How to bash enough to clear Shield Mastery III in Halls of Torment

Halls of Torment provides several challenging dungeons for players to navigate. Once you beat the bosses that lurk at the end of each location, you’re not necessarily done with your adventure. There are a variety of quests available, which offer some insidious challenges. Here is our guide telling you how to complete one of them, Shield Mastery III, as you play through Halls of Torment.

Halls of Torment – how to bash enough to clear Shield Mastery III

When you unlock the Shield Maiden character, you’ll learn she employs a unique fighting style. She quickly cycles between two attacks, using a shield bash at close range and then following up with a vicious swing of her war hammer that sends out a wide projectile. You strengthen these weapons separately on a given run. To bash enough to inflict 3,000,000 damage and clear the Shield Mastery III quest, you must upgrade the shield.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

The shield becomes more efficient based on gear you equip and traits you collect on a run. The stronger your block rating, the more damage the shield deals. Therefore, it’s important to start with just the right equipment. I use the War Horns to weaken enemies so they suffer more damage. I add the Fencer Gauntlets for their +5 block boost. The Shadow Cloak is nice, since it produces dark clouds that improve your block capability if you position yourself within them. Finally, I wear the Elven Slippers that improve the block rating by +10 (or even more with speed buffs). Other equipment choices are less vital.

When you start a run, focus on traits that improve your block rating outright. You can drink Reverberant Tinkture to double the impact of the Parry II trait, so that it adds +8 block instead of +4 block. Other traits also improve your block rating, so make sure to grab them. You also should snag traits that enhance your defenses, regeneration, and speed. The idea is that you’ll run around a lot, rather than standing still. This strategy means you are likely to take more damage, so it’s helpful if health restores quickly.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Attempt your run in the Forgotten Viaduct stage. Near the halfway point, on either the north or south end, you encounter a slowly advancing wall of ghostly apparitions. These units can withstand a lot of abuse. Regularly bash them with your shield to more quickly rack up damage. The approach works best if you have selected and improved abilities that protect you from the dense enemy mobs and mini-bosses. For more details, see our guide explaining how to easily complete the 3,000,000 damage quests.

The Shield Mastery III quest might be the toughest one in the game to clear. It’s certainly the one I cleared last out of the lot. However, by following the guidelines outlined above, you should be able to clear it with a minute or more to spare.

Halls of Torment is available to purchase on Steam.