Dark Soulsis one of the most legendary video game franchises of all time. Now that it’s been just over a decade since the first game, the franchise’s legacy has done a lot for the gaming industry. The games' unforgiving difficulty, complex lore, and unforgettable boss fights are just a few things that keep players coming back.
It’s no secret that there are loads of different weapons in theDark Soulstrilogy. However, shields can sometimes also be the deciding factor on if the player will survive or see that dreaded game over screen. Not all of them are solid choices for defense, though. Here’s a look at some of the shields that aren’t exactly practical when it comes to defeating the legendary enemies inDark Souls.
10Spiked Shield
The Spiked Shield fromthe original Dark Soulsis, as the name suggests, a small metal shield covered in spikes. It can only be acquired from one of the three times Knight Kirk appears. The spikes can be used to apply bleed damage to enemies.
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Unfortunately, this shield offers little damage reduction. Players looking to use bleed statuses are better off trying a better weapon. Also, a shield covered in spikes wouldn’t be very practical when rolling constantly, like the chosen undead often do.
9Yellow Quartz Shield
The Yellow Quartz Shieldis available inDark Souls 2and is a standard shield made entirely of quartz. It was available as a pre-order bonus, and can be bought from Chancellor Wellager.
This shield offers decent stats but has nothing to make it stand out from other shields with similar attributes. Its bizarre shape and material don’t exactly make for the most practical shield. In the real world, this wouldn’t hold up in battle.
8Plank Shield
The Plank Shield is first introduced in the originalDark Souls. It can be found a corpse in Blighttown, right in front of the hidden entrance to The Great Hollow. It is also available at the start for those who chose the infamous Deprived class.
It’s fairly obvious as to why a small wooden shield would be ineffective when going up against themany different types of deadly beastsfound in the game. It doesn’t help that the shield also has terrible stats, even when upgraded to the max.
7Cracked Round Shield
The Cracked Round Shield is found in the first game and is, predictably, a small wooden shield with a large crack in it. It is part of the starting equipment for the Pyromancer and is sometimes dropped by Hollow Warriors.
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This shield is so useless that it is often recommended that players don’t use it at all, unless they are roleplaying or cosplaying. With only 65 physical damage reduction, it’s no surprise players avoid this one.
6Giant Door Shield
The Giant Door Shield is part of the Ringed City expansion ofDark Souls 3. Consisting of two greatshields combined to resemble giant doors, this shield is certainly unique not only in its own game, but the franchise overall.
While it does offer good protection from most physical attacks, its massive size make it difficult to use. What’s more, being made of wood makes it weak to fire damage. It’s a shame that such a special shield isn’t practical.
5Bonewheel Shield
The Bonewheel Shield isavailable in bothDark Souls 1 and 3. In both games, it can be dropped by those infamous wheel skeletons.
This shield actually has some decent stats and could be useful as an offensive shield with the right build. The impracticality comes from the fact that it is simply a large wheel with lots of openings. Not necessarily the best design for an object that’s meant for protection.
4Carthus Shield
The Carthus Shield is available inDark Souls 3,and is actually quite a rare find. It is only dropped by red-eyed skeletons using shields in the Catacombs of Carthus.
The shield appears old, tattered, and battle worn. It is surprisingly light for its size, but doesn’t offer great stats or special abiliites that other shields can’t do. Its worn out look also makes it impractical lore wise.
3Moon Butterfly Shield
The Moon Butterfly Shield can be acquired inDark Souls 2at Armorer Maughlin’s house. When imbued with a poison stone, this shield gains 100% poison resistance and can apply poison while bashing. This makes it actually quite good when used properly.
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Unfortunately, from a lore perspective,a shield made from a small butterflycouldn’t possibly stop any attacks from the massive beasts the cursed undead is forced to fight. Though it works in the game, it wouldn’t in the real world.
2Foot Soldier Shield
The Foot Soldier Shield is apoorly made shield fromDark Souls 2. It is dropped by hollow infantrymen found in The Forest of Giants and by some skeletons.
This is a fairly standard small shield that offers no advantage whatsoever over other shields in the game. It has weak stats and offers little protection, both literally and from a lore perspective. Best trade it in for something better.
1Ghru Rotshield
The Ghru Rotshield is found inDark Souls 3by defeating the Ghrus wondering in Smouldering Lake and Farron Keep. It is a rotting and tiny makeshift shield.
Due to its rot, the Ghru Rotshield does have some poison resistance and some poison damage. Unfortunately the shield offers very little protection, and it’s possible to get better poison shields elsewhere. Why anyone would want a rotting shield is a mystery.
The Dark Souls Trilogyis available on Playstation, Xbox, and PC.
