Source-checkedBuilding & decoration

ShieldBalance

by HotdogKnights · for Valheim

Makes round and tower shields viable: a guard break no longer lets the whole hit through, and heavier shields take less stagger and stamina per block.

49Downloads
30d agoLast updated
BepInExLoaders
ThunderstoreSource

About ShieldBalance

From Thunderstore

Makes round and tower shields viable: a guard break no longer lets the whole hit through, and heavier shields take less stagger and stamina per block.

Shield Balance

Makes round shields and tower shields worth carrying, without making the buckler any weaker.

Versão em português abaixo.

The problem

In vanilla, the buckler wins. Its parry is the strongest, and a parry staggers the enemy, which then takes double damage. Tower shields cannot parry at all, they slow you down, and plain blocking has a nasty catch: every blocked hit fills your stagger bar, and when a blocked hit fills it, the shield does nothing — the whole hit goes through. The heavier the shield, the more you rely on plain blocking, so the more often this hurts you.

What this mod does

Guard break still blocks. When a blocked hit breaks your guard, you are still staggered, but the shield reduces the hit as usual and only the excess reaches your health. Parry bonuses still require not being staggered.

Stability by shield type. The stagger you take while blocking is multiplied by shield type (defaults: buckler 1.0, round 0.85, tower 0.7). Heavier shields hold the line longer. This covers both times vanilla adds stagger on a block: for the excess when blocking, and again when that excess becomes damage.

Stamina by shield type. The stamina cost of a normal block (not a parry) is multiplied by shield type (defaults: buckler 1.0, round 0.85, tower 0.7).

Shield type comes from the shield's parry bonus, so shields from other mods are covered with no lists: no parry bonus = tower, 2.0 or more = buckler, anything in between = round.

Only players blocking with a shield are affected. Monsters and blocking with a weapon work as in vanilla.

Config

BepInEx/config/bub.shieldbalance.cfg. All values are synced from the server and admin-only, so everyone plays with the same numbers.

Install

Everyone must have it: server and every client (enforced by Jötunn). Install with r2modman or Thunderstore Mod Manager.

Compatibility

Works alongside mods that change block stamina (e.g. FeastMaster) — multipliers stack. Mods that rewrite Humanoid.BlockAttack entirely may conflict.


Shield Balance (português)

Deixa escudos redondos e tower shields valerem a pena, sem enfraquecer o buckler.

O problema

No vanilla, o buckler ganha: o parry dele é o mais forte, e o parry deixa o inimigo em stagger, que então leva dano dobrado. Tower shields não têm parry, deixam você mais lento, e o bloqueio comum tem uma pegadinha: cada golpe bloqueado enche a sua barra de stagger e, quando um golpe bloqueado enche a barra, o escudo não faz nada — o golpe entra inteiro.

O que o mod faz

Guarda quebrada ainda bloqueia. Você ainda entra em stagger, mas o escudo reduz o golpe normalmente e só o excedente vai para a vida. Os bônus do parry continuam exigindo não ser derrubado.

Estabilidade por tipo. O stagger que você recebe ao bloquear é multiplicado pelo tipo do escudo (padrão: buckler 1,0, redondo 0,85, tower 0,7).

Stamina por tipo. O custo de stamina do bloqueio comum (não o parry) é multiplicado pelo tipo (padrão: buckler 1,0, redondo 0,85, tower 0,7).

O tipo vem do bônus de parry do escudo, então escudos de outros mods entram sozinhos.

Config

BepInEx/config/bub.shieldbalance.cfg, sincronizada pelo servidor e só o admin muda.

Instalação

Todos precisam ter: servidor e cada jogador (o Jötunn exige).

Highlights

From source data

Loaders

Runs on BepInEx.

Footprint

Rated a light load on a server.

Last update

Its author last shipped an update 30d ago.

ShieldBalance on Nxeon

From our catalogue
One-click install
Supported on Nxeon Valheim servers, for BepInEx servers. We download it from Thunderstore, place it, and restart the server.
Server side
Optional on the server
Server type needed
BepInEx
Server load
light
Smallest plan we suggest
Valheim — 4 GB (4 GB RAM). This follows our own load rating above, not a benchmark.
Latest build
1.0.0, released 2026-10-05

Game versions by loader

LoaderGame versionsNewest
BepInEx

From 1 recorded build of ShieldBalance.

Dependencies

Declared by the newest build that lists any. Required ones are installed with it on one-click installs.

Run ShieldBalance on a Valheim server

Pick a server or deploy a new one above; it is installed in one click.

What kind of mod it is

From the catalog
Listed on Thunderstore as “Content”

Building & decoration

Blocks, furniture, decorations and building tools.

Works on a server

From source side support

Thunderstore lists server-side support for ShieldBalance as optional: it can run on a server, but isn’t required there.

Compatibility

Game
Valheim
Loaders
BepInEx
Runs on
Serveroptional on the server
Requires
One-click install needs a BepInEx server.

Verified at the source

  • ✓ThunderstoreOfficial listing, checked 2026-10-06Open ↗
  • ✓AuthorHotdogKnights, as published on Thunderstore
  • ✓LicenseNot published by the sourceFree

ShieldBalance, answered

Generated from the mod’s own source data.

Do my players need to install ShieldBalance?

Thunderstore lists server-side support for ShieldBalance as optional: it can run on a server, but isn’t required there.

Which loaders does it support?

BepInEx.

Is it free?

Yes. ShieldBalance is free to download from Thunderstore.

How do I add it to my Nxeon server?

Use “Add to a server” on this page, or open NxLabs from your dashboard. We install it, restart your server and switch it on.

NxLabs

Run ShieldBalance on a Valheim server.

Deploy in about a minute from $9.99 a month, then add ShieldBalance in one click.