Valheim players have the option of building their character for an attacking or a defensive playstyle. Survivors that prefer a more tactical approach to fighting will want to use a shield. When facing off against other players or bosses, it is nice to have an extra layer of protection.
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There are a total of nine different shields in Valheim, which fall into either the Round or Tower class. Round shields have less of a movement penalty and gamers can parry while using them. On the other hand, Tower shields have a large movement penalty and prevent the character from performing a parry. However, Tower shields have more blocking power. This list will rank all nine of the shields from worst to best. There is no question that the final shield in this list is the best shield in Valheim.
Updated on July 28, 2021 by Payton Lott: A few months into the game, players are still waiting for the addition of new shields and weapons in Valheim. Hopefully, new content will be coming soon. In the meantime, gamers will have to make due with the nine options listed below. This update includes more information about crafting and upgrading. Also, shield stats have been added below each entry for reference. These stats reveal some interesting differences between shields in Valheim. For example, the Bronze Bucker has the best parry bonus in the game. Players will not be able to reference this list for all of the information they need about shields in Valheim.
9 Wood Tower Shield
Tower shields provide less upside in general because of the movement penalties and players will not be able to parry while using them. That being said, the Wooden Tower shield is effective in the early game. Survivors will not be able to parry often anyway and the shield provides 15 more base block than its round counterpart.
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Gamers will need 10 Wood and 4 Leather Scraps to craft the shield. Wood can be farmed from chopped down trees, and Leather Scraps are a common drop from Boar in the Meadows.
- Block: 35-45
- Parry: N/A
- Movement Penalty: -20%
All shields can be upgraded by using the workbench and additional materials. A level three workbench upgrade will require 10 wood and 6 leather. There are a total of six different shield variants, including candy cane and blue checkered. These variants can be selected by pressing the item's name in the crafting menu.
8 Wood Shield
The base Wood Shield may have 15 less block, but characters will move 20% faster and they will be granted a 1.5% parry bonus. The shield is more versatile and practical when fighting in the open world. Players will need to find Resin to craft the shield. Resin is a drop from any of the Greydwarf creatures. Greydwarves are primarily found in the Black Forest biome.
- Block: 20-30
- Parry: 20 +1.5x bonus
- Movement Penalty: -5%
Survivors will need 10 Wood, 4 Resin, and 4 Leather Scraps to craft the shield. Those same materials will be necessary to upgrade the shield with a level 3 workbench. The wood shield only has four different variants to choose from. Out of the four, the peppermint skin is by far the best.
7 Bronze Buckler
The next best shield in the list is the Bronze Buckler, a round shield. The Bronze Buckler provides +25 Block Power and +10 Parry Force with a 2x parry bonus. It has the highest parry bonus of any shield in the game. This means that despite a low parry force, it can still compete with the Banded Shield. There is no Bronze tower shield option, so the round shield is awarded the top bronze spot by default. Gamers will only need two items to craft the shield: Bronze and Wood. Bronze is an alloy formed by the combination of Tin and Copper. Both Tin and Copper Ore are located in mineral deposits throughout the Black Forest.
- Block: 45-67.5
- Parry: 90-135 +2x bonus
- Movement Penalty: -5%
People will need a total of 20 Bronze and 6 Wood to craft and upgrade the buckler. Unlike many of the shields in the game, there is only one variant of the Bronze Buckler.
6 Iron Tower Shield
The next best tower shield is the Iron Tower Shield. The shield is a huge upgrade from the Wood Tower shield, providing an additional 40 Blocking Power. Survivors will need a level 2 upgraded Forge in order to craft it. The Iron Tower Shield is crafted with two items, Iron and Fine Wood. In order to get Iron, players will need to first defeat the Elder.
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The boss will drop a key that provides access to the Swamp Crypts that contain Metal Scraps. Gamers will find the scraps in the Mudpiles while making their way through each Crypt. Fine Wood can be farmed in the Meadows.
- Block: 75-112
- Parry: N/A
- Movement Penalty: -20%
For a level 3 upgraded shield, players will need to find 35 Fine Wood and 20 Iron. Iron Tower Shields have seven different variants to choose from. The black and white design is especially nice.
5 Banded Shield
It is no surprise that the round shield option is better. The Banded Shield provides +15 Block Power and +10 Parry Force compared to the Buckler. However, for some reason, the Buckler has a .5x better parry chance. Players can craft this shield with 10 Fine Wood and 10 Iron. The locations of these materials are detailed above.
- Block: 60-90
- Parry: 90-135 +1.5x bonus
- Movement Penalty: -5%
With 20 more Iron and 10 Fine Wood, gamers can upgrade the shield with a level 3 forge. There are only four different skins for the shield. In-game, the Banded Shield is often referred to as the Viking Shield because of its appearance.
4 Silver Shield
The Silver Shield represents yet another upgrade in the round class. It is the strongest shield thus far with 75 Block Power and 40 Parry Force. Gamers will have a 1.5x parry multiplier as well. While it may have less block than the Serpent Scale Shield, the Silver Shield allows users to parry enemy attacks. The primary material survivors will need to farm to forge the shield is Silver. Silver Ore is located in the Mountain biomes and can be difficult to find if gamers do not have a Wishbone.
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Survivors will want to kill Bonemass, the boss that drops the Wishbone, before farming silver. Almost all of the deposits are hidden, and the Wishbone is crucial. Once players have found enough ore to refine 6 silver, they can Forge the shield with 10 Fine Wood. A forge level 3 upgrade will require 20 more Fine Wood and 8 Silver. Like many of the one-handed shields, the Silver shield has seven different variants.
- Block: 75-112.5
- Parry: 112-168.5 +1.5x bonus
- Movement Penalty: -5%
3 Black Metal Tower Shield
The second best tower shield is the Black Metal Tower Shield. The item provides 105 Block Power on the base build, but survivors will need a level 3 Forge to create it. Gamers will need two new items to Forge the shield: Black Metal and Chain. Black Metal is a monster drop in the Plains biomes and players will want to collect a lot of it to create Black Metal weapons and armor. Likewise, Chain is a monster drop in the Swamp biome. Players will need 10 Black Metal, 7 Chain, and 15 Fine Wood to be able to forge the Black Metal Tower Shield. For a level 3 upgrade, people will need an additional 20 Fine Wood, 8 Black Metal, and 7 Chain.
- Block: 105-157.5
- Parry: N/A
- Movement Penalty: -20%
All seven base styles are available to crafters. However, as people will notice, the Black Metal Shields have a glossy finish. The images look clearer and more crisp on the upgraded shield as well.
2 Serpent Scale Shield
The best tower shield in the game is the Serpent Scale Shield. While it has 15 less block than the Black Metal Tower Shield, it only has a 10% movement penalty. For that reason, it is the only Tower Shield players should use in Valheim. The shield will affect movement just 5% more than the round Black Metal Shield. Unfortunately, both shields have the same Block Power. Gamers will need to slay Serpents in the oceans and collect their scales to forge the item.
- Block: 90-135
- Parry: N/A
- Movement Penalty: -10%
Two-star Serpents drop at least 32 Serpent Scales, which is more than enough for crafting purposes. The shield can be crafted with 10 Fine Wood, 2 Iron, and 8 Serpent Scales. For a full upgrade, 20 Fine Wood, 4 Iron, and 8 Serpent Scales are necessary. This shield is unique and has no customization options.
1 Black Metal Shield
With 90 Block Power and 50 Parry Force, the Black Metal Shield is the best shield in Valheim. Players will be able to move 5% quicker than while using the Serpent Shield and have the chance to parry opponents. If Gamers have progressed far enough, there is no conceivable reason to equip another shield. The versatility and strength of the Black Metal shield make it far and away the best in the game.
- Block: 90-135
- Parry: 135-202.5 +1.5x bonus
- Movement Penalty: -5%
For the ultimate upgraded shield in Valheim, players will need 30 Fine Wood, 16 Black Metal, and 9 Chain. All seven skins are available for customization in the crafting menu.