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|According to legend, the Shardblades were first carried by the [[Knights Radiant]] uncounted ages ago. Gifts of their god, granted to allow them to fight horrors of rock and flame, dozens of feet tall, foes whose eyes burned with hatred. The [[Voidbringer]]s.
The first tactical decision made using Shards is often deciding where to deploy them. As Shardblades are as rare as they are effective, generals and tacticians must decide where they are most useful. Shardbearers typically only fight in the most important battles.{{book ref|sa1|16}} For instance, no Shardbearers were necessary when the Alethi fought the Reshi in the [[wastescum skirmishes]],{{book ref|sa1|16}} but every single Shardbearer has been deployed to the Shattered Plains for the War of Reckoning.{{book ref|sa1|52}} While sending as many Shardblades to a conflict as possible may seem a simple solution, it may leave an army exposed elsewhere or leave its homeland defenseless.{{book ref|sa1|18}} Another consideration is the fact that sending Shardbearers to a battle may serve as a deterrent to one's enemies, but it may also escalate the conflict and provoke one's enemies to send their own Shardbearers into battle.{{book ref|sa1|52}}
Shardbearers often lead formations themselves, cutting a hole in enemy ranks with their overwhelming force.{{book ref|sa1|68}} This creates a gap that well-trained men can exploit, which can allow for an army to overcome superior numbers. The usefulness of this tactic is twofold. Few regular men can put up an effective resistance against a Shardbearer, allowing them to lead a spectacularly effective charge, and
{{image|Arena_adolin.jpg|width=300px|side=left|Adolin prepares for a fight in the dueling pit}}
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.
As Shards are often passed down family lines,{{book ref|sa2|14}}
The Shardblade is such a powerful weapon that its versatility is often only limited by the creativity of its bearer. For instance, Adolin Kholin used his Shardblade stuck into the side of a plateau as a platform to stand on while clearing a space for him to stand on top of the plateau.{{book ref|sa2|26}} In another instance, Dalinar cuts section of rock away, allowing it to fall on his opponents below him.{{book ref|sa1|68}} He also will cut the stone underneath the feet of his opponents to make them lose their footing. An experienced Shardbearer can find a multitude of ways to use a Blade to his advantage in battle beyond the tactics in which they are typically trained.
[[Forgery]] could be used to gain a Shardblade, with some restrictions.{{wob ref|7235}} The Investiture is not powerful enough to temporarily create a new Shardblade, and if it somehow could it would be terribly inefficient.{{wob ref|4859}} Instead, if a person had once held a Shardblade and gave it up, a Forger could rewrite their past to make it that they had never given up the Blade, and they would then be able to summon that same Shardblade.{{wob ref|7235}} This would have the effect of tricking a Blade into believing that it is bound to two people at once and could be summoned by both of them. It is theoretically possible for the [[seon]]s and [[skaze]] of Sel to take the form of a Shardblade, but something would need to pull them more fully into the Physical Realm, like the Nahel bond does for the spren.{{wob ref|6197}}
While there are only three known ways to heal from a Shardblade wound on [[Roshar]], it seems likely that other magic systems would also allow for that same healing. On [[Scadrial]], [[Gold#Feruchemical Use|goldminds]] of [[Feruchemy]] could be used to heal Shardblade damage.{{wob ref|4111}} The [[BioChromatic Breath|
=== Relationship to Nightblood ===
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