Nightstar The Bright

 

Due to their awesome power, Shardbearers fighting together often have to be careful that they do not inadvertently hurt one another or their own men.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Fighting in tandem with Shards is a skill all its own, keeping close enough to support one another but just far enough away to avoid interfering in the other's fight.{{book ref|sa1|67}} While the skill is uncommonly practiced, two Shardbearers supporting one another in combat can achieve incredible success.{{book ref|sa2|26}} Many times a Shardbearer will wade into enemy lines, bolstered by an honor guard fighting a few steps behind them.{{book ref|sa1|56}} The honor guard does not spend time defending the Shardbearer directly, but rather stays nearby to support the Shardbearer, so if his Plate is severely damaged or he is seriously injured, the Shardbearer can retreat to safety and not risk their life or their Shards.{{book ref|sa1|28}} Bolder Shardbearers will leave this honor guard behind and will attack enemies alone, either on foot or horseback.{{book ref|sa1|26}} Such a move is a tactical risk, as an isolated Shardbearer is at his most vulnerable and the loss of a Shardbearer in combat may prove disastrous for their own forces.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Shardbearers may also fight alone when capturing a wall or taking down some other fortification. Narrow wall tops are ideal for Shardbearers, as they are able to easily kill the clustered soldiers.{{book ref|sa3|11}} They must take care when scaling walls however, as some handholds are designed to be retracted by the defenders.{{book ref|sa3|66}} Unexpectedly pulling in a ledge that a Shardbearer is hanging from can be enough to send them spilling to the ground, cracking their Plate or killing them.

 

The most effective way of countering a Shardblade is to send another Shardbearer against them.{{book ref|sa1|24}} By leveling the playing field in this way, the overwhelming power of a Shardblade is negated and victory is left to the most skilled of the fighters.{{book ref|sa2|54}} However, when going up against a full Shardbearer, a person with both Blade and Plate, a Blade is often not enough to ensure victory.{{book ref|sa1|24}} In fact, in a duel between someone with only Plate and someone with only a Blade, the person with Plate will more often be successful, as they only need to get in one good strike on their opponent.{{book ref|sa3|11}} This is why most Shards are won by people who are already full Shardbearers.

 

As swords and arrows are practically useless against a Shardbearer, heavy weapons such as war hammers and axes are often used in an attempt to shatter the plate.{{book ref|sa1|56}} The most common tactic is to simply drown a Shardbearer in enemies.{{book ref|sa2|85}} Enemy forces attempt to attack from all directions, hoping that the Shardbearer may grow distracted or disoriented.{{book ref|sa1|56}} Despite the fact that most regular soldiers are afraid to face a Shardbearer, when they attack in large groups the weight of the army can force even the reluctant forward,{{book ref|sa1|56}} and there is always the chance that someone will get in a lucky blow.{{book ref|sa2|85}} Shardbearers are vulnerable if they can be separated from the soldiers supporting them, so if an army can separate a Shardbearer from their honor guard and limit their mobility, they have a decent chance of killing him.{{book ref|sa1|28}} One tactic to reduce a Shardblade's effectiveness is to get in close to the Shardbearer, staying within the Shardbearer's reach{{book ref|sa3|11}} and taking advantage of the Blade's long, non-lethal hilt.{{book ref|sa1|56}}{{book ref|sa2|89}} Fortifications may be constructed with this principle in mind, keeps built with narrow corridors to prevent a bulky Shardbearer from maneuvering.{{book ref|sa3|66}} There are also soldiers trained specifically to deal with Shardbearers. They utilize ropes and hooks to try to unbalance or trip the shardbearer, though this isn't always successful as shardplates are heavy. As the Shardblades cut through corpses instead of knocking them away like a normal weapon would, Shardbearers often become surrounded in corpses, which can lead to unstable footing and decreased mobility.{{book ref|sa1|56}} In extended battle, Shardbearers are rarely the last fighting, their enemy focuses on bringing them down first so that their Blades can be turned on their own men once they have fallen.{{book ref|sa1|67}} This means when a Shardbearer is killed, recovering their Blade and Plate are a higher priority than even retrieving the highlord's body.{{book ref|sa2|82}}