The best shields in Valheim, biome by biome

This guide goes through the shields you can craft in each biome, in progression order. Each table gives block power at quality 1 and at the highest quality, the parry bonus where the shield has one, durability at quality 1, weight and the change to your movement speed. Tower shields have no parry bonus, so that cell is left blank.

Meadows

Meadows offers three shields, all with durability 200 and weight 4.

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Bone Tower Shield	32	3	44	—	200	4	-10%
Wood Tower Shield	10	3	22	—	200	4	-10%
Wood Shield	6	3	18	1.5	200	4	-5%

The Bone Tower Shield blocks the most here. Its quality 1 block power of 32 is already above the Wood Tower Shield at max quality (22). The Wood Shield is the only Meadows option with a parry bonus, and it slows you less than the two tower shields.

Black Forest

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Bronze Buckler	16	3	28	2.5	200	3	-5%

The Bronze Buckler is the lightest shield in this guide, at weight 3. Its parry bonus of 2.5 is higher than anything the Meadows shields offer. Its block power is lower than the Bone Tower Shield's, even at max quality (28 against 44), so it is the shield to pick for parrying rather than for raw blocking.

Swamp

Swamp has four shields, all with durability 200.

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Iron Tower Shield	52	3	64	—	200	4	-10%
Shield of Roots	48	3	60	1.5	200	4	0%
Banded Shield	42	3	54	1.5	200	5	-5%
Iron Buckler	28	3	40	2.5	200	4	-5%

The Iron Tower Shield has the highest block power of the four. The Shield of Roots comes close (48 at quality 1, 60 at max quality), keeps a parry bonus of 1.5, and is the only shield in this guide with no movement speed penalty. The Banded Shield blocks less than both and is heavier, at weight 5. The Iron Buckler repeats the 2.5 parry bonus of the Bronze Buckler. Its quality 1 block power of 28 equals the Bronze Buckler's max quality figure.

Mountains

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Silver Shield	60	3	72	1.5	200	5	-5%

The Silver Shield is the only shield from this biome. At max quality it reaches 72, above the Iron Tower Shield's 64. It also keeps a parry bonus of 1.5 and costs only -5% movement speed, where the Iron Tower Shield costs -10%.

Plains

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Black Metal Tower Shield	104	3	116	—	200	5	-10%
Black Metal Shield	78	3	90	1.5	200	5	-5%

Block power makes a big jump in Plains. The Black Metal Shield at quality 1 (78) already beats the Silver Shield at max quality (72). The Black Metal Tower Shield starts at 104 and ends at 116, the highest figures before Ashlands. Both weigh 5.

Ashlands

Shield	Block power Q1	Max quality	Block power at max	Parry bonus	Durability	Weight	Move speed
Flametal Tower Shield	140	3	152	—	300	5	-10%
Flametal Shield	114	3	126	1.5	300	5	-5%

Ashlands shields are the only ones in this guide with durability 300 instead of 200. The Flametal Tower Shield has the highest block power of any shield here, 140 at quality 1 and 152 at max quality. The Flametal Shield at max quality (126) also tops the Black Metal Tower Shield at max quality (116).

Comparing the biomes

Highest block power overall: Flametal Tower Shield (152 at max quality).
Best parry bonus: Bronze Buckler and Iron Buckler, both at 2.5. Every other shield with a parry bonus has 1.5.
No speed penalty: Shield of Roots (0%).
Lightest: Bronze Buckler (weight 3).
Most durable: the two Flametal shields (300).

Tower shields always cost -10% movement speed and never have a parry bonus. The round shields cost -5%, apart from the Shield of Roots. In every biome with both types, the tower shield has the higher block power.

How block power climbs

Every shield in this guide has a max quality of 3, and each one gains the same amount of block power between quality 1 and quality 3. That means the biome you are in matters more than the upgrades:

The Wood Shield ends at 18, and the Bronze Buckler starts at 16 and ends at 28.
The Iron Buckler starts at 28 and ends at 40, and the Banded Shield starts at 42.
The Silver Shield starts at 60 and ends at 72, and the Black Metal Shield starts at 78.
The Black Metal Tower Shield ends at 116, and the Flametal Shield starts at 114.

A shield from the next step of progression often starts near the top of the previous step's range, and sometimes above it. Upgrading to quality 3 raises each shield's block power, but it rarely lets an older shield catch a newer one of the same kind.

Written from the game data of Valheim 1.0.17, last updated October 10, 2026.

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