Minecraft fan suggests interesting ideas for new shields

Combat is one of Minecraft's core mechanics, and the game features many weapons that allow players to fight off the dangerous mobs in the blocky world. However, when it comes to defence, there is just one type of shield to fend off all the threats. With the increasing variety of weapons, perhaps it is time for Mojang Studios to add more types of shields.

A Minecraft player, u/Diamond_JMS, shared a post on the game’s subreddit showing their ideas for different types of shields with their unique abilities. The user also added concept images and even some animation, including the crafting recipe for each new shield.

The original poster explained how the parry mechanic would work, and it certainly could make combat quite interesting. The idea was built on the classic parry, timing a block just before an attack to trigger a special effect. In this version shared by the Redditor, shields could get stunned when blocking explosions. The pull-up delay still exists (though it could be shortened), and the animation has been tweaked to better reflect the action.

Larger shields would be harder to parry with due to that delay, but they would deal more knockback and temporarily disable the attacker’s weapon, similar to how axes disable shields. In some cases, both the shield and the axe could be disabled together.

The post also proposed four new enchantments:

• Pummeling – Adds extra knockback when parrying
• Reflection – Sends projectiles back toward where they came from
• Stun – Increased weapon stun duration; mobs might even forget the player for a while
• Respite – Heals the player slightly on a successful parry

The user admitted these enchantments were still a bit undercooked and welcomed feedback, especially ideas for buckler-specific enchants. The concept was inspired by the Guarding and Shield Expansion mods.

u/Mrfireball2012 said that the idea of a netherite shield was great, even if it just has great durability. u/mogley1992 said that with Mending and Unbreaking III, shields never break, even after tanking supercharged creepers. They also wished trims could be used with banners for flashier designs, and wanted the ability to stack multiple trims at once.

Redditors react to the Minecraft shield variants idea (Image via Reddit)

u/-2Braincells said they were unsure about the trims instead of banners, but they liked the idea of having different shields with a variety of unique abilities. u/CustomDeaths1 suggested trims as the base layer, with banners on top, still visible from the sides and back. They also imagined using phantom membranes to make parts of banners fully transparent, letting the trim show through.

u/beesinpyjamas suggested that trims should be added alongside banners, not replace them. Players could upgrade existing shields, with trims acting as a decorative frame around the banner design.

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Better combat in Minecraft

Minecraft copper update is soon coming to the game (Image via Mojang Studios)

Minecraft has been getting great updates in 2025, and with the upcoming game drop focused on making copper more useful, it seems that the great update streak will continue. Copper was mostly used for decorative purposes, and it felt like a big miss. Thankfully, the next game drop will fix all of that.

After that is fixed, Mojang Studios should look into improving the combat by adding a variety of new mechanics and tools. They can certainly draw some inspiration from this post and add unique shields and even weapon variants.