their armor is thick and their shields broad

Size: This determines how much of your body is covered by your shield.

Shields can completely neutralize damage when held if the damage, modified by the shield skill, is low enough compared to its resistance.

This damage is always reduced, however a hard enough hitting attack will still stagger you and force you to lower your shield. Ranged weapons with sufficient damage and missile speed can penetrate shields that have a low resistance. Weapons with the ' bonus against shields' trait ignore this value as well as dealing double damage to shields. This parameter can be quite important for a shield. Resistance also factors against a successful guard crush. For example, a 0 Resistance shield hit by a blade will take 20 damage, which will drain its Durability instead, a 10 Resistance shield hit by the same blade will take only 10 damage (20 minus 10).

Resistance: This is the damage subtracted from every hit the shield takes (the shield's armor).

Watch out for your encumbrance if you want to move fast on foot.

Weight: This affects your overall encumbrance.

Like all other non-trade goods, this value will almost always be lower than the purchase value.

Sell Price: The selling price for the item.

The quality of a shield can deteriorate if it breaks. If it runs out, the shield will be dropped and can no longer be used for the remainder of the battle.

Shield Durability: This is the 'health' of the shield it determines how much damage it can take before it breaks.

Thick and Reinforced ones are stronger, but avoid shields with the negative prefixes, Cracked or Battered. Modifiers of the shield indicate its strength. Here's an explanation of what these stats mean: Only Board Shields cannot be used on horseback, though they usually have one of the highest durability ratings and size and are preferable if the player only fights on foot.ĭifferent shields have widely differing stats, so you should choose the one that fits your playing style best. Kicks will always stun a block regardless of the shield skill of the user or shield that is used. This does not damage the durability of the shield, unlike when it is wielded. When slung over your back, they can still block ranged attacks coming from the rear. This should be kept in mind when advancing, especially while in first-person view, since angling the shield down to look past it presents your head to incoming projectiles. Shields block melee attacks in a 90 degree arc in front of you, (meaning that the attack can hit the front or rim of the shield) though when an attack is ranged, the projectile has to actually hit the shield.

Their armor is thick and their shields broad