The Aetherial Shield is a unique heavy shield added by Dawnguard, forged from the strange blue-glowing metal the Dwemer called aetherium. It carries 26 base armor rating and weighs 12, which is reasonable for a heavy shield. Its real trick is the shield bash: an enemy you hit with it turns ethereal for a short while, meaning it can neither hurt you nor be hurt, and it runs off in fear. Think of it as a polite way of saying “not now, please”.
How to get it
You do not find this shield lying around – it is one of three possible items you can forge at the Aetherium Forge at the end of the Dawnguard quest Lost to the Ages (Dawnguard). The game files keep it in a scripted holding cell until the moment you craft it, so there is no way to loot a spare one anywhere in Skyrim. Pick it at the forge and it is yours; pick one of the other rewards and this shield is gone for that playthrough.
- Finish the hunt for the aetherium shards in Lost to the Ages.
- At the Aetherium Forge, choose the shield as your reward.
Is it worth wearing?
As a pure defensive slab it is solid but not spectacular – endgame shields like Daedric pieces will out-block it once tempered. Where it shines is crowd control. Bash a big brute that is chewing through your health and it simply drops out of the fight for a moment, giving you time to heal, reposition or deal with its friends. According to players it works on almost everything except dragons. Since bashing turns the target untouchable, it is not a damage dealer – your follower cannot hit the ghosted foe either. Stealthy or support builds love it; pure tanks may prefer raw armor.
It can be tempered at a workbench with a Dwarven Metal Ingot, so it scales with your Smithing like any other heavy shield.
Good to know
- It is heavy armor, so it trains Heavy Armor and Block, not Light Armor.
- Players report that power bashes can stop applying the ethereal effect after taking the Disarming Bash perk; normal bashes keep working.
- The other two forge options are a crown and a staff, so this is a real choice – you only get one.
Stats
| Item | Slot | Type | Armor | Weight | Value | Enchantment | ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aetherial Shield | Shield | Heavy | 26 | 12 | 2000 | Null Effect | 02005759 |
Improve it at a workbench with 
Dwarven Metal Ingot.
Stats from the Skyrim game files (Skyrim.esm and the official add-ons): base values before Smithing and perks. Where several versions exist (leveled copies), all are listed.
