Dark Souls 3 Best Shields [800+ Hours Experience]

Naturally, shields aren’t conventional weapons, but you’ll parry your way to victory if you choose the correct one. Whether it’s PvP or PvE, you will not be disappointed while using these shields. Since there are tons of shields in the game – 60 to be exact – this guide will list down the top 5.

Best Shields Compared

Here is a comparison table of my best 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	Best 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	Shield Of Want	Best Shield for Soul Farming and Early Defense.	104	100	-	61	-	63	-	43	-	61	100	-	-	110
2	Great Shield Of Glory	Best Shield for Faith Builds.	134	100	0	70	0	65	0	52	0	63	100	-	16	190
3	Ethereal Oak Shield	Best Shield for Health Regeneration.	103	100	0	65	0	35	0	70	0	60	100	-	-	80
4	Lothric Knight Shield	Best Shield for Lightning Resistance & Parrying.	83	100	0	59	0	53	0	87	0	51	100	-	-	75

Usually, swords and armor hog the spotlight, but some shields outshine even the best of swords. They are divided into three types: Small, Standard, and Great. No matter what type of shield you prefer, this guide has something for everyone.

1. Shield of Want

Best Shield for Soul Farming and Early Defense.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	104	-	-	-	-	100
Defense	100	61	63	43	61	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	D	-	-	-
Requires	18	0	0	0
Skill	Weapon Skill
Stability	58
Durability	110
Weapon Type	Standard Shields
Wgt.	5.5
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Shield of Want Stats Table.

This shield links to King Vendrick from Dark Souls 2, making it a unique artifact. On top of that, it boosts soul collection by 20%, making it easier to go soul farming. This passive does not appeal to players in the later stages of the game, but this is a massive help early on.

You can conveniently collect souls by equipping this shield alongside the relevant rings to level up your character.

Its usefulness doesn’t end there, however. This shield has decent stability, great damage reduction stats, and a low weight. This allows you to stay under the weight limit and still have an excellent defensive tool in your arsenal.

The biggest downside is that this shield is not effective against fire-type attacks. If you face a boss that deals fire damage, you might want to swap this one for something else. Plus, it also requires a somewhat high amount of strength – 18 to be exact.

Overall, the upsides outweigh the negatives, and you should use this in your next playthrough. It will help you get out of the early game easily and make you stronger than usual due to the extra souls.

2. Greatshield of Glory

Best Shield for Faith Builds.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit	Boost
Attack	134	0	0	0	0	100	-
Defense	100	70	65	52	63	-	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	D	-	-	-
Requires	40	0	0	0
Skill	Shield Bash
Stability	80
Durability	190
Weapon Type	Great Shields
Wgt.	18.5
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	16

Greatshield of Glory Stats Table.

Let’s get the negatives out of the way first. This is the only shield that has a negative effect. It reduces the player’s stamina regeneration by 20%, which is a huge deal. With that out of the way, this shield has the highest stability in the game – even including the DLCs.

There is a way to remove the debuff as well. You can upgrade it twice, increasing the stability of the shield to 100, consequently removing the stamina reduction de-buff.

If you are planning to do the Faith Build, this shield is ideal for you. It gives tank stats as well as proves worthy for players preferring the use of magic.

3. Ethereal Oak Shield

Best Shield for Health Regeneration.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	103	0	0	0	0	100
Defense	100	65	35	70	60	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	D	-	-	-
Requires	12	0	0	0
Skill	Weapon Skill
Stability	50
Durability	80
Weapon Type	Standard Shields
Wgt.	5.0
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Ethereal Oak Shield Stats Table.

This shield has one of the most useful auxiliary skills – health regeneration. Included in the DLC, the Oak Shield stands out from the rest of the bunch due to its remarkable qualities. Keep in mind that there are some amazing shields in the DLC, but this one is the absolute best out of them.

It comes in handy in the majority of the scenarios you can find yourself in. Having the stability of 50 – which could be better – provides phenomenal resistance against magic, lightning, and dark attacks.

In short, it is useful against most enemies in the game as the majority of them deal the aforementioned types of damage.

However, much like the Shield of Want, you will want to swap it out for something else when dealing with fire-type attacks. Especially if you are facing the Old Demon King – notoriously a difficult fire-type boss – you will want to remove this shield since it would only cause problems.

Still, the health regeneration passive and other stats more than make up for its lack of resistance against fire.

4. Lothric Knight Shield

Best Shield for Lightning Resistance & Parrying.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit	Poison	Frost
Attack	83	0	0	0	0	100	0	0
Defense	100	59	53	87	51	-	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	D	-	-	-
Requires	18	0	0	0
Skill	Parry
Stability	54
Durability	75
Weapon Type	Shield
Wgt.	6.0
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Lothric Knight Shield Stats Table.

Moving on to the second-best pick in Dark Souls 3, the Lothric Knight Shield is nearly flawless. It almost made it to number one, but you’ll see why it settled for the second spot.

You can obtain this early on in the game when you visit the High Wall of Lothric. It has a high drop rate from the, you guessed it, Lothric Knights.

Fully upgraded, this shield has a stability rating of 66 and has massive resistance against lightning attacks. If you are going up against the Nameless King or the Dragonslayer Armour, this shield is your best friend.

Plus, you can easily parry attacks with this as it gives the player a decent window of error making difficult fights convenient.

On top of all of that, you can also infuse this shield. While this isn’t a huge help, you can still get that additional FP or HP regeneration by infusing the Simple or Blessed Gem.

As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the selling point, but the extra stats are never bad to have, especially when going against late-game bosses.

5. Black Knight Shield

Best Shield for Overall Defense.

	Phy	Mag	Fire	Light	Holy	Crit
Attack	113	-	-	-	-	100
Defense	100.0	65.0	85.0	52.0	63.0	-
	Strength	Dexterity	Intelligence	Faith
Scaling	D	-	-	-
Requires	18	0	0	0
Skill	Weapon Skill
Stability	60
Durability	130
Weapon Type	Standard Shields
Wgt.	18.5
Attack type	Strike
Focus Cost	-

Black Knight Shield Stats Table. 

Finally, the number one pick for the Best Shield is the Black Knight Shield. Most players would have already guessed this as the entire Black Knight set is superb. Not only does it look cool, but it also delivers by having some of the best stats.

The only major downside I can see is that it does not allow the player to perform a parry. While that makes most people turn away from it, the rest of the stats justify its number-one spot. This is the only shield on this list that is sublime against fire damage. Not only that, but it also has great damage resistance across the board.

You do not want to miss out on this shield because you are guaranteed to have a fun time using this. Another big plus point is that you do not have to un-equip it to use the main hand weapon’s skill. Usually, you will have to remove the shield to use the weapon skill but not in this case. Due to this, you have an advantage over your opponent, especially in PvP.

Why Others Were Not Chosen?

1. Blue Wooden Shield: Offers minimal protection compared to Shield of Want, making it unsuitable for players prioritizing solid defense in various situations.
2. Wooden Shield: Despite being lightweight, lacks the defensive capabilities needed for later-game challenges, making it less worthy of consideration compared to Shield of Want.
3. Silver Knight Shield: Higher cost, both in terms of weight and strength requirements, may make it less appealing for players seeking a more balanced loadout.
4. Sunlight Shield: Focus on parrying and its lower overall defense compared to Shield of Want may not be suitable for players prioritizing a robust defensive strategy.

What Would I Recommend?

As an experienced Dark Soul Player, I recommend the Shield of Want for players seeking a dual-purpose shield that enhances both defensive capabilities and early-game soul farming. With a unique 20% increase in soul drop rate, this shield proves invaluable for efficient leveling and resource gathering.

For those prioritizing overall defense and resilience, the Black Knight Shield stands out as the top recommendation. With the highest stability rating of 69 after full upgrades and exceptional resistance against fire damage, it offers unmatched protection in various scenarios. 

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