History Main / ShieldBearingMook

* Cerberus Guardians in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' are otherwise-normal mooks that carry large shields and slowly yet inexorably advance on you until they're in range to shotgun you. However, their feet are exposed, and there is also a thin slot in the upper center of the shield to provide vision(in fact, you gain an Achievement for killing 10 of them in this manner). Alternately, you can stagger them with certain powers, use [[Telekinesis Pull]] to rip it off them, or just equip the Drill Ammo which punches through the shield

* ''[[{{VideoGame/Shrek}} Shrek The Third game]]'' had elite pirates with tridents and lobster-engraved silver shields, as well as knights with axes and heavy round shields. Both are immune to regular attacks and can only be defeated with the use of special abilities or if their shield is broken by the ChargedAttack first

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A mook that carries some sort of a shield that protects him from standard attacks from the front. He may be able to do a ShieldBash and can often protect other mooks with the shield. Usual ways to dispose of him are: attack him from the back or from the side; hit the shield enough times so that it breaks; use some sort of a special attack to break the shield or knock it out of their hands; hitting the enemy with an area-of-effect attack such as an explosive that the shield can't deflect; wait for him to drop his guard, [[TacticalSuicideBoss usually to attack]], and then quickly counterattack him.

* Both Alto Angelos and Bianco Angelos, "Angels", in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 4'' have shields which double as a flight-pack. They can protect themselves and bash as a counterattack. Usual way to deal with them is to break the shield with hit-n-run tactics, then finish them off with a combo while they haven't repaired it yet.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Singularity}}'' some soldiers carry riot shields around. They can be aged to dust or grabbed out of their hands.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'': Not exactly a mook, but one of the bosses in Grim Batol switches between weapon sets, and one of them is a huge shield that protects him from the front.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts'': Defender Heartless. They are invincible to melee attacks from the front, so the only methods to attack them is to aim for the back or spam magic attacks at them.

* ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' has these.
* The ''VideoGame/MegaMan'' series has the recurring Sniper Joes (whose shields block most shots), Metools (whose hardhats do the same), and Shield Attackers (an airborne version). Some games have other enemies protected by some measure of shields; in most cases, you have to wait for them to start attacking before you can actually destroy them.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManLegends'' has one type of enemy that hides behind a shield; you can dismember their shields with the correct weapon, otherwise you have to wait for them to drop their guard.
** ''VideoGame/MegaManX 8'' gave X, Zero and Axl guard breaking attacks (charged shot, 3 hit saber combo or 8 rapid fire bullets, respectively) to deal with the increased number of shield bearing mavericks from previous games.
* ''MetroidPrime 3'' armed some of its Space Pirates with energy shields; you could rip these off with your Grapple Arm.
* The PS2 game based on ''TransformersArmada'' had shielded Decepticlones in later levels; their shields could be destroyed with sustained firepower.
* ''VideoGame/DonkeyKongCountry 3'': Koin and Koindozer. The former have to be defeated in order to earn DK Coins for every level, while the latter are exclusive to one level where they ShieldBash you into {{Bottomless Pit}}s.

* ''MetalSlug'': One of the regular mooks carries a shield, and only lets his guard down when he tries to slash/shoot you. One level lets you play the BattleshipRaid with one of the three, he tends to survive the longest.
* ''Anime/YuGiOh'': One monster in Yugi's deck (Big Shield Gardna) is a man crouching behind a ginormous shield, with very high defense and ridiculous attack.
* The more action based ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' games tend to have versions of whatever mooks they use that carry metal SWAT style shields to hide behind. In ''4'' and ''5'' enemies carry large wooden shields, which provide some protection, but break apart piece by piece when shot with bullets, and can be pierced outright with high-powered weapons such as sniper rifles.
* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' has Masked Men, common {{Mooks}} whose shields block frontal attacks.
* ''MarvelUltimateAlliance'' has shield-bearing mooks. You have to either grapple their shields and pull the from their hands, strike them in the back or charge up a special move to bypass them.
* Some enemies in ''{{Magicka}}'' have armour which must be destroyed (doing so reverts them to being normal, unarmoured mooks).
* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'' has Newspaper Zombies (weak shield, gets ''pissed'' when you destroy it), Screen Door Zombies (strong shield), and Ladder Zombies (medium-strength shield that can be placed on your defensive unit to bypass it). All three can block shots from the front, but are vulnerable to lobbed-shot attacks, fumes, and spikes.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Flashback}}: The Quest For Identity'' PlayerCharacter and some opponents use [[DeflectorShields Force Field]] devices. When used, these completely protect from frontal attacks, but only for a few moments.
* Jackals in the ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' series have a large circular energy shield on one arm to defend from frontal attacks. It completely deflects bullets, but can be disrupted by sufficient energy weapons fire or a melee attack. There's also a small slot in the corner for the Jackal to stick their weapon through; their bodies can be targeted through this gap if you have sufficiently good aim.
** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' added Skirmishers, who are basically stronger and faster Jackals. Most of them don't carry shields, but one variant has smaller shields on both of their arms that are mainly there to protect against headshots.
** Hunters, though they're heavily armored in general, also have a forearm shield to guard their weak points and smash down enemies who get too close.

* Enemies with bulletproof riotshields appear in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' and ''VideoGame/RainbowSix: Vegas 2''. They're completely impervious to frontal attacks, and must either be flanked from the sides or taken out with explosives.
** [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Players in MW2 can also use these.]]
* In ''VideoGame/{{Doom}} 3'', the rarest type of zombie soldier carries a large, bulletproof metal riot shield.
* Centaurs and Slaughtaurs in ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}'' carry missile-deflecting shields. You have to wait for them to lower them to attack again. The Heresiarch has a similar, more powerful mechanic, but it doesn't take the form of a literal shield.
* The shield-bearing giants in Anor Londo in ''VideoGame/DarkSouls''. Unlike most other shielded enemies in the game, this renders them invincible from the front.
* ''VideoGame/TimeCrisis'' has guards with riot shields and Darth Vader-style helmets.
* Shield Soldiers in ''VideoGame/{{Commando}}'' are bullet proof from all directions and must be taken out with grenades.
* The Wired Gunner in ''VideoGame/BionicCommando'' has a bulletproof shield and is nearly impossible to get behind. In the remake, the two [[KingMook platoon leaders]] each have a ChestOfMedals for a frontal shield, and there are also mooks with conventional shields.
* Gladiators in ''VideoGame/QuakeIV''.
* Various enemies throughout the ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'' series. Some have shields that don't seem to do much, others can only be damaged if an attack reaches a non-shield area, and others still can completely block attacks with their shield. Examples of the latter are the dead crusader, which will block all attacks coming from the front, unless it is preparing to attack or is surprised, and the final guard, which is vulnerable normally but can get in a defensive stance that makes it invulnerable.
* Cerberus Guardians in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' are otherwise-normal mooks that carry large shields and slowly yet inexorably advance on you until they're in range to shotgun you. However, their feet are exposed, and there is also a thin slot in the upper center of the shield to allow them to see you that you can shoot them through (in fact, you gain an Achievement for killing 10 of them in this manner). Alternately, you can stagger them with certain powers, use Pull to rip the shield out of their hands, or just use a weapon that can punch through the shield.
* In the same vein as Cerberus, ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' features gladiator enemies with shields that will deflect even magic. Your options are to flank them or use the Warrior's new ChainPain ability.
* ''VideoGame/KickleCubicle'' has Rooker, whose shield will actually reflect Kickle's freezing attack back at him.
* ''VideoGame/SpiralKnights'' has T2 and higher Mecha Knights, Trojans and Deadnaughts. Subverted with the former, as they block only firearm shots and only for a brief time. The latter two also overlap with {{Elite Mooks}}/{{Boss In Mook Clothing}}.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' features Nomads, many of which carry huge metal riot shields that harmlessly soak up normal bullets. Badass Nomads have huge spikes on their shields, which makes their ShieldBash all the more devastating; Nomad Taskmasters even tie midgets to their shields to cover up holes in them.
** the "Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt" DLC has Savage Warriors, who carry oblong wooden Zulu-style shields. These shields mitigate all melee damage that hits them dead on, and while they don't do nearly as well against bullets, Warriors are appreciably harder to kill than other Savage enemy types.
** In "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep", there are both Skeleton Gladiators, who wield small buckler shields, and knights, who have huge tower shields. In both cases, regular bullets bounce right off -- and knights will raise their shields and take a knee now and then.
* Aegislash in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' functions like this. It has extreme defenses but pitiful offenses when it's in Shield Forme, but these are switched around in Sword Forme. Aegislash swaps to Sword Forme right before it attacks, but it can use the [[ActionInitiative priority move]] King's Shield to swap back to Shield Forme. Of course, being Pokemon, it's also [[PlayerMooks a playable mook]].
* Shield-bearing barbarians in ''VideoGame/RyseSonOfRome'' look a lot like the page image: [[FatBastard fat]] men with [[NauseaFuel nipple piercings.]]

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* Various enemies throughout the ''VideoGame/{{Castlevania}}'' series. Some have shields that don't seem to do much, others can only be damaged if an attack reaches a non-shield area, and others still can completely block attacks with their shield. Examples of the latter are the dead crusader, which will block all attacks coming from the front, unless it is preparing to attack or is surprised, and the final guard, which is vulnerable normally but can get in a defensive stance that makes it invulnerable.

* RealLife example: The ever-indefatigable Roman legionary. All of the main-line soldiers were equipped with huge tower shields to protect against enemy projectiles, and the whole formation could transition into a "tortoise" (''testudo''; forward rank locks shields to the front, those behind place them on their heads) for added protection to the whole group.
* Another RealLife example: [[ThreeHundred Spartans]]. Also intersects with EliteMooks.

* Modern RealLife examples: riot police. A well-thrown molotov cocktail will disperse them.

A mook that carries some sort of a shield that protects him from standard attacks from the front. He may be able to do a ShieldBash and can often protect other mooks with the shield. Usual ways to dispose of him are: attack him from the back or from the side; hit the shield enough times so that it breaks; use some sort of a special attack to break the shield or knock it out of their hands; hitting the enemy with an area-of-effect attack such as an explosive that the shield can't deflect; wait for him to drop his guard, usually to attack, and then quickly counterattack him.

* In ''DragonQuestIX'', the Gum Shield and Grim Grinner, among others, use shields to great effect to block attacks. Fortunately for the player, they don't always use them.

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' features Nomads, many of which carry huge metal riot shields that negate all damage that hits them. Badass Nomads have huge spikes on their shields, which makes their ShieldBash all the more devastating; Nomad Taskmasters even tie midgets to their shields to cover up holes in them.
** the "Sir Hammerlock's Big Game Hunt" DLC has Savage Warriors, who carry oblong wooden Zulu-style shields. These shields don't mitigate damage nearly as much as the ones carried by Nomads, but Warriors are still appreciably harder to kill than their unshielded comrades.

** In "Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep", there are both SKeleton Gladiators, who wield small buckler shields, and knights, who have huge tower shields. In both cases, regular bullets bounce right off -- and knights will raise their shields and take a knee now and then.

* Enemies with bulletproof riotshields appear in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' and ''RainbowSix: Vegas 2''. They're completely impervious to frontal attacks, and must either be flanked from the sides or taken out with explosives.

* ''KingdomHearts'': Defender Heartless. They are invincible to melee attacks from the front, so the only methods to attack them is to aim for the back or spam magic attacks at them.
** The various Kyroo dream eaters in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3D'' all pack shields and while not perpetually invulnerable from the front like the aforementioned enemy, they're smart enough to raise them in response to you randomly taking a swing at them, after which they'll retaliate while you're reeling. They can even FlashStep in front of an enemy who's about to take a hit in order to protect them.

* "Angels" in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry 4'' have shields. They can protect themselves and bash as a counterattack. Usual way to deal with them is to break the shield with hit-n-run tactics, then finish them off with a combo while they haven't repaired it yet.

** ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' added skirmishers; who are also Jackals but for some reason have smaller shields on both of their arms that doesn't really protect them.
** Hunters have a forearm shield to guard their weak points, in addition to being heavily armored in general.

* ''DonkeyKongCountry 3'': Koin and Koindozer. The former have to be defeated in order to earn DK Coins for every level, while the latter are exclusive to one level where they ShieldBash you into {{Bottomless Pit}}s.

* In ''Singularity'' some soldiers carry riot shields around. They can be aged to dust or grabbed out of their hands.

* The Wired Gunner in ''VideoGame/BionicCommando''. In the remake, the two platoon leaders each have a ChestOfMedals for a frontal shield.

* The Wired Gunner in ''VideoGame/BionicCommando''.

* This is a staple trope of BeatEmUp games. More specific examples are needed.

* ''VideoGame/{{La-Mulana}}'' has Masked Men, common {{Mooks}} whose shields block frontal attacks.

* Jackals in the ''{{Halo}}'' series have a large circular energy shield on one arm to defend from frontal attacks. It completely deflects bullets, but can be disrupted by sufficient energy weapons fire or a melee attack. There's also a small slot in the corner for the Jackal to stick their weapon through; their bodies can be targeted through this gap if you have sufficiently good aim.

* One of the SuperpoweredMooks types in ''{{Timeshift}}'' are equipped with an impenetrable arm-mounted energy shield. Explosives can damage them through the shield, and freezing time causes the shield to disappear entirely.

* ''TimeCrisis'' has guards with riot shields and Darth Vader-style helmets.

* The more action based ''ResidentEvil'' games tend to have versions of whatever mooks they use that carry metal SWAT style shields to hide behind. In ''4'' and ''5'' enemies carry large wooden shields, which provide some protection, but break apart piece by piece when shot with bullets, and can be pierced outright with high-powered weapons such as sniper rifles.

* ''{{Yu-Gi-Oh}}'': One monster in Yugi's deck (Big Shield Gardna) is a man crouching behind a ginormous shield, with very high defense and ridiculous attack.