The BEST Parrying Shield Dark Souls 3 [Expert Picks]

Parrying is a technique in Dark Souls III that allows players to divert attacks from enemies. Parrying also can potentially interrupt enemy attack animations and make them vulnerable for a short period allowing you to land a critical strike against them. This skill can be used against most enemy attacks, but it is more effective against fast, lower-damage opponents.

In Dark Souls 3, shields play a crucial role in a player’s defense and combat strategy. They can block attacks, protect vulnerable areas, and some can even parry enemy attacks.

As we can see from this image, the best items to parry with are designated parry shields made with the exclusive purpose of parrying rather than blocking. They contain the highest number of parry shield frames with 12 frames, starting from the 9th frame and lasting till the 20th frame.

These allow you much more leniency in timing for parrying enemy strikes. However, some shields are better at this than others, and they are described below in this guide.

Best Parrying Shields Stats 

Here is a comparison table of my best Parrying Shields in Dark Souls 3 . Each stat can be sorted to view the highest and lowest values, which has been done for your convenience:

No	Shields	Awarded for	Physical Attack	Physical Defence	Magical Attack	Magical Defence	Fire Attack	Fire Defence	Light Attack	Light Defence	Dark Attack	Dark Defence	Critical Attack	Critical Defence	Focus Cost	Durability
1	Buckler Shield	Best Low-Stamina Parrying Shield.	67	49	-	35	-	30	-	11	-	28	100	-	-	30
2	Target Shield	Best Parrying Shield for Physical Blocking.	69	61.0	-	36.0	-	31.0	-	12.0	-	29.0	100	-	-	40
3	Small Leather Shield	Best Low-Strength Parrying Shield.	70	42.0	-	42.0	-	50.0	-	38.0	-	35.0	100	-	-	55
4	Iron Round Shield	Best Parrying Shield for Quick Recovery.	71	67.0	-	44.0	-	38.0	-	19.0	-	36.0	100	-	-	55

Related Article: How to Parry in Dark Souls 3

Here are some key points about shields in Dark Souls 3:

1. Variety of Shields: Dark Souls 3 offers a wide variety of shields with different attributes and abilities. Some are better suited for blocking, while others excel at parrying or even offensive maneuvers.
2. Finding Shields: Shields can be found at specific locations in the game world, often inside chests or dropped as loot by enemies. Players can also start the game with a shield as part of their initial equipment.
3. Shield Classes: Shields are categorized into three main classes: small shields, medium shields, and great shields. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses.
4. Parrying Shields: Some small shields in Dark Souls 3 are particularly suitable for parrying due to their lightweight and extended parry frames. Parrying is a skillful technique that can be used to deflect enemy attacks and create opportunities for counter-attacks.
5. Shield Durability: Shields have durability, and they can break if they endure too much damage. It’s important to manage the durability of your shield and repair it when necessary.
6. Offensive Use: Some shields in Dark Souls 3 can be used offensively, with swing attacks or counter moves. These shields can provide versatility in combat.

1. Buckler Shield

Best Low-Stamina Parrying Shield.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	67	-	-	-	-	100
Defense	49	35	30	11	28	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	E	-	-	-
Requires	7	13	0	0
Skill	Parry
Stability	33
Durability	30
Weapon Type	Small Shield
Wgt.	1.5
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Buckler Sheild Stats Table.

Bucker Shield is the most standard-looking type of shield, something quite common in the small shields category. The Buckler Shield weighs only 1.5 making it remarkably light. This shield, in particular, can be bought from Greirat for 2000 souls after he appears in the Shrine.

Moreover, the shield also has the lowest stamina cost for parrying out of all the extended parrying frame shields. It is usually preferred by those who are confident in their parrying ability and want to preserve stamina. This shield requires 7 Strength and 13 Dexterity to wield making it a bit harder for some classes to wield.

2. Target Shield

Best Parrying Shield for Physical Blocking.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	69	-	-	-	-	100
Defense	61.0	36.0	31.0	12.0	29.0	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	E	-	-	-
Requires	8	11	0	0
Skill	Parry
Stability	36
Durability	40
Weapon Type	Small Shield
Wgt.	2.0
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Target Shield Stats Table.

Next up, we have the Target Shield. The design of this shield can be described as ‘the Buckler shield with extra steps.’ It is the same shield but with slightly higher values in all categories.

You can acquire this shield by buying it from Greirat for 2500 souls after sending him on an expedition to the Undead Settlement, or you could choose the Assassin Class to begin the game with this shield.

However, this shield has the highest stability and physical blocking of among all the three shields with extended parrying frames. Wielding this shield requires 8 Strength and 11 Dexterity however, it could be said that this is the best shield for parrying in Dark Souls 3.

3. Small Leather Shield

Best Low-Strength Parrying Shield.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	70	0	0	0	0	100
Defense	42.0	42.0	50.0	38.0	35.0	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	E	-	-	-
Requires	7	0	0	0
Skill	Parry
Stability	35
Durability	55
Weapon Type	Small Shield
Wgt.	2.0
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Small Leather Shield Stats Table.

Another shield that can be identified as a parrying shield is the Small Leather Shield which also has the extended parry window. The design of this Parrying shield is the same as the previous two except the leather-bound on the outside.

The way to acquire this shield is to either loot it from a corpse as an item in the Undead Settlement or from the enemies at Archdragon Peak.

This is arguably the worst shield among the three light shields to parry with as it consumes the most stamina and does not offer the same physical damage protection as the target shield mentioned previously.

This shield also requires the user to have at least 7 Strength which makes it good for anyone going with a sorcerer build with very low strength.

Similar Article: Dark Souls 3 Best Classes

4. Iron Round Shield

Best Parrying Shield for Quick Recovery.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	71	-	-	-	-	100
Defense	67.0	44.0	38.0	19.0	36.0	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	E	-	-	-
Requires	5	0	0	0
Skill	Parry
Stability	47
Durability	55
Weapon Type	Small Shield
Wgt.	2.0
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Iron Round Shield Stats Table. 

The Iron Round Shield is different from the parry shields discussed beforehand. This Parrying shield in particular has fewer parry frames but faster recovery frames. Let’s say that you miss a parry chance from the enemy and you parry too early.

Now normally you would get hit by the enemy attack because you are still in the recovery animation but with this shield, the recovery animation is smaller hence allowing you to go on the offensive again much faster or block the oncoming enemy strike if you react fast enough.

This shield has minimal stat requirements with only 5 Strength required to wield. This Parrying shield can be obtained at the start of the game if the player chooses the Thief class or it can be dropped by enemies in Lothric Castle.

Related Reads: Dark Souls 3 Best Strength Weapons

Why Others Were Not Chosen

Small Shields

• Red and White Shield: Not suitable for blocking and has low stability.
• Elkhorn Round Shield: Offers poor stability and low absorption.
• Hawkwood’s Shield: It can be quite difficult to wield, and doesn’t have remarkable attributes.
• Caduceus Round Shield: Has a low block rate and low stability.
• Crimson Parma: Not very effective against block attacks.
• Leather Shield: Has low stability and is ineffective against block attacks.
• Sacred Bloom Shield (can parry spells): Cannot be infused and has terrible stability.
• Llewellyn Shield: Not suitable for deflecting lightning attacks.
• Golden Falcon Shield: Possesses average damage block and low stability.

Standard Shields

• Sunset Shield: Average block capabilities and unimpressive attributes.
• Kite Shield: Quite expensive and has low stability.
• Crest Shield: Provides normal deflection and a normal parry speed.
• Grass Crest Shield: Cannot be infused, and has poor damage blocking.
• Dragon Crest Shield: Has less impressive attributes as compared to Black Knight Shield.
• East-West Shield: Possesses low stability and low attributes.
• Blue Wooden Shield: Has poor physical damage absorption.
• Knight Shield: It has moderate attributes, but is a temporary choice until better shields come along.
• Silver Knight Shield: Can’t be infused, and has low stability.

What Would I Recommend?

Now that I’ve highlighted some of the best parrying shields and their strengths and weaknesses, you’d be waiting for my recommendation. While the choice of parrying shield varies according to your preference, as well as your starting class, weapons, etc., you can never go wrong with the Small Leather Shield, which is easiest to equip among all the shields.

Up Next:

• Dark Souls 3 BEST Strength Weapons.
• Best Dark Souls 3 Mage Builds.
• Dark Souls 3 BEST Heavy Armor Sets.