Path of Exile and its ever-changing meta means players will have to keep up in order to make their characters and build relevant. But despite some of the massive and game-changing updates introduced with each new League, some items, particularly certain Path of Exile unique shields have somewhat stood the test of time.
Certain ones were buffed while others have found a new spot in the current Path of Exile meta. It's still worth noting that for min-maxed builds, crafted rare shields might still be the best (depending on the build). Those looking for specific mechanics or better accessibility will find some good uses for these following shields.
10 Prism Guardian
Those looking for a shield's intended purpose, which is to protect its wielder, will not find Prism Guardian wanting. It's a good tool for covering some poor resistances, particularly in builds that are still progressing or want to remain in a manageable budget category.
As an added bonus, players can toy around with the mini Blood Magic quirk of the shield. It looks like it's meant for aura gems but nonetheless a versatile option for those looking to make their spells more spammable.
9 Emperor's Vigilance
Anyone running Energy Shield instead of life or even a good hybrid of both will certainly find this shield appealing. Emperor's Vigilance is one of the most optimal shields for builds revolving around Shield Crush, mostly due to the high amounts of protection.
Moreover, the added Energy Shield value synergizes well with a Divergent Shield crush since every 100 Energy Shield adds a crit multiplier to the skill. So this shield is hitting two birds with one stone and it also looks great; no need for cosmetics.
8 Lioneye's Remorse
Good old Lioneye's Remorse has seen better days, and while it's not as special or as build-enabling as other shields, it's still a decent option for those who need a quick tanky fix. The armor values it provides are just huge, and after that, it piles on so many layers of damage mitigation.
The movement speed negative is quite unfortunate but given Path of Exile's numerous movement skills, the reduced movement speed is negligible. In the hands of an accomplished Gladiator build, this budget shield can go a long way.
7 The Surrender
A good upgrade from a budget option like Lioneye's Remorse, especially if players are still intent on using a melee build in Path of Exile's current state, is The Surrender. The Reckoning Skill is a huge plus and helps players save up on gem slots in their gear.
Moreover, this shield heavily favors maximum block chance and can easily make players too tanky if their block chance is already at 75 percent. Of course, if that fails, players can always rely on their bloated Life pool to survive.
6 Dawnbreaker
Speaking of maximizing block chance, Dawnbreaker revolves around that godsent mechanic. It has one of the highest block chance boosts out of all the shields in the game, with additional damage mitigation values. It does have some pretty active negative stats or drawbacks but even those are easily countered.
The roll of the armor range can also dictate just how much this shield can cost in trading, along with the lowered negative roll. Overall, farming for this kind of shield is quite a curious gamble due to how many of its stats come in randomized ranges.
5 Saffell's Frame
A more popular option for Templar and Witch builds, Saffell's Frame is a good budget enabler for certain builds that rely on stacking up spell damage. Saffell's Frame excels in that department, even if players get unlucky with a low roll.
Moreover, this shield is also great for covering elemental weak spots though it's best not to rely on it for overall damage mitigation since it's only good against spells. At best, it's a considerable damage boost for players who haven't properly min-maxed their builds with crafted rare shields.
4 Redblade Banner
The Redblade Banner shield might look like a budget early-game option, but it has one awesome quirk that lets Warcry builds have more fun, which is the Warcries have infinite power along with the numerous Warcry boosts and buffs. It allows players to use Warcries more liberally.
Right now, that's one of the more viable melee builds in Path of Exile and uniques like Redblade Banner make it competent. It's not great for defense, of course, since it's easily outclassed by higher-level shields but at least the Life bonuses are quite big.
3 The Squire
The Squire is essentially the Tabula Rasa for shields, and likewise, it also comes with defensive stats that are easily outclassed by mostly everything past level 70. Still, it has some highly useful quirks, like being able to give a one-handed weapon six-sockets instead of just the usual three and making them an automatic six-link.
As far as block chance boosts go, it's not really that bad and players can still go the more defensive route but with a bit more effort. In any case, shields like The Squire are meta crutches for one-handed weapon builds.
2 Daresso's Courage
Daresso's Courage, like Lioneye's Remorse, has always been one of the more welcoming budget staples for builds transitioning into their more min-maxed form. Those who are in dire need of survivability will also do well to equip this shield.
It plays around with alternating block chance mechanics, making it a well-rounded defensive tool against all kinds of attacks. The global physical damage increase makes it more appealing for melee, but that's not the shield's main draw anyway.
1 Aegis Aurora
The Aegis Aurora has seen many changes from its overpowered Facebreaker and Energy Shield build phases, and now, it has more or less regained its status as one of the best shields in the game. Apart from being a good shield for maximizing block chance, it's also great for Energy Shield builds.
It's all thanks to the unique interaction where it replenishes the Energy Shield with every block, ensuring that players remain invincible with the right combination of items. Everything else is just a big bonus, but the elemental damage boost makes it ideal for spellcasters.
Path of Exile is available on Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and macOS.