Shield

are recurring items in. It is Link's primary protective defense used to deflect objects, guard from attack, and in some instances, reflect light onto other objects. As a common and recurring item in nearly every Zelda title, 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.

In The Legend of Zelda, Link begins his adventure already equipped with a shield. The shield can be used to block non-magical projectiles if Link is facing them and not attacking. It can be replaced by the Magical Shield, which can be bought from certain merchants found throughout Hyrule for 90-160 Rupees. If Link loses the Magical Shield to a Like Like, he will again equip his original shield.

The Shield (also known as the L-1 Shield) is the first shield Link receives in Link's Awakening. Link was separated from the Shield when he shipwrecked on Koholint Island. It it returned to Link by Tarin, who mentions that Link's name is inscribed on the back. In the artwork for the original and DX versions of Link's Awakening, the Shield has the appearance of the Fighter's Shield from A Link to the Past. However, in the Nintendo Switch version, it resembles the Hylian Shield.

[[SS -]]
SS undefined 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 SS: at that moment. Like many items in SS -, 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 SS undefined 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.)

features several different pieces of equipment to use as protection. The diverse range of NaN Shields available allows Link to deviate from the standard Sword and Shield dynamic. Many of these Shields follow a series of archetypes, such as "Boko," "Soldier's," and "Traveler's." Initially, Link can carry up to four Shields at a time in his inventory; however, he can obtain additional slots by giving Korok Seeds to Hestu. Hestu will upgrade Link's slots up to a full page, or 20 slots, of weapons. If Link takes another Shield while his inventory is full, he will drop the Shield or put it back if it came from a Treasure Chest. Each Shield, including duplicates, occupies its own slot in the inventory.

Each hit a Shield receives lowers it durability, breaking once it reaches zero. Performing a Perfect Guard prevents the Shield from taking damage while stunning the enemy or deflecting its projectile. By using a Shield while jumping, Link is capable of Shield Surfing at the cost of the Shield's integrity provided the Shield is being ridden on coarse terrain. If Link Shield Surfs on snow or sand, the Shield will not take damage.

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. and both contain examples of all three varieties.

Wooden Shields

 * Related Articles: Wooden Shield, Ordon Shield, and Deku Shield Deku Shield.png]] Shield 1.png

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 and  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, 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 ALttPShield.png'']]



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 is the first form of this shield, and the Red Shield from  and Hero's Shield of  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. However, in SS -, 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 SS -, 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 Mirror Shield.png



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, incorporates a mirror shield that is required to beat the Spirit Temple, while  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.

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, Link automatically carries his shield, but it can only block projectile attacks as long he faces the direction of attack. Once again, in, 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, 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, increases the defensive powers of the shield, allowing it to bounce back projectiles. The shield of can also deflect both ranged and direct attacks, but as before, they are vulnerable to certain attacks. In and, Link's can protect against ranged and close-ranged attacks. Only in, however, can Link use the power of Wisdom Gems to augment the defensive powers of his shield.


 * See also: 's article on 

In and, aside from the  given to all characters, Link, Young Link, and Toon Link can use their shields to block opponents' projectile attacks. By standing still, slowly walking, 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 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 and. The system reappears in and again in, in which the shield can bounce some attacks back at enemies.

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 ). 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 and  are the same as those in, except shields are equipped automatically.

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 SS -, the Wii Remote's Nunchuk must be thrust forward. The same motion is used to perform a Shield Bash, a move similar to the Shield Attack. If used just as an enemy's attack lands, the Shield Bash will act as a parry and temporarily stun them. Performing this parry does not decrease the Shield's durability. In, Link can perform a Deflect by pressing the 'A' button while guarding by holding 'ZL'. This move will bash enemies and even cause damage as a slash attack when used with any type of Lynel Shield. Similar to the Shield Bash in SS -, Link can perform a Perfect Guard by Deflecting just as an enemy's attack lands. This acts as a parry and temporarily stuns the enemy. Perfect Guards can be performed on Guardian lasers as well, which will deflect their lasers back at them and cause a high amount of damage. Deflecting can also be used to deflect certain projectiles back at enemies. Link can also use his Shield to Shield Surf down hills in. This, like Deflecting, is also performed by pressing the 'A' button while holding 'ZL', but while in the air.

In, Link uses the Shield to defend himself from enemy attacks. The Shield is able to block most projectile attacks, but only when Link is standing still or crouching. On the inventory screen, the Shield bears the initial "L" for Link.

The Shield is later upgraded by Suprena in Serigon Caves into the Reflecting Shield, after Link brings her the Crystal of Reflection.

In, Zelda uses the Shield to defend herself from enemy attacks. Identically to, it is able to block most projectile attacks provided that Zelda is standing still or crouching. On the inventory screen, the Shield bears the initial "Z" for Zelda.

Zelda can later find the stronger Reflecting Shield. It replaces her standard Shield.

Trivia

 * The Shield from is the first shield to feature a bird design
 * There is a recurring pattern in the designs of shields in SS -. 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 patterns.
 * ,, and SS - 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, 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 ( and SS -), Like Likes did not appear, while they (or Pikits, in the case of ) 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, provides an exception: Both the Hylian Shield and Like Likes are present, and Like Likes are unable to eat it.