Shield of Conviction

Overview

The Shield of Conviction is a unique shield in Crimson Desert that offers one of the highest base Defense values of any shield in the game. With 8 Defense and two built-in Abyss Core slots, it provides both raw damage mitigation and stamina efficiency when blocking. The shield is obtained without any combat encounter; it sits inside a treasure chest hidden in the bell tower of the Church of Calphade in the Hernand region.

Because it can be picked up so early in the game and requires no fighting, the Shield of Conviction is one of the best defensive upgrades available during the first stretch of gameplay. Its two Abyss Core effects, Aegis I and Fortitude I, make it effective for players who rely heavily on blocking rather than dodging. The shield also supports further refinement, giving it staying power well into the mid-game.

Stats

The Shield of Conviction cannot be purchased from any merchant or crafted at a blacksmith. It is exclusively a world drop obtained from a treasure chest.

Abyss Core Effects

The Shield of Conviction is classified as Abyss Gear, meaning it comes with embedded Abyss Core effects. These two effects are active as soon as you equip the shield:

Aegis I provides a flat 1.0 damage reduction on incoming attacks. This stacks with other sources of damage reduction from armor, accessories, or additional Abyss Cores equipped elsewhere.

Fortitude I reduces the stamina consumed when holding a guard by 3.0%. While the percentage sounds small on its own, it compounds with other stamina-saving effects and becomes noticeable during extended fights against bosses or groups of enemies where sustained blocking is necessary.

Location and How to Obtain

The Shield of Conviction is found inside a treasure chest in the bell tower of the Church of Calphade, located in the Calphadean Territory within the Hernand region. The church is situated north of the town of Hernand, up the road that leads over the mountain. The entrance to the treasure is not at ground level, so it is easy to walk past the church without realizing the chest is there.

The Church of Calphade sits within the Calade district of Hernand. Some players refer to it as the Church of Calf. Regardless of the name used, it is the tall stone church with a prominent bell tower visible from most of the surrounding area. The shield is accessible from the moment you first arrive in the region, making it one of the earliest high-defense options available.

Follow these steps to reach the treasure chest:

1. Travel to the Church of Calphade in the Hernand region. From Hernand town, head north along the road over the mountain until you reach the church.

2. Look up at the church's bell tower. You need to find a broken window on the north side of the tower, located directly below the bell.

3. Climb the exterior wall on the right side of the bell tower using the nearby ledges and climbable surfaces. Precision platforming is needed here, so take your time.

4. Enter through the broken window into the tower interior.

5. Open the treasure chest inside. You will receive the Shield of Conviction along with a Palmar Pill.

The key to finding this chest is adjusting your camera angle upward when you arrive at the church. The broken window is not visible from ground level if you are looking straight ahead. There are no enemies guarding the chest and no quest prerequisites. You can grab it as soon as you have access to the Hernand region.

Chest Contents

Opening the treasure chest in the bell tower yields the following items:

Palmar Pills are recovery consumables, so the chest effectively provides both a defensive gear upgrade and a healing item in one stop.

Combat Strategy

The Shield of Conviction is built for players who prefer a defensive playstyle centered around blocking and counter-attacking. With 8 Defense, it absorbs a significant portion of incoming damage when you hold guard. The Fortitude I core reduces the stamina drain of blocking, which means you can maintain your guard for longer stretches without being left vulnerable to a guard break.

Pair the Shield of Conviction with a one-handed weapon for a classic sword-and-shield build. After blocking an enemy attack, you can immediately counter with a quick combo from your main hand. The Aegis I core's flat damage reduction helps offset chip damage that bleeds through your guard, keeping your health pool healthier over the course of prolonged encounters.

For players investing in skills that enhance blocking or parrying, this shield amplifies those abilities. The stamina savings from Fortitude I stack with any skill-based stamina reduction, potentially allowing you to block attacks that would otherwise drain your entire stamina bar.

Refinement

The Shield of Conviction comes at Refinement Level 2 out of the box, which means it already has partial progression applied. Further refinement through the refinement system increases the shield's base Defense and enhances its overall effectiveness. Because it starts at Refinement Level 2 rather than 0, players save on the initial material investment that would otherwise be required to bring a fresh shield up to that level.

Investing additional refinement materials into this shield is a solid choice during the early-to-mid game, especially if you do not have access to higher-tier shields yet. Its base Defense of 8 is already among the best available, and each refinement level pushes it further ahead of competing options.

Shield of Betrayal

Players who follow the main quest through Calade will eventually encounter Cassius Morten, a boss fought during The Unyielding Shields quest in Chapter 6. Defeating Cassius Morten rewards the Shield of Betrayal, a thematically related shield that shares the same Abyss Core effects.

Both shields carry Aegis I (1.0 damage reduction) and Fortitude I (3.0% guard stamina reduction). However, the Shield of Conviction has higher base Defense at 8 compared to the Shield of Betrayal's 6, and starts at Refinement Level 2 versus Level 1. Players who pick up the Shield of Conviction early will already have the stronger shield by the time they reach Chapter 6. The Shield of Betrayal can still serve as a backup for secondary loadouts or as refinement material.

Alternate Entry: Open Window Drop

In addition to the exterior-climb route that leads to the broken window described above, there is a simpler way into the chest chamber that some players use instead. The Church of Calphade bell tower has a single window on its exterior wall that is already open by default. Walk a full loop around the base of the bell tower and scan the upper section for the one unsealed window. Once you spot it, position yourself above the window and drop directly inside. The chest sits in the interior room with the Shield of Conviction waiting inside.

Both approaches lead to the same chest. The dropped-in entry is a little more forgiving than the exterior wall climb, so if you are struggling with the precision platforming, try looping around the tower and dropping through the already-open window instead.

Two-Handed Build Defense

The Shield of Conviction is a favorite among two-handed weapon users who care about aesthetics as much as raw numbers. It is the white (or light) color variant of a shared model in the game; the Shield of Betrayal is the black variant of the exact same design. Visually they are nearly identical except for the palette, which lets players pick whichever color matches the rest of their armor set.

The 2H build math is the same as for the other large shields. When you wield a two-handed weapon such as a great sword or halberd, your shield is carried on your back. Its defense value still applies to your total defense in that state, so the shield is not cosmetic. However, only defense-type sockets remain active on a back-slot shield; attack and utility sockets go dormant because the shield is not your active guard tool. The goal is therefore to push whichever Large Shield you like the look of to its highest raw defense total and double-socket it with defense cores.

Defense Tiers at Max Refinement

Large shields cap out at 31, 29, or 27 defense once you reach Max Refinement (+10) and install two defense sockets. The absolute top of the charts is held by the Shield of Sacrifice and the North Wind Shield at 31 defense each. The Shield of Conviction sits a tier below on raw numbers but is commonly preferred for 2H users who dislike the look of the top-tier shields. Round shields generally have less defense than large shields at the same refinement level, so they are not competitive picks for a 2H build that cares about the back-slot defense contribution.

Aesthetic Picks Over Raw Value

Because the defense difference between the top-tier large shields and the Shield of Conviction is only a handful of points, many 2H players choose the shield that matches their character's look rather than the one with the absolute highest number. The Shield of Conviction in white and the Shield of Betrayal in black exist precisely for this reason. Pair the light variant with a clean plate set or the dark variant with the Shadow Armor set and the silhouette stays consistent across the back slot.

Pairing With Two-Handed Weapons

Slot the Shield of Conviction onto your back while running a Two-Handed Weapons build and the defense value applies even though the shield itself never leaves your back. This makes the Conviction a zero-effort survivability upgrade for great sword or halberd users who want the shield on their back to actually be doing something. Remember to fill the two sockets with defense-type cores to get the full benefit; attack sockets will not fire in this state.

Comparison to Other Shields

The Shield of Conviction's 8 Defense ties it with the Gilliam Large Shield for the highest base Defense among all shields in Crimson Desert. Here is how it stacks up against some other commonly obtained shields:

What sets the Shield of Conviction apart from other high-defense shields is its accessibility. You do not need to defeat a boss, complete a quest chain, or spend currency. Simply climbing to the bell tower of the Church of Calphade is enough to claim it, making it arguably the best shield you can get in the early game relative to the effort required.

Tips

• Pick up the Shield of Conviction as early as possible when you reach the Hernand region. It is a significant defensive upgrade that costs nothing but a short climb.

• Look up when you arrive at the Church of Calphade. The broken window below the bell is easy to miss if you only scan at ground level.

• The Palmar Pill found in the same chest is a useful recovery item. Do not overlook it when grabbing the shield.

• If you are running a dodge-focused build with no interest in blocking, the 7.78 Silver Coins sell price is decent for early-game funds. However, keeping the shield as a backup for tough boss fights is usually the better choice.

• Invest in refinement materials early if you plan to main a shield-based build. Starting at Refinement Level 2 saves you resources compared to upgrading a shield from scratch.

• The Fortitude I core becomes increasingly valuable in boss fights that involve long attack chains. Sustained blocking drains stamina quickly, and even a 3% reduction adds up over an extended encounter.

• The church is sometimes referred to as the Church of Calf in conversation. Both names refer to the same location in the Calade district.