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For other uses, see Shield (disambiguation).
Steel full helm old
Due to an update, this article may be out of date.
Reason: Update life point boosts for adamant/rune spike/berserker shields, and Daemonheim shields.
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A rune kiteshield, one of the oldest shields in the game.

A shield is a protective item wielded in the off-hand slot. A shield adds substantial bonuses to armour and to life points when wielded, and unlocks the use of some Defence abilities. Most shields carry a Defence level requirement to wield. Players who wield shields for extra endurance are commonly referred to as tanks.

History[]

For most of RuneScape's history, shields had largely been reserved for the melee class. Shields generally gave melee and Ranged defensive bonuses, making them most suitable for melee users, though rangers sometimes used shields with one-handed Ranged weapons. Mages had few options when it came to shield use, as most shields gave substantial penalties to Magic accuracy. Rangers and mages alike tended to wield books in the off-hand, if not wielding a two-handed weapon, for their accuracy and Prayer bonuses. Traditionally, shields were made with the Smithing skill, or received as monster drops.

Gradually, a more diverse selection of shields began to enter the game. The dragonfire shield, released on 18 June 2007, provided a viable defensive option for players of all classes, with its high defensive bonuses and reasonably low offensive bonuses for non-meleers. The release of Summer's End on 15 September 2008 also saw the release of the spirit shields, two of which, the arcane spirit shield and spectral spirit shield, provided high bonuses to Magic offence and Magic defence, respectively. Additionally, new high-level shields for each class were added with the release of Dungeoneering on 12 April 2010.

Many new shields were added to the game with the Evolution of Combat on 20 November 2012, particularly low- and mid-level shields for rangers and mages. Additionally, the update made shield usage more attractive by increasing the effectiveness of a shield, as well as adding powerful abilities that require them.

Usage[]

Resonance

A player using a malevolent kiteshield to activate the Resonance ability.

The use of a shield has a more profound effect on a player's combat ability. Compared to a head-slot item of equal level, a shield adds the same amount of armour and more life points. Shields also allow for the usage of the strongest Defence abilities. Between a shield's extra armour, life point bonuses, and these abilities, players who choose to wield shields are significantly more capable of dealing with enemies' powerful attacks. Shield usage can be very helpful for players who are attempting to battle enemies with a much higher combat level.

Players who wield shields cannot use two-handed or off-hand weapons, both of which carry an extra 50% bonus to damage versus wielding a single one-handed weapon. Additionally, abilities that require a two-handed weapon or off-hand weapon cannot be used. This generally means that players must choose whether to focus on offence with a two-handed weapon or dual-wielded weapons, or focus on defence with a shield. Ideally, players should focus on offence while carrying the shield in their inventory, ready to equip and use when called for.

In a group bossing team, one player may serve as the tank by wielding a shield and using Provoke or activating Incite, which will draw the boss's attention to them. The shield makes it much easier for the tank to survive the boss's focus, and the remaining team members can attack the boss more freely. A similar strategy may be employed in PvP where Provoke decreases the target's damage against other players.

List of notable shields[]

For a comprehensive list of all shields in the game, see Category:Shields.

Melee[]

Each type of metal in RuneScape, from bronze to dragon, has a square shield and a kiteshield. Square shields give slightly lower armour bonuses than kiteshields, but have the same life point bonuses. Square shields tend to be slightly less expensive than kiteshields. Both square shields and kiteshields, with the exception of the dragon sq shield and dragon kiteshield, can be made through the Smithing skill. In the interest of brevity, only kiteshields are listed below.

Icon Name P2P? Skill
requirements
Armour bonus Life point bonus Notes
Bronze kiteshield Bronze kiteshield F2P icon 1 Defence 30 0
Anti-dragon shield Anti-dragon shield F2P icon 1 Defence 30 0 Provides strong protection versus dragonfire attacks.
Iron kiteshield Iron kiteshield F2P icon 10 Defence 40 0
Steel kiteshield Steel kiteshield F2P icon 20 Defence 63 0
Black kiteshield Black kiteshield F2P icon 25 Defence 76 0
White kiteshield White kiteshield P2P icon 25 Defence 76 0 +1 Prayer bonus. Requires completion of Wanted! in order to wield.
Mithril kiteshield Mithril kiteshield F2P icon 30 Defence 90 0
Adamant kiteshield Adamant kiteshield F2P icon 40 Defence 125 0
Spirit shield Spirit shield P2P icon 40 Defence
55 Prayer
125 0 +1 prayer bonus. Requires completion of Summer's End.
Adamant spikeshield Adamant spikeshield F2P icon 45 Defence 137 0 Obtained from Fist of Guthix. Degrades.
Adamant berserker shield Adamant berserker shield F2P icon 45 Defence 146 0
Rune kiteshield Rune kiteshield F2P icon 50 Defence 170 0
Rune spikeshield Rune spikeshield F2P icon 55 Defence 185 0 Obtained from Fist of Guthix. Degrades.
Rune berserker shield Rune berserker shield F2P icon 55 Defence 196 0
Granite shield Granite shield P2P icon 55 Defence
55 Strength
196 0
Dragon kiteshield Dragon kiteshield P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Toktz-ket-xil Toktz-ket-xil P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Third-age kiteshield Third-age kiteshield P2P icon 65 Defence 259 0 Obtained extremely rarely from Treasure Trails.
Crystal shield Crystal shield P2P icon 70 Defence
50 Agility
297 35 Requires completion of Roving Elves. Degrades.
Bandos warshield Bandos warshield P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 +1 prayer bonus.
Blessed spirit shield Blessed spirit shield P2P icon 70 Defence
60 Prayer
297 35 +3 prayer bonus. Requires completion of Summer's End.
Dragonfire shield Dragonfire shield P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 Provides protection from dragonfire as an anti-dragon shield. Must first be charged with dragonfire attacks in order to reach its highest armour bonus.
Divine spirit shield Divine spirit shield P2P icon 75 Defence
75 Prayer
338 0 +3 prayer bonus. Absorbs 30% of incoming damage in exchange for draining 6% of the original hit in prayer points. Requires completion of Summer's End. This is currently the strongest non-degrading melee shield available.
Chaotic kiteshield Chaotic kiteshield P2P icon 80 Defence
80 Dungeoneering
384 385 Obtained from the rewards trader at Daemonheim. Degrades.
Attuned crystal shield Attuned crystal shield P2P icon 80 Defence
50 Agility
384 385 Requires 90 Smithing to make with Crystal Singing. Requires completion of Plague's End. Degrades.
Linza's shield Linza's shield P2P icon 80 Defence 384 385 Degrades.
Malevolent kiteshield Malevolent kiteshield P2P icon 90 Defence 491 735 This is currently the highest tier Melee shield available. Degrades.

Ranged[]

Many Ranged shields, particularly the lower- to mid-levelled shields can be made through the Crafting skill. Shieldbows are not included here, despite them allowing the use of shield abilities.

Icon Name P2P? Skill
requirements
Armour bonus Life point bonus Notes
Leather shield Leather shield F2P icon None 30 0
Hard leather shield Hard leather shield F2P icon 10 Defence
10 Ranged
40 0
Studded leather shield Studded leather shield F2P icon 20 Defence
20 Ranged
63 0
Green dragonhide shield Green dragonhide shield F2P icon 40 Defence 125 0
Blue dragonhide shield Blue dragonhide shield F2P icon 50 Defence 170 0
Red dragonhide shield Red dragonhide shield P2P icon 55 Defence 196 0
Black dragonhide shield Black dragonhide shield P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Crystal deflector Crystal deflector P2P icon 70 Defence
50 Agility
297 35 Requires completion of Roving Elves. Degrades.
Armadyl buckler Armadyl buckler P2P icon 70 Defence
70 Ranged
297 35 +1 prayer bonus.
Dragonfire deflector Dragonfire deflector P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 Provides protection from dragonfire as an anti-dragon shield. Must first be charged with dragonfire attacks in order to reach its highest armour bonus.
Elysian spirit shield Elysian spirit shield P2P icon 75 Defence
75 Prayer
338 0 +3 prayer bonus. Absorbs 30% of incoming damage in exchange for draining 6% of the original hit in prayer points. Requires completion of Summer's End. This is currently the strongest non-degrading Ranged shield available.
Eagle-eye kiteshield Eagle-eye kiteshield P2P icon 80 Defence
80 Dungeoneering
384 385 Obtained from the rewards trader at Daemonheim. Degrades.
Attuned crystal deflector Attuned crystal deflector P2P icon 80 Ranged
50 Agility
384 385 Requires 90 Smithing to make with Crystal Singing. Requires completion of Plague's End. Degrades.
Vengeful kiteshield Vengeful kiteshield P2P icon 90 Defence 491 735 This is currently the highest tier Ranged shield available. Degrades.

Magic[]

Many Magic shields, particularly the lower- to mid-levelled shields can be made through the Crafting skill.

Icon Name P2P? Skill
requirements
Armour bonus Life point bonus Notes
Imphide shield Imphide shield F2P icon 10 Defence 40 0
Batwing shield Batwing shield F2P icon 30 Defence 90 0
Splitbark shield Splitbark shield P2P icon 40 Defence 125 0
Mystic shield Mystic shield F2P icon 50 Defence 170 0
Grifolic shield Grifolic shield P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0 Does not degrade, unlike other grifolic armour.
Dragon ward Dragon ward P2P icon 60 Defence 226 0
Crystal ward Crystal ward P2P icon 70 Defence
50 Agility
297 35 Requires completion of Roving Elves. Degrades.
Ward of subjugation Ward of subjugation P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 +1 prayer bonus.
Dragonfire ward Dragonfire ward P2P icon 70 Defence 297 35 Provides protection from dragonfire as an anti-dragon shield. Must first be charged with dragonfire attacks in order to reach its highest armour bonus.
Spectral spirit shield Spectral spirit shield P2P icon 75 Defence
75 Prayer
65 Magic
338 210 +3 prayer bonus. Requires completion of Summer's End. Does not absorb damage unlike other spirit shields, however has a life point bonus instead; this and the arcane spirit shield are currently the strongest non-degrading Magic shields available.
Arcane spirit shield Arcane spirit shield P2P icon 75 Defence
70 Prayer
65 Magic
338 0 +3 prayer bonus. Absorbs 30% of incoming damage in exchange for draining 6% of the original hit in prayer points. Requires completion of Summer's End. Lacks the life point bonus that the spectral spirit shield has; this and the spectral spirit shield are currently the strongest non-degrading Magic shields available.
Farseer kiteshield Farseer kiteshield P2P icon 80 Defence
80 Dungeoneering
384 385 Obtained from the rewards trader at Daemonheim. Degrades.
Attuned crystal ward Attuned crystal ward P2P icon 80 Magic
50 Agility
384 385 Requires 90 Smithing to make with Crystal Singing. Requires completion of Plague's End. Degrades.
Merciless kiteshield Merciless kiteshield P2P icon 90 Defence 491 735 This is currently the highest tier Magic shield available. Degrades.

In Daemonheim[]

Shields of all classes may be found and equipped while Dungeoneering.

Dungeoneering Tier
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Melee Name Novite kiteshield Bathus kiteshield Marmaros kiteshield Kratonite kiteshield Fractite kiteshield Zephyrium kiteshield Argonite kiteshield Katagon kiteshield Gorgonite kiteshield Promethium kiteshield Primal kiteshield
Reqs 1 Defence 10 Defence 20 Defence 30 Defence 40 Defence 50 Defence 60 Defence 70 Defence 80 Defence 90 Defence 99 Defence
Armour 22 40 63 90 125 170 226 297 384 491 606
HP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 385 735 1050
Level Smithing 6 16 26 36 46 56 66 76 86 96 --
Materials 3x Novite bar 3x Bathus bar 3x Marmaros bar 3x Kratonite bar 3x Fractite bar 3x Zephyrium bar 3x Argonite bar 3x Katagon bar 3x Gorgonite bar 3x Promethium bar This item may only be obtained as a drop from Shadow-forger Ihlakhizan.
Ranged Name Protoleather shield Subleather shield Paraleather shield Archleather shield Dromoleather shield Spinoleather shield Gallileather shield Stegoleather shield Megaleather shield Tyrannoleather shield Sagittarian shield
Reqs 1 Defence
1 Ranged
10 Defence
10 Ranged
20 Defence
20 Ranged
30 Defence
30 Ranged
40 Defence
40 Ranged
50 Defence
50 Ranged
60 Defence
60 Ranged
70 Defence
70 Ranged
80 Defence
80 Ranged
90 Defence
90 Ranged
99 Defence
99 Ranged
Armour 22 40 63 90 125 170 226 297 384 491 606
HP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 385 735 1050
Level Crafting 6 16 26 36 46 56 66 76 86 96 --
Materials 3x Protomastyx hide 3x Submastyx hide 3x Paramastyx hide 3x Archaemastyx hide 3x Dromomastyx hide 3x Spinomastyx hide 3x Gallimastyx hide 3x Stegomastyx hide 3x Megamastyx hide 3x Tyrannomastyx hide This item may only be obtained as a drop from Stomp.
Magic Name Salve shield Wildercress shield Blightleaf shield Roseblood shield Bryll shield Duskweed shield Soulbell shield Ectoshield Runic shield Spiritbloom shield Celestial shield
Reqs 1 Defence
1 Magic
10 Defence
10 Magic
20 Defence
20 Magic
30 Defence
30 Magic
40 Defence
40 Magic
50 Defence
50 Magic
60 Defence
60 Magic
70 Defence
70 Magic
80 Defence
80 Magic
90 Defence
90 Magic
99 Defence
99 Magic
Armour 22 40 63 90 125 170 226 297 384 491 606
HP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 35 385 735 1050
Level Crafting 6 16 26 36 46 56 66 76 86 96 --
Materials 3x Salve cloth 3x Wildercress cloth 3x Blightleaf cloth 3x Roseblood cloth 3x Bryll cloth 3x Duskweed cloth 3x Soulbell cloth 3x Ectocloth 3x Runic cloth 3x Spiritbloom cloth This item may only be obtained as a drop from the runebound behemoth.

Additionally, there are two Magic-class shields dropped by Spiritual guardians.

Icon Name P2P? Skill
requirements
Armour bonus Life point bonus Notes
Protector's ward Protector's ward P2P icon 65 Defence 259 0 Only dropped by Spiritual guardians, which require 63 Slayer to defeat.
Guardian's ward Guardian's ward P2P icon 94 Defence 540 875 Only dropped by Spiritual guardians, which require 63 Slayer to defeat.

See also[]

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