In the survival game Valheim, you can craft a variety of weapons, armor, and shields. Unlike armor, shields can completely block incoming damage. How this works is explained in the MeinMMO analysis of shields in Valheim.
How the analysis was created: MeinMMO author Florian Franck and Benedict Grothaus have spent more than 100 hours in Valheim together since its release. The experiences of both authors are included in the analysis. An additional source was the video from YouTuber “FireSpark81”.
All about shields in Valheim
What types of shields there are: In Valheim, there are currently fist shields and tower shields. You can craft these from different materials.
Fist shields have the advantage that they can be used for both blocking and parrying. If you use a tower shield, you can only block with it.
Fist shields include:
- Wooden shield
- Bronze fist shield
- Reinforced shield
- Silver shield
- Black metal shield
Tower shields include:
- Wooden tower shield
- Iron tower shield
- Black metal tower shield
- Snake scale shield
That’s why shields are so strong: If your blocking skill is high enough, you can block 100% of the incoming damage with a shield. With the black metal shield and a correspondingly skilled blocking value, you no longer need to wear armor in combat.
How to parry with shields: In addition to blocking, you can also parry with fist shields. Press the right mouse button just before the enemy attack hits you. This gives you the opportunity to counter and critically hit the opponent.
How to effectively ward off mosquitoes: With an upgraded bronze fist shield, you can block all damage that mosquitoes would cause. The mosquitoes in Valheim are among the most annoying enemies and are extremely strong.
If you do not yet have the bronze fist shield or black metal shield, you can compensate for a lot of damage with metal armor and the wooden shield. In the video of YouTuber “FireSpark81”, the different combinations are presented in detail. With metal armor and wooden shield, “FireSpark81” takes only 1.5 damage in his test after being hit by a troll. Trolls normally deal 50 – 60 damage per hit.
We link you here to the full video, where he goes into more detail on the individual points:
These are the downsides of shields: The downside to blocking with shields is that you lose stamina when hit. Although you can increase stamina with appropriate buff food or bonuses, you should never lose sight of it. If you get involved in a fight while sprinting and have less stamina from running, blocking may fail and you will take full damage.
If you are wearing armor and are hit, you do not lose stamina. Always pay attention to your stamina in combat and block only if you have at least two yellow stamina bars available.
Mead gives you buffs and provides advantages in battle. How to make it, you can find out in our guide to fermentation in Valheim.
The difference between shields and armor
Why movement speed is important: If you wear the iron scale armor and the corresponding pants, your movement speed is reduced by 10%. If you also have a weapon and a fist shield equipped, your movement speed is even reduced by 20%. This makes you significantly slower and you carry a lot of weight with you.
Armor and shields work differently: In addition to the fact that armor is heavy and takes up inventory slots, only a portion of the damage is absorbed when hit. In contrast, shields block damage in relation to the block value, which is skill-based. The higher the value for blocking, the more damage you can block with shields.
This is how you train blocking in Valheim: The fastest way to train blocking is with a friend. Activate the PvP mode by pressing “TAB” and clicking on the two swords in the upper right corner. Your friend then hits you while you hold the shield up with the right mouse button.
You train more effectively if you have the “Rested” bonus, which is granted when you stay in a house.
As a solo player, you should look for enemies that continuously attack. In the “Black Forest” biome, trolls are very suitable for this. However, we generally recommend playing Valheim with friends. With a friend, not only is blocking training faster and more effective, but other activities are also more fun.
Another reason to play with a friend is a special shield. To get the snake scale shield, you need at least two players.
Are you already using shields in Valheim, or only armor? Let us know in the comments.
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