Summary
InAvowed, having a shield can mean the difference between life and death, and some great early builds are possible if players know where to find some of thebest shields available from the beginning of the game. Be it Tank Fighters, or hybrid Wizards, shields constitute one of the best choices for their weapon kit and have a significant impact on one’s damage mitigation.
Below is a rundown onthe best shields thatAvowedplayers can unlock early, including location, stats, and why these off-hand items are so important for an early build. Options range from one of the best shields in the game to a simple but effective piece of gear that anyone can find and improve if they have the correct materials.
1Unflinching Duty
The Best Unique Shield That Players Can Get Early
Unflinching Dutyis the best shield that players can get early, sinceit offers two Unique perksthat are quite useful for Fighters and Rangers. The first is called Lesser Glancing Strikes and offers a 5% chance to avoid melee damage. To put it simply, it has a chance to completely nullify damage done at melee range. The second perk is called Lesser Peak Conditioning and grants a bonus 20 to Stamina. As players might have figured out already, Stamina is used for everything in the game, from attacking to blocking and parrying.
This shield has a relatively high Parry Effectiveness and moderate Block Effectiveness, and both of these stats will improve as players level up the shield using their Workbenches. This Unique Shield can be found in Strangleroot Cave, where players fight the Afflicted Bear as part ofthe Message from Afar main quest. Players cannot miss it, because they will spot it near the corpse of one of the Aedyrnan soldiers in front of the Dreamthrall Elder Brown Bear boss. Picking this shield up and equipping it will immediately make this boss fight a little easier for melee-based builds, since the Bear tends to be quite challenging for Sword and Shield Rangers and Spellblade Wizards.
2Wind And Wave
Decent Elemental Protection And Good For Mobility Builds
Wind and Waveis another powerful shield that privileges protection against the elements, and it is offers great way for Fighters, Rangers, and Wizards to deflect spells. Since it also offers an extra 20% of protection against frost accumulation and 10% of move speed, it is the perfect counter againstspellcaster enemies who use Chill Blades and Blizzard. This combination of resistance against the slow and frozen effects of ice-based spells and extra move speed guarantees that melee builds can have enough mobility to jump from one opponent to the next one unhindered.
When players arrive in Claviger’s Landing, they should climb the lighthouse and search for a hidden skeleton overlooking with the treasure map in hand. They can then find Captain Henqua’s Spoils location north from Paradis, following the river until they see a couple of towers and a stone arch. On the riverbank, there’s a cave, and players will need todive to enter the caveand pick the shield from inside. Improving this shield might be costly, but in the long run, it will be worth it, since players can upgrade it little by little instead of having to dump a lot of materials later in the game. That’s another advantage of picking it up earlier during one’s adventure.
3Beetle’s Bulwark
Parry And Summon Monster Allies
TheBeetle’s Bulwarkis a useful Unique shield that can be found in Sasha’s Emporium, in the Northern Paradis district. It will be Fine Quality from the moment players purchase it. This particular shield is effective againstenemies who use fire-based spellsinAvowed, since Fire Accumulation causes periodical damage and can be quite annoying during combat. Beetle’s Bulwark offers 20% protection against Fire Accumulation, and it also has the ability to summon an Armored Beetle ally when players parry an attack while having below 75% health. Of course, only one summon can be active at the same time; otherwise, it would be the most broken weapon in the game.
The beetles will immediately start attacking the enemy that the player parried, and they will last as long as they are not killed in combat. Upgrading this shield will increase its base Block Efficiency, Parry Efficiency, and Elemental Resistance, getting stronger and stronger and becoming effective even after facing enemies with Rank III or higher.
4Fine Round Shield
The Cheapest Option But Still Viable
The good thing about this simple but effective regular shield is that players can obtain one early if they invest in improving theCommon Round Shieldthat they will find early during the introductory On Strange Shores quest, right where they picked up theNorthreach Storage Key. From that point on, players will have to pick up lots of Grade 1 materials such as Softwood Branch and Paradisan Ladder in order to improve it until it reaches Fine Quality (blue). Alternatively, players can purchase aFine Round Shieldfrom any of the Blacksmiths in Dawnshore or the Militia Quartermaster in Paradis Northern District.
Thankfully, there are plenty of mats around the Fort and in Dawnshore, so players won’t have any trouble getting enough of them to upgrade the basic shield until it reaches the desired level. It’s important to remember that the better the quality of an item, the more effective it will be against certain enemies. Weapons will do more damage if the quality of the item is one grade above the enemies, while armor and shields will have better damage mitigation against enemies with the same or inferior tiers.
