Best Shields in Baldurs Gate 3

Best Shields in Baldurs Gate 3

In reality, a good shield keeps you safe from your opponent. It’s the same in Baldurs Gate. If your off-hand is free, the game has many shields to help you. Some shields protect you and offer special reactions or spells. Others have unique abilities.

The standard shield gives you a +2 to your AC (Armor Class). This is the basic bonus for all shields. Some shields increase this bonus or have special features. Let’s find the best option for you, and see which great shields you can give to your companions if you don’t need them.

How to Wield a Shield

Before you can use the best shield, there are things you need to be aware of. Apart from getting the best shield, you also need proficiency. You can gain it in these ways:

• Be a Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin, Ranger, Cleric, Druid, or College of Valor Bard.
• Be a Human or Half-Elf.
• Get the Moderately Armored Feat, which requires proficiency in light armor.

Now that you have all these, let’s examine the best shields you can use in Baldurs Gate 3.

Best Shields to Get in Baldurs Gate 3

Absolute's Protector

Along with Shield Bash, Absolute's Protector lets you cast the chill version of Fire Shield once per long rest. This spell makes you resistant to fire damage. If enemies hit you with melee attacks, they take cold damage.

If you were marked with Absolute's Brand in Act 1, you get a bit of damage reduction. Every time a spell hits you, the damage is reduced by one. It may not be much, but it helps.

Justiciar's Greatshield

Justiciar's Greatshield has Shield Bash too. It also offers a unique feature called Darkness Cloak, which you can activate with a bonus action. This lets you create magical darkness around yourself and use the Hide action at the same time.

This is great for avoiding damage when surrounded. You can cast it and escape from your enemies. It’s also a fun trick to use with a Warlock who has Devil's Sight. You can blind those around you and attack right after.

Shield of Scorching Reprisal

Just like Shield Bash, the Shield of Scorching Reprisal also gives you fire resistance. This is helpful because many strong spells in the game use fire.

The shield has a neat feature called Blazing Retaliation. You can activate it with a bonus action once per short rest. When you do, your AC increases by one. If someone misses you with a melee attack, they take a little fire damage. This damage isn’t huge, but it helps. Having a temporary Shield +1 early on is very useful.

Shield of Shielding

The Shield of Shielding comes with Shield Bash and the Shield spell. You can use the Shield spell once per long rest, which increases your AC by five for one round and blocks Magic Missiles.

Both Shield Bash and the Shield spell use your reaction, so you’ll need to choose which to use at the moment. After using the spell, you can still bash enemies as much as you want.

Adamantine Shield

The Adamantine Shield has Shield Bash and gives the Reeling condition to enemies who miss you. This gives them a -1 on their attacks, making it more likely they’ll miss again.

It also stops enemies from landing critical hits on you. If they roll a natural 20, it will be a normal hit, not a critical one. But be careful when choosing this shield. Only two Adamantine items can be made in the game, and there are other items you might want to forge.

Shield of Devotion

The Shield of Devotion also has Shield Bash. It gives you an extra first-level spell slot, which is great for casters or half-casters. An extra Smite can be very useful.

The shield also lets you cast Aid at the third level. Normally, Aid boosts the whole party's health, but with this shield, it only increases the wielder’s health by ten. While a Cleric can cast Aid at higher levels for the group, this shield doesn’t use a spell slot. It’s available early in Act 2 when you likely won’t have access to fourth-level spells yet.

Walking Fortress

The Walking Fortress is the best shield, which you get depending on how Shadowheart's story ends. It’s a Shield +1, giving you a +3 to AC instead of the usual +2. But it gets even better.

It has Rebuke of the Mighty, an upgraded Shield Bash that knocks enemies prone and deals Force damage. You also gain an advantage on Saving Throws against spells, while attackers have a disadvantage when casting spells on you.

The shield gives you Warding Bond, which lets you share damage with an ally while giving them resistance to all damage. It also has Reflective Shell, sending back projectiles for two rounds. This is a legendary shield, and its power reflects that.

Reliable Servers to Use

To effectively use shields, you need a server that suits that purpose. ScalaCube is one that provides the best servers for your hosting needs with a wide range of features at affordable prices.

Another advantage of ScalaCube is automatic data encryption, so you don't have to worry about backups like you would with other servers.

FAQs

Conclusion

Shields in Baldurs Gate 3 provide crucial defense and unique abilities, enhancing both survival and combat effectiveness. From basic AC boosts to powerful legendary shields, choosing the right one can significantly impact your gameplay.