I just replayed SOTN a few days ago, game's so sick. I finally realized how much better using two weapons is than using a shield. Chakram + Combat Knife goes hard. Or two Chakrams maybe, I didn't want to grind for two of them but I bet it probably lets you throw more at once.
Yeah I know Shield Rod + Alucard Shield is the most broken shit in the game but I didn't want to do that again
Also, randomizers are a ton of fun in this game since there are so many items and some you probably haven't even seen before. Try it out: https://sotn.io/