Mountain dwarves were a cynical and gruff people, but they were not, despite a reputation to the contrary, fatalistic, still possessing some hope for the future. Typically, mountain dwarves took time to trust and even longer to forgive but the dwindling of their race led many to be more open to other ways of thinking. Mountain dwarven attitudes were formerly typically divided between the Hidden and the Wanderers, two separate schools of thought amongst the race, though since the Thunder Blessing this separation began to erode. The Hidden, like the gold dwarves, believed it best to take an isolationist policy towards other races, fortifying their mountain homes and continuing their ancient ways, while the Wanderers were more adventurous, seeking their fortunes on the surface.

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However, while shield dwarves had not always been so open-minded, there was a long tradition of adventurism in the race and many young dwarves, particularly after the Thunder Blessing, hoped to find glory in doing great deeds in distant lands. Less self-interested shield dwarves also took to the adventuring life to reclaim ancient strongholds or treasures long lost. Whatever the case, most shield dwarves who ventured beyond their homes were fighters or clerics trained in personal combat, leaning on the strong martial traditions of their people against the orcs, goblins, trolls, and giants that threatened the race.

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Traditionally, clan and class meant everything among the shield dwarves but as their civilization declined so did the importance of these issues. Although bloodline was still a mark of pride for a dwarf from a particularly strong clan, personal accomplishments came to mean more practically than the old ways, which seemed increasingly irrelevant. Among the Hidden, traditions remained strong, but there was an increasing number of shield dwarves willing to leave the mountains for a life as adventurers or craftsmen among humans.

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Family life remained a prime concern for dwarves, however, and while elders played a diminishing role in childrearing, the relationships between parent and child or siblings remained as strong as ever. Most dwarves were literate and were taught to read at an early age, before being handed off to an apprenticeship. In the workplace, shield dwarves were taught to work for not only themselves and their family but the greater good of their clan. Most shield dwarves, while proud of their work, were fairly humble and avoided ostentatious displays of decadence. After a shield dwarf lost his or her ability to work physically, they remain a valued part of the community for their experience and wisdom and when they died they were honored with funeral rites appropriate to their legacy.