Some shields do more than block damage. Fighter’s Shield can counter melee attackers, the Mirror Shields can redirect projectiles, and the Dark Hylian Shield can occasionally heal you after a mob kill.
When you successfully block
| Shield | Special effect | When it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Fighter’s Shield | 25% counterattack roll. The bash deals 2 damage to a living attacker. | Triggered in the shield-block event. |
| Mirror Shield (ALttP) | Reflects a projectile when the blocked damage originates from a Projectile; otherwise it has a 25% counterattack roll against a living attacker. | Projectile branch takes precedence over counterattack. |
| Mirror Shield (OoT) | Attempts to reflect projectile damage by creating a new projectile and sending it along the defender’s look direction. | Requires a valid projectile to clone. |
| Dark Hylian Shield | When you kill a Mob while the shield is in either hand, 30% chance to restore 1 health point if not already at full health. | Kill-triggered; it is not a guaranteed heal on every block. |
| Old Rusty / standard Hylian | No additional triggered effect is asserted from this shield-event handler. | Standard shield behavior and durability still apply. |
Reflection limits
The reflection method creates a fresh projectile of the incoming projectile’s registered type. Mods with unusual projectile constructors or special NBT may behave differently. Treat this as the source’s intended reflection mechanic, not universal compatibility.
How to obtain the interesting variants
An Old Rusty Shield can be upgraded to a Fighter’s Shield through Great Fairy Water. A Hylian Shield has a standard crafting recipe in the recipe atlas; one possible default tier-five Goron offer sells a Dark Hylian Shield for two Gold Rupees.
Durability reference
| Shield | Registered durability |
|---|---|
| Old Rusty | 200 |
| Fighter’s | 500 |
| Hylian | 2,000 |
| Dark Hylian | 3,000 |
| Mirror Shield (ALttP) | 700 |
| Mirror Shield (OoT) | 9,000 |