Heater Shield

Notes

• On Standard affinity, blocks 100% of the physical portion of a successfully guarded hit. You still need enough stamina to hold your guard, and elemental damage is handled separately.
• At +0 it blocks 43% Magic, 43% Fire, 27% Lightning and 43% Holy damage. These are guarding values, rather than protection from an attack that hits around your shield.
• Its 3.5 weight and 10 Strength requirement make it an accessible full-physical-block option. Starting Guard Boost is 52, so sustained heavy attacks can still exhaust your stamina.
• Vagabond starts with it, while the Twin Maiden Husks sell a copy to any class for 1,500 runes. There is no class-exclusive version.
• Beast Crest Heater Shield has the same weight and Strength requirement with slightly better starting Guard Boost. Choose the look or available pickup you prefer, rather than assuming every heater shield has identical defenses.
• Starts with Parry, which costs no FP. Medium-shield Parry requires deliberate timing; blocking normally and attempting a parry are separate actions. Apply No Skill if you want direct access to your right-hand weapon's skill instead.
• Can use compatible shield Ashes of War. A new affinity can change blocking values and Guard Boost, so the Standard-affinity percentages above do not describe every infused version.
• Upgrade with Smithing Stones to +25. Reinforcement improves Guard Boost and offensive power; it does not turn every elemental blocking percentage into 100%.
• Shield Grease or Scholar's Shield can temporarily improve guarding. Those shield buffs are separate from a grease or enchantment applied to your right-hand weapon.
• Lower the shield between attacks when it is safe so stamina can recover more quickly. Full physical blocking does not stop grabs, attacks from behind or every status effect from reaching you.
• Requires 10 Strength and weighs 3.5. Strength scaling affects shield attacks, rather than increasing its fixed blocking percentages.