weapon: Hand of Malenia or Nagakiba. Katanas in ERR have unique deflection frames when two-handing.

• Talisman: Shard of Alexander. Boosts skill damage. Use this if you are deflecting into a Weapon Art (e.g., Transient Moonlight).

• Tear: Deflecting Hardtear.

  • Wait, does this stack? YES.

  • Using the DLC tear on top of the ERR mod mechanics widens your Perfect Deflect window from 6 frames to roughly 8-10 frames. It makes you almost untouchable.

5. Troubleshooting: Why Am I Still Dying?

Problem: “I deflect, see the white flash, but still take damage.”

• Diagnosis: This is a “Ghost Hit.” It happens due to engine limitations when your hardware drops below 60 FPS.

• Fix: Lock your FPS to 60. If you are playing unlocked at 90+ FPS, the frame windows get desynchronized. ERR is designed for 60Hz logic.

Problem: “My stamina disappears instantly.”

• Diagnosis: You are spamming L1 too fast. ERR has a “spam penalty.” If you mash block repeatedly without being hit, your stamina regeneration freezes for 1 second.

• Fix: Be deliberate. Only press L1 when you see the arm move. Do not “wiggle” your shield while waiting.

Problem: “The boss isn’t getting stance broken.”

• Diagnosis: You are only deflecting.

• Fix: Deflection deals zero poise damage on its own. It only buffs your next hit. You must weave in Guard Counters (R2 after block) to actually hurt the boss’s posture bar.

FAQ: Common Questions

Q: Can I deflect spells?

A: Yes! In Reforged, a Perfect Deflect on a spell (like Glintstone Pebble or a Fireball) negates the damage entirely.

Q: Does this work with “Power Stance” (Dual Wielding)?

A: Surprisingly, yes. If you dual-wield weapons, you can block by holding the interaction key (Triangle/Y) + L1. It is harder to time than using a shield, but it allows you to deflect with two swords, which looks incredibly stylish.

Q: Does the shield’s “Guard Boost” stat matter for Perfect Deflects?

A: For Perfect deflects (Frames 1-6)? No. You lose almost 0 stamina regardless of the shield. However, for Imperfect deflects (Frames 7-16), Guard Boost matters immensely. If you are learning, use a high-stability shield so you don’t get guard-broken when you mistime a block.

Next Step: Don’t rush to Malenia. Go to the Gatefront Ruins in Limgrave. Equip a Buckler. Your goal is to clear the entire camp without rolling once. If you can do that, you are ready for the rest of Reforged.