There are plenty of great shields that players can use in Dark Souls. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the best shields in Dark Souls that players should definitely seek out sooner rather than later in their playthrough.
Updated on November 30, 2022, by Ritwik Mitra: Dark Souls is one of the great action-adventure games ever made, with its combat and stamina management system becoming so effective that other games have become quite inspired by it. The fact that this title has pretty much spawned a unique sub-genre of its own shows just how influential this title really is, with a shield being quite necessary to deal with the many threats in this game. Here are some of Dark Souls’ best shields that make combat far easier and more manageable.
15 Balder Shield
Where to find: A rare drop from the Balder Knight. Alternatively, purchase from the Crestfallen Merchant for 4000 Souls.
The Balder Shield is a great medium shield that players can use if they don’t want to overburden their equip load by too much. The fact that this shield has extremely high stability is also a huge bonus.
It also has good resistance to both lightning and fire, although the magic resistance is pretty weak in comparison. Regardless, this one drawback doesn’t hold the Balder’s Shield back from being one of the better equips in the game.
14 Tower Kite Shield
Where to find: Starter equipment for Knight. Alternatively, it can be purchased from Andre of Astora for 1000 Souls.
The Tower Kite Shield is another medium shield that deserves a mention for how effective it is in combat. The best part about this powerful shield is that it can be acquired early on and can last with a player right up till the end of the game!
The fact that the Knight class starts out with this shield makes it even better for players who don’t want to spend their time scavenging around for a worthwhile shield. The Tower Kite Shield is a great piece of equipment that players can rely on with little to no issues.
13 Target Shield
Where to find: Initial equipment for Thief. Otherwise, found on a body just before the Capra Demon or as a rare drop from Undead Assasin.
Some players don’t really find it all that engaging to block and tank attacks in the game. Instead, they prefer to adopt a more agile moveset, dodging and parrying to take out most of the enemies in the game.
This is where the Target Shield ends up being one of the best weapons to suit such a play style. While the stats of this shield might not be the best, most players love using this shield because it increases the parry window and makes it easier to counter enemies with a well-timed deflection!
12 Hollow Soldier Shield
Where to find: A rare drop from Undead Soldiers wielding a sword.
There was a time when the Hollow Soldier Shield was easily one of the best pieces of equipment that players could use in the game. However, FromSoftware themselves realized how broken this shield was and nerfed it in a patch.
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Regardless, the Hollow Soldier Shield is still worth using in the game… if players manage to acquire it, that is. After all, this shield is an extremely rare drop and requires quite a bit of grinding before players can get their hands on this brilliant weapon.
11 Dragon Crest Shield
Where to find: Under a sleeping Zombie Dragon in the Valley of the Drakes.
Fire is an element that is used quite frequently in Dark Souls, especially in the fight against Quelaag and the entirety of the Demon Ruins. If players have the Master Key, then the Dragon Crest Shield will be perfect for them.
The high fire resistance of this shield makes it perfect for low-level players who manage to snag it in the Valley of Drakes. Without the Master Key, the Dragon Crest Shield is obtained much later on, which might negate its usefulness for many players.
10 Grass Crest Shield
Where to find: At the bottom of Darkroot Garden.
Most players who prefer dodging consider the Grass Crest Shield as one of the best shields in Dark Souls. This is mainly due to the massive bonus it provides to one’s stamina regeneration.
The best part about the Grass Crest Shield is that this bonus to stamina regeneration remains even when the shield is on a player’s back! So, it’s easy to see why so many players absolutely adore this powerful piece of equipment.
9 Eagle Shield
Where to find: The upper part of Blighttown.
Most people consider the greatshields in Dark Souls to be extremely bulky and hard to use without the appropriate stats. However, there’s one greatshield in the game that bucks this trend — the Eagle Shield.
This is easily one of the best greatshields in the game, mainly due to its low stat requirements and manageable weight. Characters with low Strength or Endurance can still use this powerful shield to great effect!
8 Heater Shield
Where to find: Either get as a starting item for the Warrior or purchase from the Undead Merchant.
The Heater Shield is easily one of the best shields in Dark Souls, and not just because it negates 100% of all incoming damage. It’s got more to do with the light weight of this shield.
In fact, the Heater Shield is the lightest shield in the game, with 100% damage reduction. This, coupled with its fast parry speed, makes it one of the most efficient shields in the entire game.
7 Greatshield Of Artorias
Where to find: Ascend a +10 shield with the Soul of Sif.
This shield is one that takes quite a lot of time and resources to acquire, though it is worth it. To obtain this greatshield, a player needs to gather the Soul of Sif, a +10 shield, and 5000 souls before speaking with the master blacksmith Andre of Astora. Once the Greatshield of Artorias is in the player’s hands, there is no longer any need to fear status effects, for this divine armament grants the player 100% build-up reduction from bleed, poison, toxic, and even cursing.
On top of this, the Greatshield of Artorias has total damage reduction against physical attacks and greatly defends from fiery varieties at 80% blockage. Combined with its massive stability of 88, the material manifestation of Sif’s spirit can protect someone better than the loyal wolf ever guarded Knight Artorias.
6 Black Iron Greatshield
Where to find: On a corpse in the grand painting hall of Anor Londo.
This immensely heavy slab of iron weighs in at 16 units, making it a hefty defensive armament to use. However, for dragon and demon-slaying, there is nothing better. With the best fire damage reduction of almost any shield in the game, this wall of dark metal prevents 90% of incoming flames in addition to completely protecting its user from physical damage.
The Black Iron Greatshield also has great status build-up reductions for everything except curses, along with a stability of 71. The shield bash also hurts foes more than some might expect and can provide a bit of breathing room if too many enemies are crowding the player.
5 Silver Knight Shield
Where to find: A rare drop from Silver Knights.
Now, this is an example of a good shield that looks good and works even better. Holding this piece of beauty looks like holding a world championship title in hand and feels like that as well. The shield is impressive from the overall stats to the size ratio.
Every block will feel like a perfect execution. Players will get this shield as a rare drop from silver knights in Anor Londo. This shield has the highest stability of all medium shields once it is fully upgraded.
4 Black Knight Shield
Where to find: Rare drop from the Black Knight.
If the silver knight shield looks like the world championship title, this one looks like a heavyweight title. Anyone will feel like a champ using the black knight shield in Dark Souls. This is a medium-sized shield that will deflect almost every attack with utmost precision.
The handling and stability in this one are pretty good as well. The most significant benefit of this shield is that it has the highest fire resistance in Dark Souls. But it is a little rare, as it only has only a 5% chance of dropping from a black knight.
3 Spider Shield
Where to find: Either get as starting equipment for the Bandit, find in the bridge of the Valley of Drakes, or procure above the Giant Rat in the Depths.
The visual on this shield looks like something Miles Morales would wear on his Spider-Man costume. It’s red-black, and, quite frankly, pretty slick looking. But it doesn’t just look cool. It is genuinely one of the best shields in Dark Souls. Especially for areas like Blighttown, where poison resistance is a must.
This has impressive handling; it is not too large and works for almost every enemy in the game. The upgrades for this shield are pretty widespread as well. The most significant thing is that it comes as a starting item for the Bandit class.
2 Crest Shield
Where to find: Dropped by Oscar of Astora.
Here’s a medium-sized shield that is as good as a large-sized one in size and works as smoothly as a small-sized one. The Crest shield is brilliant in almost every way and probably the most useful shield in the game.
This is the shield of Oscar, Knight of Astora. The best part of this shield is its magic reduction, which goes up to 80%, making the players almost bulletproof against magic. The upgrades of this shield make it stand apart, and are totally worth it.
1 Havel’s Greatshield
Where to find: In a chest behind an illusionary wall in Anor Londo.
This is the granddaddy of all the shields. Havel’s Greatshield is a legendary shield owned by Havel. This is one of the most prominent shields in the game and can practically defend against the most massive attacks in the game.
Functionality apart, this shield looks very cool. It is a slab of thick stone chained up and incredibly bulky. The only downside to this shield is that it is a bit heavy. But if one can handle that, this is probably the most overpowered shield in the game.
Dark Souls is available now for PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
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