After the forgettable implementation of Shields in Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a slew of options and a completely new Fuse Mechanic that players can use to convert their run-of-the-mill shields into something different entirely.
The ability to experiment is at the core of Tears of the Kingdom's gameplay loop, and Shields are a core part of it. To fuse something to a Shield, stand near the material you plan to use (or drop it if it's in your inventory) and select Fuse from the abilities menu. Then, press ZL to fuse.
Updated by Hamza Haq on July 9th, 2023: Tears of the Kingdom has been out for some time now and players have had a good while to find out new and interesting shield fusion combinations. With new discoveries being brought to light, we've updated the list to include the latest info about the most useful materials that can be fused to a shield, altering the game in surprising ways.
20 Stone Slab + Shield
Stone Slabs are often found in the Depths in conveniently placed caches of reusable materials Link can use as needed. Instead of leaving these behind to gather dust after you’re done with them, slap one on a shield for some added durability.
Stone Slab Shields are also fireproof, giving you a way to reliably tank the hits of a Fire Gleeok without having to resort to dodging. In the right circumstances, these shields can turn a hard fight in your favor.
19 Spring + Shield
The Spring Zonai device allows your Shield to become a jumping pad you can use to get an immediate boost in height, useful for when you need to reach something just out of reach.
However, Spring attachments are a one-time deal, use it once, and it's gone. To use a Spring Shield to get a boost, draw your Shield out by pressing ZL, then jump by pressing X, and then press A to have Link move the Shield under his feet. If done with a regular shield, this will allow you to shield surf.
18 Mirror + Shield
Shields fused with a Mirror Zonai device are quite useful in the right scenario. If there is a light source to draw from, the Mirror Shield will redirect the light in a focused beam at whatever you're aiming towards.
Enemies hit by this beam of light are dazzled. They cover their eyes and stop moving as they can't see. With this, you can stop an enemy in its tracks and force it to give you a moment to breathe and reorient yourself.
17 Sled + Shield
Speaking of shield surfing, getting around Hyrule is made much, much easier by using your Shield as a skateboard in the places that allow it. Deserts, snowy landscapes, and gentle slopes are all perfect for shield surfing.
You can fuse your Shield with a Sled—a Zonai device—to get some more mileage while surfing. With sufficient practice, you can surf indefinitely on the right landscape. Hylian Shield is the perfect candidate for a Sled Shield because it never breaks.
16 Octo-Balloon + Shield
Like in Breath of the Wild, Octo-Balloons have the ability to lift anything they’re attached to, giving it a modest boost in air time. You can fuse these to your shield to get yourself a few feet of height.
The Rocket Shield does essentially the same thing but better. However, the Octo-Balloons are a more common resource and you might not want to use your precious rockets for something like this.
15 Rocket + Shield
Rocket Shields do the same thing as Spring Shields and Octo-Balloon Shields but only in a much more… explosive way. They're easier to use as well. Just fuse any shield with a Rocket and draw it out by holding ZL.
The Rocket will activate and propel you upwards for a decent distance before the battery runs out. Using the rocket power does drain the durability of the Shield, so try to fuse this with weaker shields that are just meant to be replaced by better ones down the road.
14 Wing + Shield
If you need to get some air time, Wing Shields are here to help. If you fuse a Wing Zonai device with any Shield, it will form the Wing Shield. When you try to shield surf with this device, you’ll find yourself jumping far higher than natural.
Use this to climb to greater heights or gather some much-needed momentum if the slope you’re planning on shield surfing on is not ideal. Wings are one of the more common Zonai devices you’ll find, mostly in the Sky Islands.
13 Star Fragment + Shield
If you've collected some Star Fragments over the course of your adventures, you know that if there is one thing that Star Fragments do, it is that they shine bright. Like the Miner Armor, a Shield fused with a Star Fragment will serve as an impromptu light source that you can carry around on your back without sacrificing an armor slot.
This is incredibly useful when you're out and about exploring the depths. While a Star Fragment Shield won't give you clairvoyance, it will give off enough light that you can see what's right in front of you. Not something that is easy to come by in the Depths. And, since this is a passive feature, you won't be consuming your Shield's durability.
12 Spike Ball + Shield
Spike Balls are rare materials you can find around Hyrule if you look hard enough. In the overworld, they appear as large, menacing balls of spiked steel easily twice Link's height. When fused with a Shield, they get a lot smaller but no less deadly.
A Spike Ball Shield has the unique functionality of damaging any enemy that hits it. Meaning you can effectively become a spiked hedgehog that damages enemies by getting hit. This is particularly useful for dealing with mobs of weak enemies like Keese and Mokoblins.
11 Mine Cart + Shield
A Mine Cart Shield does the same thing as a Sled Shield but better. Not only can players use it as a drastically superior shield-surfing vehicle than any other type of shield, they can also use it to ride the rails in the Depths.
The Depths is also home to the vast majority of Mine Carts in Tears of the Kingdom and players can easily find plenty to play around with. Slap a cart on your weakest shield and go surfing!
10 Any Weapon + Shield
Fusing weapons to shields might appear silly at first glance, but what if you were told this is one of the better fusions available to shields? Fusing a weapon to a shield allows your bash or parry motion to damage enemies standing in the way.
The damage dealt in this way directly corresponds to the weapon's base damage. So if you fuse a wooden stick to a shield and bash with it, you'll barely be tickling the enemy. But replace that wooden stick with a Royal Claymore, and you'll be dealing some serious damage.
9 Precious Stone + Shield (Ruby/Sapphire/Topaz/Opal)
The most common use for valuable ores like Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz, and Opal in Breath of the Wild was to be sold for a good chunk of cash. This is still the case in Tears of the Kingdom, but they also make for excellent fusion material. Any shield fused with a Sapphire will release a blast of freezing cold on being struck that turns enemies into ice cubes. Topaz releases a wave of electricity, Ruby does a small explosion, and Opal douses them with water.
Shields (and weapons) fused with Ruby or Sapphire also have the property of affecting the nearby temperature. Decreasing it (Sapphire) or increasing it (Ruby) if you have the shield fused with the respective stone the stone equipped. Use this to navigate extreme weather conditions without having to commit any resources.
8 Emitter + Shield (Flame/Frost/Shock/Beam)
There are four types of Emitter Zonai devices, all of which can be fused to a shield to amazing effect. The Flame Emitter Shield spits out a persistent flamethrower if you hold the Shield out by pressing ZL. The Frost Emitter Shield releases a torrent of freezing air, and the Shock Emitter converts your Shield into a Tesla coil.
Lastly, the Beam Emitter produces a thin beam of laser that deals damage to any enemy it hits. It has a much longer range than the other types of emitters. Take note that using an Emitter Shield by activating its unique effects reduces the Shield's durability even if no enemy is actively hitting you.
7 Like Like Stone + Shield
Fusing Elemental Like Stones into a shield is one of the best uses for this material in the game. The Like Like stones deal damage in an area corresponding to their element. With a Like Like stone attached, you can treat your Shield as an offhand attacking one, one that applies elemental effects on command.
So, a Shock Like Like Stone will deal electric damage to an enemy. This also applies element-specific effects to the enemies as well. So, an enemy hit with a Shock Like Like stone will be shocked and drop all their weapons and shields. Similarly, an Ice Like Like Stone will freeze them, and a Fire Like Like Stone will burn.
6 Bomb Barrel + Shield
There are plenty of Bomb Barrels all around Tears of the Kingdom's vast open world, and now you can have some fun with them. If an enemy strikes a Bomb Barrel Shield, the barrel will explode, dealing massive AoE fire damage to enemies caught in the blast.
Typically, these barrels are located in or around Mokoblin camps, meaning you can run in with nothing but a shield to your name, fuse it with a barrel, lure the entire camp of enemies to one area, tank one hit on the Shield, and watch the world burn. Oh, and also, you are completely immune to the ensuing explosion.
5 Puffshroom + Shield
As showcased in the trailer, the Puffshroom Shield is made by slapping a Puffshroom on any shield. If an enemy hits your Shield while you're holding it out, the Puffshroom is activated, releasing a massive cloud of white gas that blinds enemies.
Blinded enemies can be taken down by sneaking behind them and dealing backstab attacks for massive damage. You can lure a whole horde of enemies in a Puffshroom cloud and take them out one by one quite easily.
4 Icy Meat + Shield
Icy Meat in Tears of the Kingdom has a curious property: no friction. This is one of the areas where the game's physics doesn't quite make sense. After all, how can meat have no friction if it has been frozen? However, what matters is that this property is inherited by any shield that is fused with an Icy Meat.
Shield Surfing with an Icy Meat shield is arguably the fastest way to get down a slope that players have found so far. You can create an Icy Meat to fuse by killing an animal that normally drops a variation of meat using ice damage. This damage can come from any source like a White Chuchu Jelly or an icicle-fused weapon.
3 Cannon + Shield
The Cannon Zonai device is one of the best fusions for a shield. If a shield fused with a Cannon is held out in front of Link, the Cannon will undergo a small animation to show its charging up, and then it will release a massive cannon shot that deals AoE explosive damage to enemies at the point of impact.
The cannon shot will lower the Shield's durability, but it can be very useful when fighting high HP targets. You'll come across Cannons often in Zonai building hubs and puzzle-solving shrines. Instead of leaving them to gather dust, fuse them with your sturdiest Shield to always have a trump card in your back pocket.
2 Firebreath/Icebreath/Electric Lizalfos Horn + Shield
Fire-breath, Ice-breath, and Electric Lizalfos will drop elemental horns on defeat. If fused to a shield these horns become an makeshift offhand weapon for Link that can also deal damage.
Unlike Sapphire, Ruby, and Topaz Shields, Lizalfos Horn shields don't react when hit by an enemy. Instead, they allow Link to use the parry maneuver to deal a small amount of AoE damage of their respective element. An Ice-breath Lizalfos Shield, for example, can freeze any enemies in range on command, just with a swing of the shield. Incredibly useful in combat encounters.
1 Muddle Bud + Shield
Muddle Bud is a versatile mushroom in Tears of the Kingdom that can massively turn a fight in your favor if used right. It is one of the best arrow fusions in the game, but for clearing out groups of enemies, fusing it with a Shield can be even more effective.
Hold out your fused Muddle Bud Shield when facing an enemy and wait for it to attack. If hit, the Shield will release a small puff of pink gas that will confuse any enemy caught in its effect. Confused enemies attack anyone in sight, including other monsters. An easy way to clear a Mokoblin camp is to lure all the enemies in a group towards you, tank one attack, and watch your enemies kill each other for you. With this, you can clear entire camps without having to lift a finger.