Shields in Dark Souls III are an integral part of your survival as you learn the game, since even a single blow past your guard can lead to your untimely demise. More than just a wall between you and the enemy, the player is presented with a wide variety of shield styles to choose from, allowing them the freedom to integrate their shield into their own personal playstyle. With offensive applications in addition to the obvious defensive applications, shield strategy can easily become far deeper than simply blocking damage.
The following is based on information gathered from the previous Souls game and may not apply to Dark Souls 3 until verified.
The value of stability: stability seems to work as % decrease of a hidden "stability dmg" modifier tied to enemy attacks. (It may be directly tied to dmg , but further testing needed) So if an enemy attack would deplete 20 points of stamina, shield with 50 stability means it will only deplete 10 points. This means that 75 stability shield is 2x better then 50 stability shield just as 60 and 20 stability respectively.
The offensive properties of a shield have no effect on its defensive abilities, and new players can mistake a shield's attack power for it's overall strength. When looking at a shield, one of the most important stats is Stability - the higher the stability, the more efficient a shield is at blocking attacks, staggering enemies and using stamina. Damage Reduction will indicate how a shield fares in reducing the damage of different types of attacks; many shields can block physical attacks completely, but most are not able to completely block elemental or magic damage. Shields also possess other properties, such as the ability to parry attacks, bash enemies, and use special attacks. While two-handing a shield it's stability will be raised by 10 unless it is a greatshield, in which case, stability will increase by 5. (this actually shows up on the shields properties on the equipment screen)
The value of stability: stability seems to work as % decrease of a hidden "stability dmg" modifier tied to enemy attacks. (It may be directly tied to dmg , but further testing needed) So if an enemy attack would deplete 20 points of stamina, shield with 50 stability means it will only deplete 10 points. This means that 75 stability shield is 2x better then 50 stability shield just as 60 and 20 stability respectively.
The offensive properties of a shield have no effect on its defensive abilities, and new players can mistake a shield's attack power for it's overall strength. When looking at a shield, one of the most important stats is Stability - the higher the stability, the more efficient a shield is at blocking attacks, staggering enemies and using stamina. Damage Reduction will indicate how a shield fares in reducing the damage of different types of attacks; many shields can block physical attacks completely, but most are not able to completely block elemental or magic damage. Shields also possess other properties, such as the ability to parry attacks, bash enemies, and use special attacks. While two-handing a shield it's stability will be raised by 10 unless it is a greatshield, in which case, stability will increase by 5. (this actually shows up on the shields properties on the equipment screen)
- Magic shield spells don't increase stability - otherwise according to aforementioned data, we would go to over 100% stability and have no stamina depletion at all.
Shields
Small Shields
Standard Shields
Greatshields
DLC Shields
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