Shield

The Shield is an item in the Quest for Glory series. It is an essential piece of equipment for the Fighter class. The basic shield appears in all games except for Quest for Glory 3.

Background

A shield is a defensive piece of equipment designed to be worn on the arm. While it can be made out of many materials, most commonly it is made out of metal, which tends to be shaped in order to properly deflect blows.

Magic Shields

In the world of Gloriana, certain shields are given magical properties through various means in order to make them stronger or to deflect magical attacks. The following Magic Shields appear in the series:

• Magic Shield
• Piotyr's Shield
• General's Shield

In-Game Use

The Shield serves as an armor throughout the series, primarily for the Fighter, and by extension, the Paladin. Game mechanics are put in place to prevent the Magic User or Thief from acquiring a shield in all games besides Quest for Glory 5.

As an item, the Shield does not typically need to be "used". The Hero wears it all times and it will automatically pull it out when he engages in combat, except in Quest for Glory 5, where it must be equipped on the Hero to be effective.

Quest for Glory I

In QFG1 VGA

In QFG1 EGA

The Fighter begins with a Shield. No opportunities exist to get a second nor to upgrade the current one.

Quest for Glory II

The Fighter continues to use his original Shield.

Quest for Glory III

This quest does not feature a regular Shield. At the outset, the Fighter and Paladin receive a Magic Shield which remains with them throughout the adventure.

Quest for Glory IV

The Fighter and Paladin will find a Shield in the Heart Cave portion of the Dark One's Cave, very early in his adventure. Even if he bypasses picking it up manually, after he is attacked by his first Badders, he will automatically run over and pick it and his first sword up.

An opportunity exists for a Paladin to acquire a Magic Shield if he tells Burgomeister Dmitri Ivanov that he acquired Piotyr's Sword.

Quest for Glory V

This is the first quest where all classes can equip any equipment. A Fighter will begin with a Shield and they are available for purchase from Pholus for 200 drachmas. Also, Shields can be found on the bodies of Hesperian Mercenaries.

The Paladin will begin his quest with a Magic Shield. There is also an opportunity to obtain another magical shield, the General's Shield.

Trivia

• Until Quest for Glory 4, Fighters and Paladins couldn't use magic spells in combat. In the Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero (EGA) and in Quest for Glory 2, it is possible to drop a Shield. This will allow a Hybrid character to use spells in combat while holding a sword. Note unless it's dropped inside storage chests, while it is possible to recollect one's Shield from the same place it was dropped, it may sometimes disappear, so it's not recommended.
  • Interestingly, in both Quest for Glory I: So You Want to Be a Hero (VGA) and Quest for Glory 3 it's respectively the Broadsword and Sword (QFG3) that prevent combat magic spells instead of the shield. It can't be dropped in normal means, but if it's dropped using debug codes, a Fighter can suddenly perform magic in combat (while the shield is neither shown nor used there).