Should you choose the Dauntless or Stone Wall Shield in God of War Ragnarok?
A good defence being the best offense isn't just a cliche.
Kratos might be best known for his raw aggression and barbaric rage, but perhaps his greatest strength is his ability to remain calm in the face of extreme danger, fight intelligently and shield himself and his allies from harm.
Thanks to its long-awaited arrival on PC, players who missed God of War Ragnarok the first time around now get to experience its story for the first time. Early on in the game, you’re presented with a difficult choice: should you choose the Dauntless or Stone Wall shield?
At the start of God of War Ragnarok, Kratos already has a shield - the one gifted to him by his beloved late wife, Laufey. But when it’s damaged in a particularly gruelling battle, Brok offers to make him a replacement. Putting sentimentality aside, Kratos agrees to accept a stand-in; at least until his heirloom can be repaired.
However, there’s a problem. At this point in the game you’re still finding out what kind of fighting style works best for you and probably don’t know which shield option is best.
But thankfully, there are a few questions you can ask yourself to find out.
Which shield should you choose in God of War Ragnarok?
When making your decision, ask yourself: are you a reactive or proactive player?
Do you watch patiently and wait for enemies to attack before returning in kind? If so, pick the Stone Wall Shield. This way you can absorb incoming hits and retaliate once an enemy has finished their pattern without having to perfectly time your inputs.
Do you spam the attack button, swing first and ask questions later? If so, pick the Dauntless Shield. Constantly taking risks will put you in situations where you need to quickly parry more often, so you should make the most of it when you do.
Both options are equally valid, and both represent fun playstyles. Your choice isn’t set in stone either. You can freely switch between the different shields any time you want and you even find more shield types as you progress through God of War Ragnarok.
Personally, I prefer the Dauntless Shield. God of War Ragnarok has so many fun offensive abilities that I want to be able to wade through the battlefield and parry more on reflex than by design. The shield allows me to get the best results from that, so it’s worth the risk-reward.
As you get more comfortable with combat, you can start to combine your shield strategy with some of the best armor in God of War Ragnarok to produce buffs which further enhance your playstyle.
For example, towards the late game you can get sets which increase damage done by your shield and make parries deal splash damage to all enemies around you.
What are shield ronds in God of War Ragnarok?
A shield rond is the inlaid circle in the middle of your shield and is treated as a separate entity to your shield type. Shield ronds provide basic stat buffs as well as additional abilities which fire when you block, parry, or bash enemies with your shield.
They’re found all over the nine realms in God of War Ragnarok, either in loot caches, as boss rewards, or in the inventory of Brok and Sindri’s shop.
Importantly, shield ronds are diffent to your shield type and can be swapped out without changing the type of shield you're using so tinker as much as you like!