Elden Ring Fia Quest: Should You Let Fia Hold You, Baldachin's Blessing Explained

gamespot.com:

Fia in Elden Ring seems like a pretty nice lady--a bit lonely, perhaps, but someone who genuinely just wants to help. After an eternity spent as a deathbed companion, she’s determined to become a champion herself and help lead someone else to glory in what seems like an act of pure selflessness. That’s where you’re wrong, sort of. Fia’s hug grants a unique item that can make a significant difference in major battles, but it comes at a cost.

If you let Fia embrace you in Roundtable Hold, a status icon with a red square and an arrow pointing down appears below your health and FP bars. This indicates a reduction in your HP. It’s a small reduction of 5%, but it can still make a difference in most encounters, especially challenging ones such as the Margit and Godrick boss fights.

The debuff isn’t permanent, though. You can get your health back by using the item Fia gives you with the hug: Baldachin’s Blessing. Whether this is worthwhile depends on your playstyle. The hug debuff can have catastrophic effects, but the higher Poise it offers means you can withstand prolonged assaults from enemies without breaking stance. The Blessing isn’t essential, though it’s worth using if you need an extra edge in battle.

Baldachin’s Blessing is a unique item only obtainable from Fia’s hugs. It uses a small amount of FP and raises your Poise during combat. Poise is what determines how likely it is that an enemy's attacks will stagger you, breaking your defense and leaving you stunned and vulnerable. Normally, heavy armor buffs your Poise, which leaves less robust classes such as Astrologers and Confessors at a slight disadvantage.

Smart timing for using the Baldachin’s Blessing can remove the health debuff and give you an edge against tough