Shield wielding zombies.
Shields are objects held by zombies. They protect the zombie that holds them from most straightforward projectiles from in front and prevent them from being frozen from Snow Peas. It also prevents them from receiving extra damage from flaming peas from in front. However, shields can be bypassed by area-of-effect plants such as Fume-shrooms, Spikeweeds, Spikerocks, and lobbed-shot plants.
Types of shields
- Newspaper – Absorbs eight normal damage shots. Cannot be taken by a Magnet-shroom, but it is easy to destroy. Unlike others, it is vulnerable to the Torchwood's fire.
- Screen door – Absorbs 55 normal damage shots. Can be taken by a Magnet-shroom.
- Ladder – Absorbs 25 normal damage shots. Can be set up on a defensive plant, so that zombies can climb over it. Can be taken by a Magnet-shroom while being held and while placed on a defensive plant. Can also be removed by instant kills, even if it has already been placed.
- Trash can (only found in Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo DS versions of Plants vs. Zombies) - Absorbs 40 normal damage shots. Can be taken by a Magnet-shroom.
- Target (only found in Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo DS versions of Plants vs. Zombies) - Useless against anything. Can't by taken by a Magnet-shroom.
- Treasure map held by the Map Pirate.
Strategies
Newspaper Zombies are the easiest to kill. Try to have at least two peas of damage on it and you should do fine. Screen Door Zombies are a little harder, but if you have Fume-shrooms, Gloom-shrooms, Magnet-shrooms, or lobbed-shot plants they should do fine. The same goes for the Ladder Zombie. Luckily, you first encounter it on the roof, so you will have catapults. Hypnotizing a shield zombie is useless, since other zombies can bypass their shields. Catapult plants are most effective against shield zombies, as they can pass over the shield.
Trivia
- Newspaper Zombie and Ladder Zombie are the only zombies which eat without using their hands, even if their shields are destroyed.
- Screen Door Zombie, when eating, will put his shield on its side. But even if the Screen Door is on the side, the shield is damaged instead.
- The screen door is the strongest shield in the game, while the Newspaper is the weakest shield (and the 2nd weakest armor in general) in the game.
| V · T · E |
| Headwear | Roadcone · Bucket† · Football helmet† (black) · Hard hat · Hats · Helmet · Sombrero · Feather hat · Knight helm† · Ice block · Skull · Egg · Brick · Galea† |
| Shields | Newspaper · Screen door† · Ladder† · Trash can† · Target · Barrel · Sarcophagus · Poncho · Surfboard · Lance · Clamshell · Shovel · Parasol · Tent · Arcade machine · Speaker · Egg · Wheelbarrow · Flying Machine |
| Vaulting abilities | Pole · Dolphin · Pogo stick† · Segway |
| Weapons | Jack-in-the-box† · Barbell† · Torch · Surfboard · Lance · Clamshell · Shovel · Speaker · Syringe · Wheelbarrow · Flying Machine |
| Others | Pickaxe† · Bobsled · Balloon · Necklace† · Rocket · Hamsterball |
| †Metallic
|