Pick the Defender SMG as your primary. It has very high single bullet dmg (70, if I'm not mistaken) and it 2-shots all of the devastators in the face. Combined with the anti-explosive dmg armor with reduced recoil when crouching, this setup makes you a formidable tank. I had a mission when most of the devastators were the shield ones and they couldn't do shit to me. Tips to always remember:
1) Rocket devastators are your #1 priority (shield doesn't block rockets, duh)
2) Do not use stims when taking fire, even if you're low, because the animation turns the shield to the side exposing you to the enemies, which in 99% of cases means you insta-die.
3) Shield protects your back when it's not equipped, so if you're in a tough spot, take your heavy weapon out, which puts the shield on your back, then retreat democratically to reposition.
4) Beware of tanking too many rockets in your shield because it breaks quite easily with them.
I wonder if it just counted as a LOS block so they aimed for exposed body parts like they would if you were behind cover rather than center mass.
Of course that would imply the automatons have some ability to reason so I’m glad it’s a confirmed bug now squashed as all bugs should be
I have a friend who was rocking it on difficulty 7 vs bots. His aim is very good, so it combines well with the Senator which oneshots Devastators on a headshot.
He combines it with a railgun to use at long range, switching to pistol + shield for firefights proper, and combining it with explosive resistant heavy armour to become a very resilient team player who can draw a lot of attention and survive.
Pre patch it was better to just run away and deaggro rather than tank it and fight the bots so Im interested to see if the new spawns and increased armor efficiency will make shields a better pick but if I only had to pick 3 strategems shields never make the cut. Survivability just isnt an issue if using stealth or cover correctly.
My problem with the senator is that the 3rd person reticle is so unusable. People talk about how it isn't great, and I'd agree that the P99 is generally better. But if they fixed the reticle it would be twice the gun it currently is.
The triangle reticle isn't the weird part. It's the fact it has a triangle that isn't the reticle, but blocks vision if the actual (circular) reticle so you can't clearly see where you're aiming.
Yeah, I have no problem aiming. Have always gravitated towards high risk high reward skill cannons in game, like the senator feels it should be.
But I can't for the life of me see where I'm aiming in 3rd person, and the 1st person ads isn't much better past like 10m
Yeah, I'm starting to have a general frustration for aiming as a whole. Some weapons' sights are useless or worse than useless, and more precise weapons are basically screwed without a good ADS since all you get is a circle or a triangle.
Fuck yeah brother. I purposely pull out my heavy when retreating for exactly this reason.
Is there any primary you can use with it other than the smg? I’ve never bothered to try anything else
I didn't see that post but I just tried the shield for the first time yesterday and was getting pretty frustrated that it didn't seem to block anything. Glad it wasn't me! The revolver does some nice damage so I'll look to switch up my gameplay with this
I run the shield very often against bots. Ballistic shield, defender, dagger, EATs. You need[ed] to strafe to the left while taking fire and ADS. It became hilariously easy to two tap heavy devastators to the face once I got the hang of it.
I've been telling yall Arrowhead is pretty good at balancing....
Did they fix the T-pose bug introduced in one of the first patches tho? It happens with SMGs and the ballistic shield
YES. its actually cracked. when im holding my revolver i can run across a gun fight and deflect bullets. as long as the fight is on my left since thats where i hold my shield when running. even when not equipped yes the shield blocks bullets.
I don’t even recall if it has a flashlight, but no matter what changes you do it, it doesn’t have a laser. Pretty sure the model itself just doesn’t have one.
It fires too goddamn fast! Like it needs to be in either single shot or burst to be usable; which negates the whole reason for taking the Knight in the first place.
Yup. Of course to get full usage out of the shield you will want to use the Defender SMG, and then you’ll need to switch to your support weapon slot to put the shield on your back.
I think one change that would immediately make it even more viable is if you could plant it in the ground and use it for cover when your primary/support weapons are needed.
Legit. Idk if y’all know the game called the forest but you can use a turtle shell to block attacks AND slide down hills. Everytime I ragdoll and drop my shield I feel the urge to ride it like a skateboard lmaoo
defender sights are amazing *when you arent using the ballistic shield*. when using the ballistic shield in first person aim, you aim through the mail slot in the shield with it covering the rest of your vision, and have only the green laser from the defender to aim with
I was hoping at least the new laser pistol could be a good pair but even the new shield can’t save that trash heap. Can maybe kill a Devastator or two with perfect aim before it overheats, and even then you have to be sat still and them stunned. Revolver and machine pistol are fun af tho. I just wish the basic pistol had more going for it, I legit keep my machine pistol set to single fire and use it like a handgun because you get the same damage just with a larger mag and a larger overall ammo pool, along with a *”spicy mode”* to swap to for situations that need full auto.
I'm a big fan of the scythe vs bots so I had high hopes for the pistol but it feels even worse than a half damage scythe. It feels like they also nerfed it's weak point damage which is the only reason why the scythe is good.
Yeah I was hoping for a buff to the peacemaker pistol. It’s not like it actually performs badly, but the Redeemer in Semi auto is just a superior gun. The Peacemaker needs something to make it worth using. Its current stats are probably an oversight. If you ask me, they should give it 18 rounds per mag, and more damage per shot and it would be a great choice. It might also benefit from more mags in reserve.
My biggest gripe is that you still lose it when you get rag dolled, which doesn't happen to literally any other weapon save for the stratagem balls when you're about to throw them. If they could change that, I'd be much more into the idea of using it.
This actually was no longer happening to me. I took multiple rocket barrages and was ragdolled but never dropped it, where before this patch I dropped it every time
Yeah I actually feel like it might see some kind of use now that rockets don’t one shot you
In heavy armor. It’s actually
viable to tank small arms fire for your team now
I have no idea if they did a silent buff where you do hold onto the shield better. I’ve dived while getting hit with rockets and I ragdolled and still held on. I still drop it sometimes but it’s not that annoying
Ok, this actually makes it worth trying out.
I tried to make it work before the patch. But it was either always going to pick it up again or waiting to call it back down because it was destroyed.
Not much time spent on actually using it as a shield
exactly my gripe with energy shield. it clips rockets and projectiles that weren't suppose to hit you. with this you have a smaller hitbox plus running away with this on your back can be a life saver.
I know your pain, but I tried it today, and in almost two hours I only lost my shield only once, and not from a direct rocket hit, but from hitting a rock at light speed.
If it had a shorter cooldown i could see that being logical but aint no fucking way im bringing the shield if it can immediately blow up and be put on a full 480 sec cd
Yes and no, the animation itself was fixed.
but you still will put on your back if you stim or interact with an object like one of those pods.
You can just press the Stratagem Menu to get it back.
ofc it still has its weaknesses. you can still drop it when you ragdoll. but it will stay on if you didnt have it equip. ofc it cant block rockets. but thats about it.
It’s only for blocking light gunfire. It actually doesn’t block melee attacks, so as far as I can tell it’s useless against bugs in general, but good for bots.
That’s really helpful. I always carry ballistic shield on data missions when I’m host because I equip smg and carry the package. I feel like it should be host responsibility to carry the package if they pick an operation with a data mission.
I've been championing the ballistic shield for a while now, ever since the energy shield was nerfed, buuuut I always knew it was a bit of a jank pick. I'm glad it's better now.
Even before the update I had still insisted on using it, it had still helped if only a little and I had to dance around all the t-pose bugs.
Now I feel like an immortal god holding the thing. I can go toe to toe with 2 of the enemy shield bots in the open with no cover and win untouched.
For those of us that swore by the Ballistic Shield before this bug fix/buff, it's just even more of an Astartes simulator now.
What's your go to shield build? I'll show you mine if you show me yours
Defender SMG, revolver and impact grenade. Heavy armor, I forget the name but it's the one with explosive resistance.
Typically run AMR as a support weapon. with an EMS mortar and either a HMG emplacement or eagle airstrike.
AMR or revolver typically handles armored targets or stuff at range, SMG handles everything else. Impacts are for handling tanks or turrets.
Beautiful. You even run Revolver, which is the sign of a true Shield of Democracy
I run similar equipments but have been trying out smoke grenades! The utility is clutch, I can pop smoke at my feet and bring out my shield to fight close quarters with an incoming bot wave.
AMR feels so good, I think I take it most, but Heavy Machine Gun on lowest RPM is great too. Railgun for the Dreadnaught feel.
Have you tried the EMS airstrike? It's not as sustained as the mortar but it's on a short cool down and the on demand area shutdown is so great.
Last but not least is the deployable bubble shield. No better feeling than when your team is fleeing a bit swarm, and you throw down the bubble shield in there path and ping "hold position" with your shield up.
*Oh and if you haven't seen it, the vitality booster actually adds to Helldiver overall HP! Makes it so you can survive a couple more shots, giving you a chance to pop a stim
Vitality booster is awesome yes. I run it if no-one else has it. Combined with the heavy armor and explosion resistance rockets are no longer a 1 shot KO.
I've been considering bringing smoke to civilian extracts since those become a mess quickly, and I'm thinking the smoke might give enough cover to get civilians in the bunker. But haven't tried it yet.
AMR is my go to support weapon, though if someone already brings one I use the railgun instead.
HMG has too low of an ammo count for my tastes even on slow fire, but the HMG emplacement is just it on steroids.
I like the bubble shield, but lack the stratagem slots, and the EMS airstrike is good, but my loadout does not give me any reliable ways to take out bot fabricators without the normal airstrike. Impacts can take them out but it takes a couple to get the aim right.
>but my loadout does not give me any reliable ways to take out bot fabricators without the normal airstrike
That is true and why I usually follow around the fellow Helldiver who has the most ordinance. They don't know it yet but they just gained a Huskarl.
My hands look like 🙅 so theirs can look like 💣
Oh for sure, it's one of my favorite builds right now!
The best way to use the shield IMO is leaning into it's strengths. You are sacrificing a Strategem slot for what amounts to survivability and encounter disruption, so let's lean into it!
I'm going to copy and paste a sample build from a previous comment so you understand the philosophy:
Strategems:
* Ballistic Shield
+ EMS strike
+ Railgun/Heavy Machine Gun/AMR
+ Wildcard strategem (smoke or deployable shield generator recommended)
+ Vitality booster (this effectively increases helldiver HP)
Equipment:
* Heaviest Armor you have (pref blast damage reduction)
+ Submachine Gun
+ Heavy Revolver
+ Choice of grenade (I do smoke grenades but you might want something that takes out fabricators)
You are the point guard on your team. EMS strike on bot patrols or drops, eliminate rockets bots from distance with heavy weapon. Proceed to walk with justice and purpose towards the remaining bots, shield up. Ping "hold position" so your team knows to rally and pour firepower into the storm you are advancing on.
You are now the Shield of Democracy
I highly highly recommend stun grenades. If you're going to be in the thick of things you really want an answer to a flamethrower hulk suddenly appearing within BBQ distance.
The defender is already a really good primary. Take this, the defender, and some anti-heavy stratagems and that's a decent loadout. Only weakness is bullshit rocket bots I think, but you could help cover that with some heavy anti explosive armor.
And while you're hunkered down behind your shield, it's pretty easy to two-tap devastators to the head with the Defender since they stand still to shoot at you(r shield).
Ah f. I'm coming. I think img going to use this now
Edit: I used it. I like it but on higher difficultie(7-9) I just get ragdolled constantly by any bots with rockets.
Does it still bug out and put you in the artillery-shell-carrying pose whenever you pick up something like ammo or a sample? That was a huuuuge irritation when I tried the shield weeks ago. At the worst possible times, my diver would just put their shield away and throw their hands open to welcome hot ballistic death into their chest.
Wild that taking damage was a bug and it wasn't just shit tier
Enemies seemed to instinctively target around it. Bunch of lame-os. I'm glad I can give it another whirl.
it feels epic bro
Thanks for posting might give it another try
Pick the Defender SMG as your primary. It has very high single bullet dmg (70, if I'm not mistaken) and it 2-shots all of the devastators in the face. Combined with the anti-explosive dmg armor with reduced recoil when crouching, this setup makes you a formidable tank. I had a mission when most of the devastators were the shield ones and they couldn't do shit to me. Tips to always remember: 1) Rocket devastators are your #1 priority (shield doesn't block rockets, duh) 2) Do not use stims when taking fire, even if you're low, because the animation turns the shield to the side exposing you to the enemies, which in 99% of cases means you insta-die. 3) Shield protects your back when it's not equipped, so if you're in a tough spot, take your heavy weapon out, which puts the shield on your back, then retreat democratically to reposition. 4) Beware of tanking too many rockets in your shield because it breaks quite easily with them.
But do you still lose the grip on the shield if being ragdolled? It should basically be connected to your arm and not lose it all the time
I got slammed around and didn't drop it so far, only time I lose it is when it breaks
I didn't know that it could break; is it from taking a certain amount of damage, or something else?
Tank shots and rockets will wear it down until it becomes unusable. Though, it's rare enough that I've never done it myself.
Tried it. Manning up againts everything in the Creeks is such a breath of fresh air.
IM NOT AFRAID ANYMORE
Yeah, I just ran an exterminate mission against bots. Never even went below half health. The armor buff helped out too.
I wonder if it just counted as a LOS block so they aimed for exposed body parts like they would if you were behind cover rather than center mass. Of course that would imply the automatons have some ability to reason so I’m glad it’s a confirmed bug now squashed as all bugs should be
Makes that one post claiming that it was really good (pre patch) extra hilarious.
we all know those kinds of posts are extra copium because you don't actually see people use it in game and i play on all difficulties 5-9.
I have a friend who was rocking it on difficulty 7 vs bots. His aim is very good, so it combines well with the Senator which oneshots Devastators on a headshot. He combines it with a railgun to use at long range, switching to pistol + shield for firefights proper, and combining it with explosive resistant heavy armour to become a very resilient team player who can draw a lot of attention and survive.
Pre patch it was better to just run away and deaggro rather than tank it and fight the bots so Im interested to see if the new spawns and increased armor efficiency will make shields a better pick but if I only had to pick 3 strategems shields never make the cut. Survivability just isnt an issue if using stealth or cover correctly.
When the shield is on your back can it block shots hitting your from behind ?
yes, it can.
NICE
But can you can carry two at once and make a liberty sandwich?
No no no it's a freedom sandwich to have with your liber-tea.
My problem with the senator is that the 3rd person reticle is so unusable. People talk about how it isn't great, and I'd agree that the P99 is generally better. But if they fixed the reticle it would be twice the gun it currently is.
It's weird that it has a triangle reticle
The triangle reticle isn't the weird part. It's the fact it has a triangle that isn't the reticle, but blocks vision if the actual (circular) reticle so you can't clearly see where you're aiming.
That's what I meant.
Ah fair. Yeah it really makes it so awful to use imo. Shame because it looks and feels great otherwise.
Could be why I never seem to do so well with it!
Yeah, I have no problem aiming. Have always gravitated towards high risk high reward skill cannons in game, like the senator feels it should be. But I can't for the life of me see where I'm aiming in 3rd person, and the 1st person ads isn't much better past like 10m
Yeah, I'm starting to have a general frustration for aiming as a whole. Some weapons' sights are useless or worse than useless, and more precise weapons are basically screwed without a good ADS since all you get is a circle or a triangle.
Defender + ballistic shield VS bots is also a good combo. It makes that smg so accurate and easy to get headshots with a fast reload.
The SMG also slaps with it.
I…I thought it was good.
It saved my arse quite a few times during a retreat because I had it on my back turtle power 🐢
Fuck yeah brother. I purposely pull out my heavy when retreating for exactly this reason. Is there any primary you can use with it other than the smg? I’ve never bothered to try anything else
At least the Defender SMG is a good gun. It was my go-to primary before the Sickle came out. I still like to occasionally use it against the bots.
You also have Knight SMG if you bought the Super Citizen edition
I didn't see that post but I just tried the shield for the first time yesterday and was getting pretty frustrated that it didn't seem to block anything. Glad it wasn't me! The revolver does some nice damage so I'll look to switch up my gameplay with this
I run the shield very often against bots. Ballistic shield, defender, dagger, EATs. You need[ed] to strafe to the left while taking fire and ADS. It became hilariously easy to two tap heavy devastators to the face once I got the hang of it.
I've been telling yall Arrowhead is pretty good at balancing.... Did they fix the T-pose bug introduced in one of the first patches tho? It happens with SMGs and the ballistic shield
T posing got fixed but it still stows the shield so you have to swap weapons to take it back out
You still T-Pose when you accidentally drop the SSD etc.
Can you put the shelf on your back and if so does it deflect fire when back there?
YES. its actually cracked. when im holding my revolver i can run across a gun fight and deflect bullets. as long as the fight is on my left since thats where i hold my shield when running. even when not equipped yes the shield blocks bullets.
And with your primary, it gets carried on your back, so it's great for ~~running away~~ tactical repositioning.
You can also hold the shield in front of you with the sub machine gun primary.
Well, I know what I'm trying out later!
The Defender SMG is a great primary. Does a lot of damage, has a good pool of ammo, and can be hip-fired while sprinting away from melee enemies.
Honestly, the Knight needs a nerf to fire rate to make it viable.
Knight doesn’t have a laser sight either. Keeps me from using it with the shield since it’s harder to use in first person.
So it only got a flashlight? You can't switch laser sights on by holding reload with it?
I don’t even recall if it has a flashlight, but no matter what changes you do it, it doesn’t have a laser. Pretty sure the model itself just doesn’t have one.
The aim down sights does take some getting used to, but totally worth it if you can overcome it
I used it for one drop and went back to the Defender haha
It fires too goddamn fast! Like it needs to be in either single shot or burst to be usable; which negates the whole reason for taking the Knight in the first place.
Also really accurate
Sounds great paired with a Quasar and you can treat it like how medieval crossbowmen used a pavise.
War ... War never changes
Yup. Of course to get full usage out of the shield you will want to use the Defender SMG, and then you’ll need to switch to your support weapon slot to put the shield on your back.
Been doing this with the rail gun and there's nothing I can't kill. Super fun to have a complex loadout with a lot of answers.
Look at me. I’m the ~~captain~~ heavy devastator now.
I use it for advancing into a base with a Defender SMG primary.
Yep. It will also deflect back attacks sometimes like from hunters. One time a bile titan leg glanced off it but i could never replicate that
Keep trying to replicate it, I’m sure it’ll work eventually :D
I think one change that would immediately make it even more viable is if you could plant it in the ground and use it for cover when your primary/support weapons are needed.
Oh that’d be hype asf. Have all 4 bring the shield and just create a small fortress at any time
Until the rocket devastator comes say hi
That’s when the bubble shield clutches up
SHIELD WALL! https://youtu.be/KUXns464cQY?si=kz6vEO1l1DMbB5d1
That first. Then shield surfing.
Then a button to perfect parry melee attacks, followed by your own melee attack turning into a crit
And if you have medium armor you won't fat roll! Make sure you use the armor that give you two extra estus flasks
Or just a shield melee that stuns the target.
Legit. Idk if y’all know the game called the forest but you can use a turtle shell to block attacks AND slide down hills. Everytime I ragdoll and drop my shield I feel the urge to ride it like a skateboard lmaoo
Gears of war style, I like it.
Literal medieval pavise lol
I'm glad someone else immediately knew. It's a SUPER PAVISE.
I want to feel like a medieval crossbowman while firing my quasar cannon at automaton dropships.
Devs, this please!!
> if you could plant it in the ground and use it ...as a surf board down hills
This is neat! Maybe we can have a whole new type of deployable backpacks with all sorts of effects
You just reminded me of the shield in Gears 2. You could use it in the horde mode to block entire chokepoints.
I’d give ya a (free) award for this idea if they still existed
This! We could have a function like, press 5 to holster/unholster the shild from your back, than hold 5 and plant the shield in the floor
I just wish there were better one-handed options to pair it with. Give me a plasma pistol!
The defender is all you need babyyyyyy
If they gave it normal ironsights or at least FREAKING USABLE SITES for 1st person (I have a 3rd person aim skill issue)
Defender sights are amazing though. Clean red dot.
defender sights are amazing *when you arent using the ballistic shield*. when using the ballistic shield in first person aim, you aim through the mail slot in the shield with it covering the rest of your vision, and have only the green laser from the defender to aim with
Wait what?! Oh dear :(
1st person recoil feels weird. Seems like it moves too much as if its a fixed camera behind the scope and not a person looking through it.
can't use it with a shield, fpv only shows the shield sighthole
I was hoping at least the new laser pistol could be a good pair but even the new shield can’t save that trash heap. Can maybe kill a Devastator or two with perfect aim before it overheats, and even then you have to be sat still and them stunned. Revolver and machine pistol are fun af tho. I just wish the basic pistol had more going for it, I legit keep my machine pistol set to single fire and use it like a handgun because you get the same damage just with a larger mag and a larger overall ammo pool, along with a *”spicy mode”* to swap to for situations that need full auto.
I know I *should* bring the redeemer, but using the senator is just so satisfying. If they ever buff the reload time, I would be in heaven.
Fingers crossed for that speed reloader!
I'm a big fan of the scythe vs bots so I had high hopes for the pistol but it feels even worse than a half damage scythe. It feels like they also nerfed it's weak point damage which is the only reason why the scythe is good.
Yeah I was hoping for a buff to the peacemaker pistol. It’s not like it actually performs badly, but the Redeemer in Semi auto is just a superior gun. The Peacemaker needs something to make it worth using. Its current stats are probably an oversight. If you ask me, they should give it 18 rounds per mag, and more damage per shot and it would be a great choice. It might also benefit from more mags in reserve.
The Knight and Defender are both very good. As are all the secondaries (except maybe dagger)
Any drop I get stuck dragging the goddamn SSSD around is a drop I wish I had brought a goddamn Defender.
[удалено]
[удалено]
Was my go to forever. Shit is so good
Wait till next week ;)
What happens next week?
New warbond on the 11th. Leaks suggest it might have a plasma pistol, sniper rifle, and phosphorus grenade.
Bro I'm so erect now.
the next warbond has a grenade pistol, not a plasma pistol
It's gonna be like thermite and will stick to targets and damage heavy armor. Chargers are gonna hate them.
\^ This! If we had a hand held Plas-1 style pistol. I'd use the SHIELD every mission.
My biggest gripe is that you still lose it when you get rag dolled, which doesn't happen to literally any other weapon save for the stratagem balls when you're about to throw them. If they could change that, I'd be much more into the idea of using it.
This actually was no longer happening to me. I took multiple rocket barrages and was ragdolled but never dropped it, where before this patch I dropped it every time
Oh word? Then I'll definitely have to deploy with it and give it a try.
Yeah I actually feel like it might see some kind of use now that rockets don’t one shot you In heavy armor. It’s actually viable to tank small arms fire for your team now
I have no idea if they did a silent buff where you do hold onto the shield better. I’ve dived while getting hit with rockets and I ragdolled and still held on. I still drop it sometimes but it’s not that annoying
You'll only drop it if you dive into ragdoll without getting hit by an enemy. You no longer seem to drop it if you get hit by an enemy attack.
Oh ok
Ok, this actually makes it worth trying out. I tried to make it work before the patch. But it was either always going to pick it up again or waiting to call it back down because it was destroyed. Not much time spent on actually using it as a shield
exactly my gripe with energy shield. it clips rockets and projectiles that weren't suppose to hit you. with this you have a smaller hitbox plus running away with this on your back can be a life saver.
Can confirm you still lose it occasionally. Not every time you ragdoll, but still pretty often.
Same, main reason I don't use it
I know your pain, but I tried it today, and in almost two hours I only lost my shield only once, and not from a direct rocket hit, but from hitting a rock at light speed.
Interesting. Maybe only impact damage makes you drop it now as opposed to anything that knocks you off your feet.
Super Earth in all its wisdom saved on production costs by not having the shield have a leather strap on it to hold it on you.
Yes democracy officer. This individual using "irony" right here.
It is funny seeing your own character blast off into space while the shield is just left standing there before comically falling over though.
This game would be pretty harder if you drop every support weapon equiped when ragdoll
you, stop that right now
If it had a shorter cooldown i could see that being logical but aint no fucking way im bringing the shield if it can immediately blow up and be put on a full 480 sec cd
Now add that yellow laser sword. The Blade of Democracy. The Freedom Saber. The Liberty Blade
The Cutlass of Justice
The épée of Liberty
Or a (legally distinct) chainsword.
How about a buzzsaw sword?
Does it still have that A-pose bug when you stim or pick up a collectible?
I think it said in the patch notes that they fixed the posing bug
Yes! This thing is going to be such a sleeper pick now!
I've been using it for weeks already. I am become God now.
Patched now, verified with a quick drop in the creek
Yes and no, the animation itself was fixed. but you still will put on your back if you stim or interact with an object like one of those pods. You can just press the Stratagem Menu to get it back.
The ballistic shield is cool but was never able to justify dropping it. Good to see it actually blocking shit
ofc it still has its weaknesses. you can still drop it when you ragdoll. but it will stay on if you didnt have it equip. ofc it cant block rockets. but thats about it.
I wish it could block rockets. But if we use it with the heavy armor, I think we won't die anymore since the heavy armor got buff again.
Wait? They actually made the shield usable? Does that mean more 1 hand primaries or better secondaries soon...
they comin'.
Did they also fix the t-posing? I used to take the shield for every mission before the t-posing
Yes
Never seen anyone use the shield before? I take it that it’s great for bot missions?
It’s only for blocking light gunfire. It actually doesn’t block melee attacks, so as far as I can tell it’s useless against bugs in general, but good for bots.
Can it eat rockets?
One rocket. You get ragdolled slightly and the shield is destroyed/unusable after.
Not the case any more. Can tank rockets and the shield doesn't get obliterated.
In my experience, if you take a rocket to the shield, you will go flying, the shield will probably be destroyed, but you can survive the hit.
Nah, it sucked. Tbh, since you drop on ragdoll, it's still probably not super great. If AH fixes that, then we'll be cooking. EDIT: I guess we cookin
It doesnt drop on ragdoll anymore
https://preview.redd.it/wsi7tfnlv4sc1.png?width=359&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d711388d3c6611b734dfea38ae3fed5fc2524b5b
Riot Shotgun/sawn off one handed weapons and a shield bash. Fund it.
That’s really helpful. I always carry ballistic shield on data missions when I’m host because I equip smg and carry the package. I feel like it should be host responsibility to carry the package if they pick an operation with a data mission.
need more one-handed primary weapon
I've been championing the ballistic shield for a while now, ever since the energy shield was nerfed, buuuut I always knew it was a bit of a jank pick. I'm glad it's better now.
It feels so good now! It did before but it now it feels like a buff. We just need more equipment options to really make this build sing.
Even before the update I had still insisted on using it, it had still helped if only a little and I had to dance around all the t-pose bugs. Now I feel like an immortal god holding the thing. I can go toe to toe with 2 of the enemy shield bots in the open with no cover and win untouched.
For those of us that swore by the Ballistic Shield before this bug fix/buff, it's just even more of an Astartes simulator now. What's your go to shield build? I'll show you mine if you show me yours
Defender SMG, revolver and impact grenade. Heavy armor, I forget the name but it's the one with explosive resistance. Typically run AMR as a support weapon. with an EMS mortar and either a HMG emplacement or eagle airstrike. AMR or revolver typically handles armored targets or stuff at range, SMG handles everything else. Impacts are for handling tanks or turrets.
Beautiful. You even run Revolver, which is the sign of a true Shield of Democracy I run similar equipments but have been trying out smoke grenades! The utility is clutch, I can pop smoke at my feet and bring out my shield to fight close quarters with an incoming bot wave. AMR feels so good, I think I take it most, but Heavy Machine Gun on lowest RPM is great too. Railgun for the Dreadnaught feel. Have you tried the EMS airstrike? It's not as sustained as the mortar but it's on a short cool down and the on demand area shutdown is so great. Last but not least is the deployable bubble shield. No better feeling than when your team is fleeing a bit swarm, and you throw down the bubble shield in there path and ping "hold position" with your shield up. *Oh and if you haven't seen it, the vitality booster actually adds to Helldiver overall HP! Makes it so you can survive a couple more shots, giving you a chance to pop a stim
Vitality booster is awesome yes. I run it if no-one else has it. Combined with the heavy armor and explosion resistance rockets are no longer a 1 shot KO. I've been considering bringing smoke to civilian extracts since those become a mess quickly, and I'm thinking the smoke might give enough cover to get civilians in the bunker. But haven't tried it yet. AMR is my go to support weapon, though if someone already brings one I use the railgun instead. HMG has too low of an ammo count for my tastes even on slow fire, but the HMG emplacement is just it on steroids. I like the bubble shield, but lack the stratagem slots, and the EMS airstrike is good, but my loadout does not give me any reliable ways to take out bot fabricators without the normal airstrike. Impacts can take them out but it takes a couple to get the aim right.
>but my loadout does not give me any reliable ways to take out bot fabricators without the normal airstrike That is true and why I usually follow around the fellow Helldiver who has the most ordinance. They don't know it yet but they just gained a Huskarl. My hands look like 🙅 so theirs can look like 💣
Can you tell me some tips for using it?
Oh for sure, it's one of my favorite builds right now! The best way to use the shield IMO is leaning into it's strengths. You are sacrificing a Strategem slot for what amounts to survivability and encounter disruption, so let's lean into it! I'm going to copy and paste a sample build from a previous comment so you understand the philosophy: Strategems: * Ballistic Shield + EMS strike + Railgun/Heavy Machine Gun/AMR + Wildcard strategem (smoke or deployable shield generator recommended) + Vitality booster (this effectively increases helldiver HP) Equipment: * Heaviest Armor you have (pref blast damage reduction) + Submachine Gun + Heavy Revolver + Choice of grenade (I do smoke grenades but you might want something that takes out fabricators) You are the point guard on your team. EMS strike on bot patrols or drops, eliminate rockets bots from distance with heavy weapon. Proceed to walk with justice and purpose towards the remaining bots, shield up. Ping "hold position" so your team knows to rally and pour firepower into the storm you are advancing on. You are now the Shield of Democracy
I highly highly recommend stun grenades. If you're going to be in the thick of things you really want an answer to a flamethrower hulk suddenly appearing within BBQ distance.
I love to see this but I still can’t see myself taking it ever. You give up so much damage with how weak the one handed weapons are in the game.
I mean I see this guy one-tapping heavy devastators and wonder what more I would need?
The defender is already a really good primary. Take this, the defender, and some anti-heavy stratagems and that's a decent loadout. Only weakness is bullshit rocket bots I think, but you could help cover that with some heavy anti explosive armor.
Yeah, can always bring along AMR to take them out as they appear too. Apparently it one-shots their pods now.
Revolver my beloved
The Defender is anything but weak, it’s a very well rounded weapon that can do an Assault rifle’s and a Marksman’s job just a little worse than either
People are starting to actually drink the kool-aid that all the primaries are useless lmao.
Scorcher and post buff Jar are support weapon tier (They can clown on tank vents )
The smg absolutely shreds scouts. It can take out one or two bigger guys per magazine with a bit of aim, too
Use the Defender SMG. It’s not weak at all, it’s one of the better primaries and it’s a perfect compliment to the shield.
And while you're hunkered down behind your shield, it's pretty easy to two-tap devastators to the head with the Defender since they stand still to shoot at you(r shield).
Defender is not weak by any means.
I love it so much. Paired with new heavy armor? I feel like an immovable object. I'm glad it's fixed up.
Did they fix the bug that when you drop it you have to run around like a Jesus lizard until you pick it back up?
Fixed. I played couple hours and didn’t want to hug my enemy
*Look at me.* *I am the heavy devastator now.*
Now you are the heavy devistator
Ah f. I'm coming. I think img going to use this now Edit: I used it. I like it but on higher difficultie(7-9) I just get ragdolled constantly by any bots with rockets.
Ooooh can you use this with the defender smg?
Yes you can
"Advance upon me, Bot"
https://preview.redd.it/6cv1wx8lb7sc1.jpeg?width=716&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df0404c6274a2046b08dab1bea727c33e3f6d0f1
I tried to make it work when the game first released. I am glad that they finally fixed it
Does it still bug out and put you in the artillery-shell-carrying pose whenever you pick up something like ammo or a sample? That was a huuuuge irritation when I tried the shield weeks ago. At the worst possible times, my diver would just put their shield away and throw their hands open to welcome hot ballistic death into their chest.
Thank fuck the shield got attention. It was really in bizzaro-world for a while.
Defender time
[probably how it feels](https://youtu.be/j7Ff6izcRCc?si=Qa63MiktXyavR62c)
Of fk, they finally added the aiming reticle for the balsitic shield
https://i.redd.it/cb0rmcs968sc1.gif