Shield

[[File:File:ALttPShield.png.png|20x20px]] [[|]] Always accompanying Link's sword, a shield is a defensive item which has appeared in every game of The Legend of Zelda series to date. The shield is Link's primary protective defense used to deflect objects, guard from attack, and in some instances, reflect light onto other objects. Appearing in every Zelda title to date, the shield is not only a trademark of the series but completes Link's hero-like appearance, along with any sword he happens to wield at the time. From defending Link to being the favorite snack of Like Likes, the design and function of the shield greatly differs throughout the series.

Levels of Shields

In the Zelda universe, three common shields exist: the Wooden, the Durable, and the Mirror shields - from which the games, at their own discretion, add different variations and unique shields to the mix that operate differently as required by the individual games themselves. Template:ALTTP and Template:OOT both contain examples of all three varieties.

Wooden Shields

Related Articles: Wooden Shield, Ordon Shield, and Deku Shield

Deku Shield

The Ordon Shield from Twilight Princess.

The Wooden Shield is often the first that Link acquires in his journey, as this type of shield is the closest and most readily available to Link at the time. Though not specifically noted, many of the games such as Template:LOZ and Template:ALTTP incorporate wooden shields; they are noted by their adequate protection from rocks and arrows and weakness against fire, instead of by their rudimentary wooden makeup. In 3D The Legend of Zelda titles, the wooden shield's weakness to fire makes it a relatively risky choice to use under volcanic and high heat conditions because contact with fire will burn the shield, namely the Deku Shield and the Ordon Shield, away completely. Unlike the more durable Iron Shield in Skyward Sword, the Wooden Shield is resistant to electricity. In order to accommodate this aversion to fire, wooden shields can be replaced at many bazaars for a nominal price. Also, in ALBW, the basic shield has the same properties as most other basic, wooden shields, blocking most basic enemy attacks, but not such attacks as beams or fire, but it cannot be burned away.

Durable Shields

Related Articles: Fighter's Shield, Hylian Shield, Sacred Shield, Hero's Shield, Iron Shield, Red Shield, and Magical Shield

A metallic shield in 'A Link to the Past

The Durable Shield is the more durable counterpart to the wooden shield, in that it can not only deflect most enemy attacks and projectiles, but it does not fail in the presence of high heat. The Magical Shield of Template:LOZ is the first form of this shield, and the Red Shield from Template:ALTTP and Hero's Shield of Majora's Mask fame are prime examples of the impenetrability of these shields - even large boulders that rain down from the apex of Death Mountain do not leave a scratch on the surface of the Hylian Shield of Template:OOT. However, in Skyward Sword, the Iron Shield, which is normally indestructible, can be damaged when attacked, especially with electricity, but it is among the most durable shields in the title. Also in Skyward Sword, the Sacred Shield has limited durability, but it is resistant to most elements and will repair itself when damaged. Contrary to the wooden shield, which often has a minimalistic art design on its facing side, these often impregnable shields commonly boast the Hylian Crest and the Triforce at their front. While the majority of these shields are metallic in construct, many in the series do not give any physical description beyond what they protect against.

Mirror Shields

Main Article: Mirror Shield

The Mirror Shield of The Wind Waker

Mirror shield of Template:OOT

Always having a smooth, reflective face, the Mirror Shield is usually the last, and sometimes even optional, shield variation Link can receive on his quest; this shield is an impregnable shield with one added function: the ability to reflect light. Its plot usability is determined by game; for example, Ocarina of Time incorporates a mirror shield that is required to beat the Spirit Temple, while The Minish Cap presents the shield as a reward for completing a lengthy side-quest unrelated to the plot. The mirror shield is used almost exclusively to complete the dungeon it was found in, and rarely throughout the rest of the game, save certain side-quests and other small situations.

Strength

In most titles, all shields (except flammable wooden ones) are invulnerable. However, Skyward Sword introduces shields with limited durability; they are damaged when used strenuously. The level of damage sustained is indicated by the Shield Gauge. Shields can be repaired at the Scrap Shop or with a Revitalizing Potion. When the Shield Gauge empties, the shield is broken beyond repair, unless Link possesses an infused Revitalizing Potion at that moment. Like many items in Skyward Sword, shields can be upgraded at the Scrap Shop, improving their durability but otherwise retaining their qualities. The Hylian Shield, obtained by completing the Thunder Dragon's Lightning Round, is indestructible and cannot be upgraded.

Every shield in Skyward Sword has a specific amount of damage it can take before breaking. This is laid out in the table below. In general, for a given tier of shield (i.e. basic, 1st upgrade, 2nd upgrade), the Sacred Shield derivative is the weakest, the Wooden Shield derivative is the second strongest (being 1.6 times as strong as the Sacred Shield derivative), and the Iron Shield derivative is the strongest (being 2.4 times as strong as the Sacred Shield derivative or 1.5 times as strong as the Wooden Shield derivative). For a given type of shield, the first upgrade is 1.5 times as strong as the basic shield, and the second upgrade is twice as strong as the basic shield.

The damage dealt to a shield by an enemy attack or other damage source is proportional to the damage it would do to Link. Therefore, if a given attack does twice as much damage to Link as another attack does, it will also damage his shield twice as much. However, this does not apply to the increased damage attacks deal to Link in Hero Mode; shields take the same amount of damage from a given attack in Hero Mode that they do in regular gameplay. The number in the "strength" column in the table below indicates the number of hits required to break that shield provided the hits would each deal one heart of damage to Link in regular gameplay or two hearts in Hero Mode. (In the case of the Sacred Shield and its upgrades, the total number of hits does not take into account recovery of shield integrity over time.)

Shields

Sprite	Name	Type	Tier	Strength
File:Wooden Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Wooden ShieldWooden Shield	1Wooden	1Normal	C4
File:Banded Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Banded ShieldBanded Shield	1Wooden	2Better	E6
File:Braced Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Braced ShieldBraced Shield	1Wooden	3Best	F8
File:Iron Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Iron ShieldIron Shield	2Iron	1Normal	E6
File:Reinforced Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Reinforced ShieldReinforced Shield	2Iron	2Better	G9
File:Fortified Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Fortified ShieldFortified Shield	2Iron	3Best	H12
File:Sacred Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Sacred ShieldSacred Shield	3Sacred	1Normal	A2.5
File:Divine Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Divine ShieldDivine Shield	3Sacred	2Better	B3.75
File:Goddess Shield (Skyward Sword).png	Goddess ShieldGoddess Shield	3Sacred	3Best	D5
File:Hylian Shield Icon SS.png	Hylian ShieldHylian Shield	4Hylian	4Cannot be upgraded	I∞

Function

Link has always used the shield to defend himself. Sometimes, the shield is even necessary to defeat specific enemies. However, the way the shield is utilized varies; depending on the game, Link is limited to defending either automatically or manually.

Automatic

In Template:LOZ, Link automatically carries his shield, but it can only block projectile attacks as long he faces the direction of attack. Once again, in Template:ALTTP, the shield exclusively deflects ranged attacks. However, he doesn't only need to use it in the direction he's facing. As he charges his sword for a Spin Attack, Link can hold his shield on his right side (except when looking east, in which case he holds it on his left side), leaving that side guarded but his front open.

Link, in Template:AOL, may use his shield against not only ranged attacks, but direct ones as well, which is crucial during combat with Iron Knuckles and Stalfos. However, this shield cannot defend against strikes from chain hammers, axes, clubs, and fireballs. The Reflect magic, one of the many spells Link can use in The Adventure of Link, increases the defensive powers of the shield, allowing it to bounce back projectiles. The shield of Four Swords Adventures can also deflect both ranged and direct attacks, but as before, they are vulnerable to certain attacks. In Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks, Link's can protect against ranged and close-ranged attacks. Only in Phantom Hourglass, however, can Link use the power of Wisdom Gems to augment the defensive powers of his shield.

Non-Canon Information

See also: SmashWiki's article on Link's shield

In Super Smash Bros. Melee and Brawl, aside from the bubble shield given to all characters, Link, Young Link, and Toon Link can use their shields to block opponents' projectile attacks. By standing still or crouching, any projectiles that strike the face of the shield are nullified and simply push Link back according to how strong it was. However, there are several caveats: idle animations may cause Link to drop his guard, Link cannot hold his shield if he is holding an item, and projectiles that are unblockable or unreflectable cannot be defended against.

Manual

The shield in Link's Awakening is used as any other item in the game; by assigning it a button command. Because of this, for the first time, Link may utilize the shield whenever desired. This function is reused in Template:OOA and Template:OOS. The system reappears in Four Swords and again in The Minish Cap, in which the shield can bounce some attacks back at enemies.

Template:OOT greatly changed the way the shield functions. All shields must be equipped before using. Link can use the shield in two ways. He can hold it while remaining stationary, tilting it in whatever direction he faces. Contrarily, when targeting, Link can focus on his enemy while moving freely and defending with his shield at the same time. Similarly to the Reflect magic, Link's shield can reflect certain enemy projectiles back at the attacker, an ability that comes with the item (except for the Mirror Shield in Ocarina of Time). In a special case, if Link equips the Hylian Shield as a child, he must carry it on his back at all times, even when defending, because the shield is too heavy for him to lift. This method can be used to block debris shooting from Death Mountain. The shield mechanics of Majora's Mask and The Wind Waker are the same as those in Ocarina of Time, except shields are equipped automatically.

Twilight Princess takes the shield mechanics of the previous 3D titles and expands on them. Now when targeting an enemy, Link automatically lifts his shield in defense. However, he can't automatically reflect projectiles without use of the Shield Attack, a learned ability he can also use to open the defenses of enemies and stun them. To defend with the shield in Skyward Sword, the Wii Remote's Nunchuk must be shaken. The same motion is used to perform a Shield Bash, a move similar to the Shield Attack. If used just as the enemy attacks, Shield Bash will stun them and the shield's durability does not decrease.

Trivia

• There is a recurring pattern in the designs of shields in Skyward Sword. Basic shields have a bird's foot in their design. Improved shields have stylized bird silhouettes with spread wings. Final-stage shields have swirling wind pattterns.
• Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword are the only games in which more than one shield can be kept in the inventory and in which it is possible to use a shield other than the "best" one Link currently possesses. Of these, Ocarina of Time is the only game to feature the Mirror Shield, making it the only game in the series where the Mirror Shield can be carried unequipped.
• Originally, in games where the Hylian Shield is the highest-level shield (Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword), Like Likes did not appear, while they (or Pikits, in the case of A Link to the Past) appeared in all other games that feature the Hylian Shield. As Like Likes are able to eat Hylian Shields in games where they appear, their absence in these titles may be related to there being no superior, inedible shield present. However, A Link Between Worlds provides an exception: Both the Hylian Shield and Like Likes are present, and Like Likes are unable to eat it.

Gallery

• ShieldLoZArt.png

  Shield official artwork from Template:LOZ

• MagicalShieldLoZArt.png

  Magical Shield official artwork from The Legend of Zelda

• MagicalShieldArtwork.png

  Magical Shield official artwork from The Legend of Zelda

• Magical Shield.png

  Official artwork of the Shield of Template:AOL

• ALttPShield.png

  Shield as it appears in the official artwork of Template:ALTTP (it is the first shield to feature a bird design)

• Fightersshield.png

  Fighter's Shield official artwork

• 

  Red Shield official artwork, from A Link to the Past

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  Mirror Shield of A Link to the Past

• Link's Awakening - Shield.png

  Link's shield in Link's Awakening

• Link's Awakening Shield.png

  Artwork of the shield in Link's Awakening

• OoT Hylian Shield.png

  Hylian Shield of Template:OOT

• Hylian Shield OoT.png

  Hylian Shield from Ocarina of Time

• Mirror Shield OoT.png

  Mirror Shield from Ocarina of Time

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  Hero's Shield from Majora's Mask

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  Mirror shield of Majora's Mask

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  Artwork of the shield of Four Swords

• Shield(FS).gif

  Shield as seen in Four Swords

• 

  Hero's Shield of The Wind Waker (this shield also appears in the Four Swords series)

• FSA Shield.png

  Link's unnamed shield from Four Swords Adventures

• SmallShield TMC.gif

  The Small Shield from The Minish Cap

• MirrorShieldTMC.gif

  The Mirror Shield from The Minish Cap

• Ordonshield.png

  Ordon Shield of Twilight Princess

• Wooden Shield.png

  Wooden Shield of Twilight Princess

• Hylianshield.png

  Hylian Shield from Twilight Princess

• PH Shield.png

  Wooden Shield of Phantom Hourglass

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  Sprite of Link's Shield in Spirit Tracks

• ST Shield.png

  Artwork showing Link's Shield in Spirit Tracks

• Hylian Shield SS.png

  Hylian Shield from Skyward Sword

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  Artwork of a shield from A Link Between Worlds

Template:Refbar

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name
	FrenchCA	Bouclier
	German	Schild
	SpanishLA	Escudo

Template:Shields