In the vast, open-world of Valheim, danger lurks everywhere, and protection is always necessary from the many enemies Vikings will encounter. Thankfully, with the new Hearth & Home update, Valheim players now have access to another, lighter, iron shield option. The new iron buckler is another situational mid-game shield to help players fight through swamp biomes and beyond.
The iron buckler is the upgrade for the bronze buckler. The new shield should be built around the time players are acquainted with iron, throughout the swamps, and before approaching Bonemass, the third boss. However, playstyle will dictate whether it’s useful at this point in the game.
Before Valheim‘s Hearth & Home update, the only two iron shields were the banded shield and the iron tower shield. While the new iron buckler gives less protection than both of these options, it’s lighter than both and offers stats competitive with the banded shield. A fully-upgraded iron buckler has 40 block armor, 30 block force, and a 2.5x parry multiplier. It’s especially important for players who like to parry, as the banded shield only grants a 1.5x parry multiplier, and the iron tower shield is unable to parry altogether.
How to Craft the Iron Buckler Shield in Valheim
Just like the other two iron shields, the iron buckler only requires two resources: 10 iron and 4 ancient bark. Luckily, both of these can be found in the swamp biomes fairly easily, once players have defeated Valheim‘s second boss, The Elder. Using the swamp key dropped by The Elder, players should immediately head for sunken crypts located around the swamp biomes. Inside these crypts, players can mine muddy scrap piles and check chests for scrap iron. Once players have enough scrap iron, they can use a smelter with some coal to craft iron they can use.
Players should then check their inventory for a bronze axe or better. Certain swamp trees can be chopped down for ancient bark, giving easy access to the rest of the recipe, but these can only be chopped with a bronze axe. When players have collected all the resources, they can combine them at a forge that’s at least level 2 to craft their iron buckler.
Thanks to the new Hearth & Home update, Valheim players have a third shield option to wield around the swamps, one of the most dangerous biomes in the game. The iron buckler is a great situational shield for players who like to parry or need more lightweight options and will be a good addition to any Viking’s personal arsenal.
Valheim is in early access and is available for PC and Linux.
