Elden Ring: How to Avoid Carian Retaliation
Carian Retaliation is an Ash of War that can be applied to small, medium, and great shields. When activated properly, it allows the user to parry incoming sorceries and incantations. Instead of simply negating the spell, it converts the energy into floating Glintblades that automatically fire at the caster after a short delay. These blades hit surprisingly hard, track well, and can easily turn the tide of a duel. This means that players who rely heavily on ranged magic can feel completely shut down if they don't adapt their approach.
Understand What Triggers It
The first step in avoiding Carian Retaliation is knowing exactly what it counters. The skill only triggers when the opponent correctly times a parry against a magical projectile or a spell with a parryable hitbox. Standard sorceries like Glintstone Pebble, Stars of Ruin, or Comet are the easiest to trigger. Some incantations also count, depending on whether they produce a projectile-like hit. But non-projectile magic, such as buffs, weapon enchantments, and ground-placed spells, cannot be parried and therefore cannot be retaliated against.
This means your safest spell choices against a Retaliation user are those that don't directly collide with their shield-or those that hit from an angle where the parry window is unreliable.
Mix Up Your Spell Timing
Most players using Carian Retaliation anticipate traditional cast patterns. If you throw magic predictably, they will wait for the shimmer of your cast animation and time the parry. The easiest adjustment is to delay your casting, fake-outs, or early rolls to disrupt their rhythm. Mix instant-cast spells, held spells, and cancelable animations so that your opponent cannot simply react to your body language.
In PvP, timing is everything. By desyncing your rhythm, you force the Carian Retaliation user to either guess-and potentially waste their Ash activation-or drop their defensive stance.
Use Melee Pressure or Hybrid Builds
One of the best ways to deal with Carian Retaliation is to stop feeding it spells. Switching temporarily to melee or a hybrid playstyle denies your opponent the trigger they're waiting for. Even basic weapons can force them to play differently. Once they're pressured in close quarters, they have fewer chances to set up their shield and parry.
Weapons that apply continuous pressure-curved swords, katanas, fists, and spears-are particularly effective. Jump attacks can break their concentration, and weapons with guard break potential can punish them for turtling behind a shield.
Use Summons, Ashes, or Minions to Distract
Carian Retaliation only triggers when you hit the shield with a parryable spell. Spirit Ashes, weapon arts, and minion-style damage sources do not provide their shield with the magical charge. Using distractions or alternate damage sources allows you to keep pressure high without fueling their Glintblade counterattack.
Bait the Retaliation Activation
Carian Retaliation has a specific activation animation and a short cooldown. If you bait them into activating it early, you can punish them during or after the animation. A simple fake cast, or even casting a non-projectile spell, can trigger their panic response. Once their Retaliation fails, you get a window for safe aggression.
Use Environmental and Angle Manipulation
Many spells, especially area-based ones like Night Shard, Night Comet, or magma incantations, can hit from angles or through terrain where parrying is impossible. Even projectiles that curve or fall from above can bypass the shield's parry hitbox. Using elevation changes, pillars, or uneven terrain prevents the user from timing their parry correctly.
In short, avoiding Carian Retaliation in Elden Ring is about breaking predictability, diversifying your toolkit, and cheap Elden Ring Runes refusing to cast directly into a waiting shield. Once you stop feeding the counter, the entire strategy collapses-and you regain control of the fight.
