Shield

Basics
Shields are items that can be equipped in your character's left hand (sometimes called the "offhand") to increase to your armor level (AL).


 * The AL bonus is added to the armor "baseline", this means the bonus protects all body parts alike: Head, Torso, Legs and Arms.


 * The maximum AL bonus for a shield is +16.


 * Generally all professions can equip shields, but most shields have requirements for a minumum rank in the Warrior's Tactics or Strength attribute.


 * Some Warrior skills can only be performed when equiped with a shield, for example Shield Bash.

Upgrades
There are currently no upgrade components for shields that can be salvaged or equipped. However, some shields come with magical modifiers. Some rare shields will offer damage reduction while enchanted, up to -5 (since the update of March 3rd 2006), making them extremely desirable. Other rare shields offer the same damage reduction while hexed which are more valuable to a Warrior. Due to their higher hit points, greater amounts of armor and the ability to absorb damage through a piece of Ascalon armor and runes of absorption, a warrior tends to worry more about health degeneration from a hex. Foes who cast such hexes also have a tendency to strip enchantments.

Shield Types
The following types of Shields can be found in Guild Wars:


 * Shields that require Strength:
 * Defender
 * Eternal Shield
 * Magmas Shield
 * Shadow Shield
 * Tower Shield


 * Shields that require Tactics:
 * Aegis
 * Bulwark of Balthazar
 * Crude Shield
 * Crimson Carapace Shield
 * Canthan Targe
 * Ornate Buckler
 * Reinforced Buckler
 * Round Shield
 * Runic Shield
 * Skeleton Shield
 * Skull Shield
 * Summit Warlord Shield
 * Stone Summit Shield
 * Shield of the Wing
 * Tall Shield
 * Wooden Buckler

See also Category:Shields.

''Note that - unlike Bows - the shield type has no influence on the stats of the shield, apart from the required attribute. Which visual appearance you prefer is merely a matter of taste. A Crude Shield with AL +12 is just as good as an Eternal Shield with AL +12. That said, certain shield types are more likely to come with higher AL, for example a Shield of the Wing is usually AL +8 or higher and will require Tactics and an Eternal Shield is almost always AL +15 or 16 and will require Strength.''

Related Skills
These skills require shields:
 * Shield Bash, Shield Stance