Is the Black Knight Shield Good in Dark Souls Remastered?
Yes, the Black Knight Shield is exceptionally good in Dark Souls Remastered, and it’s often considered one of the best medium shields in the game, especially for specific builds and situations. While it doesn’t have the highest stability or magic defense, it offers unmatched fire defense, making it a valuable asset against fire-based enemies and bosses. Its versatility and defensive capabilities make it a popular choice among players. It’s not an “end-all-be-all” perfect shield, but it shines in its specific areas, and more than makes up for its few minor drawbacks.
The Black Knight Shield: Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
The most notable strength of the Black Knight Shield is its 95% fire damage reduction, the highest of any shield in Dark Souls. This makes it indispensable when facing enemies who use fire attacks, such as the Demon Firesage, Ceaseless Discharge, and even some PvP builds. Besides this, here are some other key strengths:
- Decent Stability: While not as high as some greatshields or the Silver Knight Shield, its stability is still good enough to block most attacks without leaving you too open.
- Good Physical Defense: The Black Knight Shield provides a solid amount of physical damage reduction, making it a reliable option in most combat scenarios.
- Availability: Although Black Knights can be challenging to fight, their relatively common presence means you have several opportunities to acquire the shield, especially early to mid-game. You can even acquire one as early as the Undead Asylum.
- Weight: As a medium shield, it strikes a good balance between defensive capabilities and weight, allowing for more agility than greatshields.
- Complementary Armor: The shield pairs excellently with the Black Knight armor set, if you are going for the aesthetics, and further adds to the thematic role-play.
- Practicality: The shield can be a great option for players who aren’t able or willing to use the greatshields, or simply are more comfortable with the medium shield playstyle.
Weaknesses
While highly effective, the Black Knight Shield does have a few minor drawbacks:
- Lower Magic Defense: Its magic defense is below average, making it less effective against magic-based enemies.
- Weight Compared to Silver Knight Shield: While a medium shield, it is slightly heavier than the Silver Knight Shield, a major competitor for the medium shield title.
- Stability Compared to Silver Knight Shield: The Black Knight Shield is slightly inferior in stability to the Silver Knight Shield. This will mean that you will take slightly more stamina damage when blocking attacks.
- Not Universally the Best: While excellent for certain situations, there isn’t a single shield that is best for everything. Therefore, you will have to switch around depending on the enemy or boss.
How to Best Utilize the Black Knight Shield
To effectively use the Black Knight Shield, consider the following:
- Prioritize Fire-Based Encounters: Equip this shield when dealing with enemies or bosses who rely heavily on fire damage.
- Consider Your Build: If you’re not relying heavily on magic defense or require maximum stability, the Black Knight Shield is a fantastic option for your build.
- Pair with Fire-Resistant Armor: Combine it with armor that has high fire resistance to further bolster your defenses against fire-based attacks.
- Experiment with Weapons: The Black Knight Shield can fit well with different weapons, allowing you to have a versatile setup.
- Upgrade it: Upgrading the shield will improve its defensive capabilities and stability, making it even more reliable.
Conclusion
The Black Knight Shield is a highly effective shield in Dark Souls Remastered, thanks to its exceptional fire damage negation and well-rounded defensive capabilities. Despite minor drawbacks in magic defense and slightly lower stability compared to other shields, it’s an excellent choice for players looking for a reliable medium shield that excels in fire-heavy encounters. Its versatility and effectiveness solidify its place as a top-tier option for both new and veteran players. Ultimately, whether you are looking to protect yourself or are interested in the aesthetic, the Black Knight Shield is a strong option.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Black Knight Shield and related aspects in Dark Souls Remastered:
1. What are the key stats of the Black Knight Shield?
The Black Knight Shield features 95% fire defense, good physical defense, decent stability, and a moderate weight.
2. Where can I find the Black Knight Shield?
The Black Knight Shield can be obtained by defeating Black Knights throughout the game. You can find it earliest in the Undead Asylum. They are somewhat common throughout the early to mid-game, giving plenty of opportunities to find the shield.
3. How does the Black Knight Shield compare to the Silver Knight Shield?
The Silver Knight Shield has slightly higher stability and better magic defense, while the Black Knight Shield has significantly higher fire resistance. Both are great options.
4. What is the best shield in Dark Souls 1 for fire defense?
The Black Knight Shield provides the best fire defense, at 95%, of any shield in Dark Souls 1.
5. Is the Black Knight Shield a greatshield?
No, the Black Knight Shield is a medium shield.
6. Does the Black Knight Shield have 100% physical damage reduction?
No, the Black Knight Shield does not have 100% physical damage reduction. No medium shield does. But it’s very good.
7. What shield should I upgrade first in Dark Souls?
The Silver Knight Shield is a good option to upgrade as a first medium shield. The Eagle Shield is a great option to upgrade as a first great shield. However, if you are using the Black Knight Shield, and it suits your playstyle, then upgrade that.
8. Is the Black Knight Sword better than the Claymore?
The Black Knight Sword has higher base damage but less scaling. The Claymore has a better moveset and more versatile scaling with strength and dexterity, so it depends on your preference.
9. Is the Black Knight Armor set good?
The Black Knight Armor Set has decent Poise and very high flame defense, making it a strong choice for the mid-game, although the armor is fairly heavy, but provides no real bonuses.
10. Is the Black Knight Halberd good?
The Black Knight Halberd is considered one of the most powerful weapons in the game, due to the fact that it does high damage, drains less stamina, and attacks quickly.
11. Do Black Knights respawn in Dark Souls?
Generally, Black Knights do not respawn, except for those found in the Kiln of the First Flame.
12. What is the best armor set in Dark Souls?
The Giant Set, Havel’s Armor, and Catarina Set are considered among the best due to their high defenses and poise.
13. What is the strongest enemy in Dark Souls 1?
Black Dragon Kalameet is widely considered one of the toughest bosses in the game due to its high damage, health, and attack patterns.
14. Can a shield help me get more souls?
The Shield of Want can help with souls gained due to its increase to spell absorption and when coupled with the Covetous Silver Serpent Ring can increase the souls gained considerably.
15. What is the most iconic weapon in Dark Souls?
The Moonlight Greatsword is arguably the most iconic weapon in the Dark Souls franchise.