Medium shields don’t require as much muscle as their older siblings, and they offer more protection than their young ones. There are a lot more of them too – over 15. So it can be kind of confusing if you’re out shopping for one of your own. But fear not! We can discuss it together and come to a conclusion for your adventure right here in this ranking.
5. Sanctus
This yellow shield is one of the most niche pieces of equipment in the game. It does everything you’d expect of a shield, this is true. but it has a low stability and average parry speed. The real power of the Sanctus lies within its secondary ability – the power to heal. Unconditional restoration in the world of Dark Souls is as rare as it gets. The Sanctus requires 18 Faith to use, which is odd for a shield. But when you meet this prerequisite, equip the shield, and stand still, you start to regain HP. It’s a slow trickle of two hit points a second. But if you’re patient you can recover fully after every scuffle – and save your flasks for the real beasts. The Sanctus should be in every Miracle Caster’s toolkit for sure. How to Obtain: Defeat Paladin Leeroy in the Tomb of the Giants (must have reversed your hollowing).
4. Pierce Shield
The Pierce Shield is the answer to the question “what if a shield could also attack?” With its weird umbrella shape and protruding spike, the Pierce Shield even looks like it’s going to do damage. Of course, it can act like a normal shield as well. But where’s the fun in that? You want to use it to beat up all the scary monsters in your way! The Pierce Shield needs a bit of dex to use, but so what? Not only can it bonk monsters with the best of them, but it can also still block damage and resists bleed, poison, toxic, and curse. What a deal! How to Obtain: Give Siegmeyer of Catarina three purple moss clumps when you encounter him in Blighttown.
3. Heater Shield
A shield honestly needs to do just one thing to be considered ‘good’. And that’s block damage. The Heater Shield does that and even a little bit more. This rusty old friend not only blocks damage, but has a 100% reduction, meaning if you weather the attack without breaking poise then you won’t take damage. Not too many medium shields have such a quality. Even better, you can get the Heater Shield super early. And it’s light, which is perfect for magic users or dex builds who wouldn’t otherwise have the strength to wield the bigger boys that have 100% reduction naturally. The Heater Shield is a bro among bros. And it can be a great friend for the whole game. How to Obtain: Starting gear for the Warrior class.
2. Grass Crest Shield
Much like the Sanctus shield, the Grass Crest Shield’s true power doesn’t lie in how well it protects against attacks. It does that just okay, with a respectable damage reduction and so-so stability. But it’s real claim to fame is the stamina recovery it bestows upon its user. Just holding the Grass Crest Shield makes your stamina recover faster. It’s a super noticeable difference, and you can capitalize on this feature the best by wielding a weapon in two hands with the shield on your back. Play for a while with that little extra bit of stamina regen and you’ll wonder how you ever went without it. How to Obtain: Behind a Black Knight in the Deeproot Garden.
1. Silver Knight Shield
At the top of the pile is a shield cribbed from one of Anor Londo’s famous Silver Knights. This iconic hunk of metal has the best shield defense in the game, both through damage reduction and stability. It is a bit heavy. But any character really out to use medium shields should be able to accommodate that. The Silver Knight Shield will let you stand your ground through even the hardest of late-game hits, which is super cool (Gwynevere will totally be impressed btw). It even has great status-effect resistance, which just makes the total package even more appealing. As soon as you touch down in Anor Londo get to slaying silver knights and get yours! How to Obtain: Dropped by Silver Knights in Anor Londo.
