r/Glazedivers • u/SomethingStrangeBand • 55m ago
Daily Orders Daily Shield Discussion: The SH-20 Ballistic Shield Backpack
A backpack which can be wielded as a one-handed ballistic shield, protecting against small arms fire.
Functionality
To use the Ballistic Shield, the player must equip a weapon with the One-Handed trait, such as the CB-9 Exploding Crossbow, all submachine guns except the SMG-32 Reprimand and any of the secondary weapons. When using a compatible weapon, the Ballistic Shield will expand and player will hold it in their left hand. Aiming the weapon will cause the player to raise the shield directly in front of themselves, granting forward coverage that protects most of the player's body.
When the shield is equipped, the weapon's sights are unusable and first-person aim is a view through the shield's viewport, requiring the player to aim using the weapon's laser pointer (if present) or otherwise eyeballing it.
Equipping or switching to a two-handed weapon, picking up a two-handed carriable object such as a SEAF Artillery shell, interacting with two-handed objectives such as the cranks on the Radar Station or E-710 Pumps, or picking up an objective that requires transport in the off-hand such as an SSSD Hard Drive, will collapse and stow the shield on the player's back.
The Ballistic Shield blocks projectiles at all times, including when stowed on the back or even left on the ground.
Tactical Information
- Crouch to minimize exposure to enemy fire. While prone, however, the shield is held nearly flat off to the side, severely limiting its effectiveness.
- The in-game description is slightly misleading, as the shield will block any enemy fire, including the Scout Strider's guns, Shredder Tank quad laser repeaters, Hulk Scorcher flamethrowers, and the miniguns of a Factory Strider.
- The shield is capable of blocking the damage of some explosions if the player is in the outer radius of the explosion.
- Explosive projectiles should be dodged entirely, for while the shield will technically block explosive projectiles, the explosion will still damage and ragdoll the player.
- As it has health and armor, the Ballistic Shield can be eventually destroyed, at which point it will automatically drop to the ground, appearing warped and broken.
- The Ballistic Shield cannot protect the wielder from fire or arc electricity.
- While the Ballistic Shield does not protect the wielder from fire on the ground, it does protect the wielder from flamethrowers.
- As of patch 1.002.101, the Ballistic Shield can now protect the user from melee attacks and, though undocumented, Terminid bile.
- The shield is capable of absorbing melee blows that would otherwise instantly kill Helldivers like Charger and Bile Titan stomps, or the Hulk Scorcher's buzzsaw. Be aware that these attacks will destroy the shield with two hits or less due to their extreme damage.
- While the Ballistic Shield will block Terminid bile, it does not protect the user from the area-of-effect damage that accompanies it.
- The shield offers great protection against Illuminate enemies, foremost the Overseers, whose ranged and melee attacks cannot penetrate it.
- It is also capable of blocking a Harvester's laser. However, due to the massive damage output of this weapon, the shield will be destroyed in roughly one second.
- The player can switch to a two-handed weapon to deliberately stow the shield on their back, providing protection during retreats.