Mordhau is one of the best medieval combat games and throws dozens of players into the fray at once in large-scale battles. Every time a player spawns, they are able to select a certain loadout that can include weapons, armor, perks, supportive items, and shields. Each of these assets costs a certain amount of loadout points and this is no different for all of Mordhau's shields.
There are six different shields in Mordhau, of varying sizes with their own stats. With their pros and cons, every shield is useful in some way and players will find that some shields work better with certain builds and playstyles. Shields also have various skins that purely change the aesthetic shape of the shield, and players can also customize the pattern and colors of their shield for each loadout.
6 Buckler
The Buckler is by far the smallest shield in Mordhau, and it is a shield all about parrying blows, which will put it in favor of players who enjoy games with satisfying parry mechanics. Despite its size, the Buckler still costs 9 loadout points, which certainly curtails its power. Nevertheless, one of its main strengths is in draining the stamina of enemies who get parried.
Interestingly, the Buckler, like some other weapons in Mordhau, can actually be thrown at enemies, and while this will rarely be of use it is certainly fun to surprise enemies.
5 Pavise Shield
The Pavise Shield is easily the most unique shield in Mordhau although technically it is actually classed as a support item rather than a shield. With this in mind, it cannot block or parry melee attacks like other shields. However, it will block incoming missiles regardless of how it is currently being used.
When worn on the back, the Pavise will keep the player almost entirely safe from missiles fired from behind. The greatest strength of the Pavise and its main purpose, however, is that it can be planted in the ground to form a temporary barrier that players can hide behind. Historically, Pavise Shields were used by Genoese crossbowmen who would take cover behind them while reloading, and this is exactly what players can do in Mordhau. The Pavise also only costs 2 loadout points.
4 Targe
The Targe is a relatively small round shield in Mordhau that is primarily used for parrying attacks before striking back with one-handed weapons. Its main competitor is the Buckler and other than being bigger than the Buckler, the Targe is also cheaper at just 5 loadout points, making it a better overall option even if the stamina drain on parries isn't quite as good.
Similarly to the Buckler, the Targe can be thrown and they will basically deal the same damage. The Targe is a shield commonly associated with Scottish warriors, and players interested in the culture can check out the best games set in Scotland.
3 Round Shield
The Round Shield is the most expensive shield in Mordhau coming in at a cost of 12 loadout points, which means with this in hand and one of the best weapons in Mordhau equipped, players won't have much room for armor or perks. The Round Shield does come with one massive advantage though, as the parry window is increased by an entire millisecond.
If players enjoy the aesthetic of the Round Shield, which was traditionally used by Norse warriors, they can check out these other great Viking games.
2 Kite Shield
The Kite Shield is one of the biggest in the game and does an excellent job of protecting most of the player's body from incoming missiles. At 9 loadout points, it is not quite the most expensive shield, but players might have to miss out on an extra perk or supportive item to be able to equip it.
With a longer parry window than other shields aside from the Round Shield, players should also have an easier time deflecting blows. As with the other large shields, players can enter a shield wall with the Kite Shield. Players who love first-person melee combat will get a lot of joy out of this shield.
1 Heater Shield
The Heater Shield is arguably the best all-around shield in Mordhau as it is a medium-sized shield that does a good job at everything while not excelling at one thing in particular. It also only cost 6 loadout points, which means players can slot it into more of their builds without sacrificing too much.
It has good parry drain negation and can be held to block incoming attacks, but it also does well at helping the player riposte in duels. Unlike smaller shields, the Heater Shield is still fairly effective at blocking incoming arrows and bolts. On the maps in Mordhau that are smaller and more confined, the Heater Shield performs much better than its larger counterparts.
Mordhau is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.