TL;DR
- Flipping enemies with a shield requires Damiane — Kliff cannot do it
- Damiane throws her shield using her Shield Toss ability, which flips enemies into the air
- You need 5 hits, not 5 kills — enemies that survive still count
- This mechanic is tied to the Shield of Unchanging Will 5 challenge
- The Sealed Abyss Artifact for this challenge is found east of Demeniss, south of the “D” on the map
- Only round shields can flip enemies — large shields cannot
If you picked up the Shield of Unchanging Will 5 Sealed Abyss Artifact and stared at the challenge asking you to “flip 5 enemies with a shield,” you’re probably confused. You’ve been bashing enemies with your shield for a while now and nothing is counting. That’s because this isn’t a Kliff mechanic at all. It’s Damiane’s move, and the game barely tells you that.
Here’s exactly how it works.
Why Kliff Can’t Flip Enemies with a Shield
The standard shield bash and shield charge that Kliff uses do not count as flipping enemies for this challenge. Kliff’s moveset simply doesn’t include a true shield flip animation. His Shield Bash knocks enemies back or down, but it doesn’t launch them up and over like the challenge requires.
To flip enemies, you need to switch to Damiane and use her Shield Toss ability. This is a completely separate mechanic that belongs to her moveset alone.
If you haven’t unlocked Damiane yet, you need to push through the main story campaign until she joins your roster. She becomes available through story progression, so keep working through the main quests. Don’t travel all the way to Demeniss for this challenge until Damiane is playable — otherwise you’ll just have to make the trip twice.
For more on the full combat system and how to get the most out of your characters, the advanced combat guide covers everything you need.
How to Flip Enemies with a Shield in Crimson Desert
Once you’re playing as Damiane, here’s how to flip enemies:
Get close to an enemy — you need to be very close, almost within arm’s reach. Equip a one-handed weapon and a round shield. Large shields don’t support this move.
Use Damiane’s Shield Toss ability. The inputs are:
- PS5: L1 + R2
- Xbox: LB + RT
- Keyboard/Mouse: CTRL + Right-Click
Damiane throws her shield at the enemy. When it connects, it flips them into the air. The shield bounces between nearby enemies, which means you can hit multiple targets with a single throw in a group.
The key thing to know: you don’t need to kill enemies for it to count. Every hit registers as a flip regardless of whether the enemy survives. So you can use Shield Toss five times on the same group of weak enemies and be done with it quickly.
In some cases, if Kliff’s standard Shield Bash sends an enemy flying rather than just knocking them down, that can also register as a flip for this challenge. But don’t rely on it — use Damiane’s Shield Toss for a guaranteed, consistent result.
Shield of Unchanging Will 5 — Challenge Details
This mechanic is tied specifically to the Shield of Unchanging Will 5 Sealed Abyss Artifact challenge. Here’s everything about it:
Sealed Abyss Artifact Location: East of Demeniss city, directly underneath the “D” in Demeniss on the map. Walk along the road in that area and look for the artifact underneath a canopy of trees to the north, near a farmhouse. It’s sitting on a pile of rocks.
Challenge: Flip 5 enemies with a shield.
How to complete it: Switch to Damiane, find a group of weak enemies, and use her Shield Toss five times. You need 5 successful hits total. The Shield Toss bounces between nearby enemies, so hitting a cluster of three enemies with one throw can knock multiple flips off your count at once.
Reward: 1 Abyss Artifact and the Fortitude 1 Abyss Gear, which gives Guard Stamina Cost -3.0%.
All Shield of Unchanging Will Challenges — Quick Overview
While you’re working through shield challenges, here’s the full list so you can knock them all out efficiently. All six are part of the Mastery category and completing the full set unlocks the Master of Shields trophy and achievement.
| Challenge | Location | Task |
|---|---|---|
| Shield of Unchanging Will 1 | Hernand — second intersection north of Hernand Royal Trading Post | Defeat 3 enemies with a shield |
| Shield of Unchanging Will 2 | Hernand — southwest near Scholarstone Institute | Block 10 arrows with a shield |
| Shield of Unchanging Will 3 | Hernand — east of Embernest Beacon | Hit 3 enemies at once with a shield |
| Shield of Unchanging Will 4 | Hernand — west of Calphade South Gate near the bridge | Defeat 5 enemies with a shield without taking damage |
| Shield of Unchanging Will 5 | Demeniss — east of Demeniss under the “D” on the map | Flip 5 enemies with a shield (Damiane only) |
| Shield of Unchanging Will 6 | Demeniss — road west of Calphade South Gate before the river bridge | Land 10 hits on enemies in 1 minute using Shield Charge |
Challenges 1 through 4 are all in Hernand, so knock those out first before heading to Demeniss for 5 and 6. Progress tracking only starts after you physically pick up each Sealed Abyss Artifact, so grab them as early as possible so kills and hits count naturally as you play.
Tips for Each Shield Challenge
Challenge 1 — Defeat 3 enemies with a shield: Use Shield Bash (hold guard + heavy attack) to land the killing blow. Soften enemies up first with normal attacks, then finish them with the shield. Don’t spam the input — rushing it can trigger a finisher animation that doesn’t count. Weak bandits around Hernand work best.
Challenge 2 — Block 10 arrows: Find a group of enemy archers and simply hold your guard up. Let them shoot at you. Ten blocked arrows and it’s done. Take out any melee enemies nearby first so you can block freely without getting hit from the side.
Challenge 3 — Hit 3 enemies at once: Shield Bash has a wide arc. Group enemies together and swing through the cluster. Luring enemies into a tight space before attacking makes this easy.
Challenge 4 — Defeat 5 enemies with a shield without taking damage: This one needs patience. Deal with archers first — always. Pull single enemies away from groups and take them down one at a time. There’s no time limit, so slow and methodical is the right approach. The Kuku Birds at Rocca’s Hill north of Hernand are a popular pick for this since they’re easy targets that don’t hit hard.
Challenge 5 — Flip 5 enemies (Damiane): Use her Shield Toss in a group. Five hits, not kills. Quick and easy once you have Damiane unlocked.
Challenge 6 — 10 hits in 60 seconds using Shield Charge: Charge is found in Kliff’s Armed Combat skill tree at the third tier. You double-tap dodge while holding guard to activate it. Find a dense bandit camp with at least five enemies grouped together before triggering the ability. Run straight into the crowd and spam the charge. You need 10 different enemies hit, not 10 hits on the same target, so volume matters more than anything.
What Are Round Shields vs. Large Shields?
The shield flip mechanic only works with round shields. Larger shields — the tower shield style — support Shield Bash and Shield Parry, but not the flip animation. If you’re attempting Challenge 5 and the move isn’t working, check your equipped shield. The default Grey Wolf Wooden Shield works fine for this if you don’t have anything better.
For a full breakdown of how shields and other defensive tools fit into your build, the Shield of Unchanging Will 1 challenge guide covers the basics, and the Crimson Desert accessories guide goes deeper on stat choices for builds using shields.
What Do You Get for Completing All Shield Challenges?
Completing all six Shield of Unchanging Will challenges gives you a solid collection of Abyss Artifacts, a Faded Abyss Artifact (which lets you fully respec your skill tree), the Fortitude 1 Abyss Gear for guard stamina cost reduction, and the Master of Shields trophy/achievement.
Abyss Artifacts are important because they’re the same currency you spend on skills and gear refinement past level 4. Farming them through challenges early is one of the most efficient ways to build out your character. If you’re not sure where to invest them, the guide on best skills to level up first is worth reading before you spend anything.
And if you want to understand how parrying and dodging fit together with shield use in Crimson Desert’s broader combat system, the how to parry, counter, and dodge guide is a good companion read alongside this one.
For everything else in the game from quests to bosses to gear, the Crimson Desert hub page has the full guide collection in one place. And if you’re working on your ranch or other side systems between combat challenges, check out how to breed animals in Crimson Desert for a full breakdown of that system.
Crimson Desert is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games. Visit the official Crimson Desert website for the latest updates from Pearl Abyss.
