There is an early power up in Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree that basically turns the game into Sekiro, but the description is so vague I didn't realize how good it was until 40 hours later

Erdtree map fragments: Uncover the Land of Shadow
Scadutree fragments: How to level up in Erdtree
Erdtree bosses: A full hit list for the DLC
Leda quest: Track the Erdtree main quest
Ansbach quest: Help the former servant of Mohg
Hornsent quest: Complete the quest for vengeance

I found the Deflecting Hard Tear super early in my Shadow of the Erdtree playthrough, went «well, that's neat,» and promptly forgot about it for a good 40 hours or so. It turns out, though, that this confusingly-described powerup is an utter game-changer worth basing an entire build around. «Enhances spontaneous guard» basically means «Turn Elden Ring into Sekiro.»

I've never been able to nail the Souls series' picosecond-long, intensely unforgiving parry windows, but like many people I fell in love with the perfect guard system in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Time your block to just when an enemy hits, and you'll avoid all the damage, filling up your enemy's stagger bar instead. The timing's pretty generous, and if you don't get it exactly right, you'll still block the enemy attack at the cost of filling up your own stagger bar. It's a system I was always hoping FromSoft would bring back, and I was delighted to see Capcom crib off From's notes in the Resident Evil 4 Remake of all things.

And that Sekiro-style guard system is exactly what you get with the Deflecting Hard Tear, which can be acquired from the first furnace golem you encounter on the Gravesite Plain as outlined in our guide to the best early items in Shadow of the Erdtree. Time a block perfectly, and you'll take no stamina or health damage. 

The kicker, for me, is that it works even if you don't have a shield: nailing a perfect block with a two-handed or paired weapon (like the reverse-grip swords) is just as effective, while a mistimed block with those weapons will still mitigate the attack somewhat. I haven't been a shield guy in Souls games for over ten years (just don't like 'em), so this felt like a special birthday gift to me.

Th