Shield Strategies Guide!

Hey everyone,

This guide I have here are about shields. This time, I am going to cover some interesting strategies that you can take into consideration when using the different shields. As a shield user and lover, I am going to provide some personal tips to help players pull off some cool combos and tactics with shields, and use some cool strategies, as well as a more brief overview of the types of shields in the game.

I made a guide to that covers more of the basics of how the shields work: https://answers.ea.com/t5/General-Discussion/Shields-Guide/m-p/9500806#M27818. This guide covers some shield strategies that you can employ in-game.

For each shield type I cover, I will include a basic overview of the shield, basic stats, and some strategies that you can employ with the shield (as well as which character the shield belongs to, of course).

SHIELD STRATEGIES

Peel Shield (Citron)

The Peel Shield is a shield for Citron that is not an ability. It is a secondary weapon that is automatically pulled up, however this means Citron cannot zoom as a result. It covers a wide area in front of Citron, which means you can effectively protect your allies as well as Citron himself with it. Citron's Peel Shield has the unique ability to gain ammo when blocking enough damage with the shield, which means this can be an effective way of reloading, however, he cannot normally reload while he is shielding, except with the shield's effect. He also is not able to attack or use his abilities, and his movement speed is slowed down with the shield, so you should try to have allies near you, so they can fire at enemies and you can protect them. It is a mobile shield and the shield has 600 health, which is very high.

Strategies

• Use your Peel Shield to protect an ally that is more vulnerable, for instance, that is using Pea Gatling or Sunbeam, since they are normally very vulnerable to attacks while doing so, giving them a shield can allow them to dish out lots of damage at once without much ways of interruption for the enemies.
• Hold your Peel Shield in front of lots of allies where possible, as it gives allies plenty of protection, however enemies can destroy it, so be * or to let go of your shield, if you think it is necessary.
• If you see a very damaging attack or ability incoming, such as ZPG, Explosive Escape or Imp Punt, try to quickly shield it, as you can stop allies from being vanquished, along with yourself, and if your shield is at full health or has high health, your shield will not even get destroyed, which is super cool.
• If your shield has not been destroyed when you let go of it, you will not be left defenseless. This way, if you see something headed your way that could deal lots of damage to you and your team, you can quickly pull it back up and try to block it. As a result, try not to let your shield get destroyed.
• The shield can be taken anywhere with you and is not an ability. Try to revive allies while holding up the shield, use it to regenerate by avoiding damage or you can even protect Pots and Plant Summonables with it. One technique is to use the shield at low health with a heal Pot that you or someone else has placed, the Pot can heal you and you can shield it. 

Upgrades to Boost the Shield!

• Quenching Cover (2 upgrade points) allows you to gain 16 ammo (instead of 8) whenever you block enough damage successfully. This can be an effective way to fully reload, simply with the shield, very quickly.
• Peachy (2 upgrade points) allows you to gain 200 shield health when successfully stunning an enemy with E.M. Peach. Stun multiple enemies for best results. 
• Kinetic Energy (3 upgrade points) allows you to gain 40 shield health whenever you successfully deal enough damage with Citron. If you can deal some nice damage and then use your shield again quickly, this can be an effective upgrade to use to make your shield more durable.
• Peel Out (3 upgrade points) allows you to move 35% faster while your shield is active. If you want to counteract the really slow speed you have with the shield, try this upgrade. Can also be useful for catching up with allies much more quickly with the shield.

Unique Shield Abilities

• You can gain ammo by blocking some damage.
• It has the highest health out of any shield in the game.

Dummy Shield (All-Star)

The Dummy Shield is a shield for All-Star that is one of his abilities. When you use this ability, it creates a shield which is immobile, but it creates a dome around where you placed it which can protect you and your allies from attacks in any direction. The dummy in the center which holds the shield up can easily be destroyed by enemy fire and is its weak point, however if the shield is hit from anywhere else, enemies have to deal full damage to the shield to destroy the shield. While this shield cannot be used all the time, as it is an ability, you are able to attack while your shield is deployed. This shield can protect lots of allies at once, including yourself, and they can all attack enemies while in the shield. The shield cannot be moved and it has 300 health, which is very decent.

Strategies

• If lots of allies are clustered near an objective, throw down a shield, your allies will likely use and benefit with the shield for protection. When the enemies come, you have given your team protective support. Try and wait for enemies to approach first before placing it down.
• If you drop the shield over fallen allies, you and allies can revive them without much trouble, by also using Injury Time, you reviving allies becomes much faster while inside the shield. This can be extremely effective if many allies have fallen in the same area, allowing you to revive with ease.
• When enemies can attack from a number of sides, this shield is really useful. The dome feature of the shield blocks attacks from all directions. You just need to be watchful of your dummy of the inside of the shield being destroyed, so ensure to watch for enemies getting close to your shield from all sides.
• Having the shield placed down allows everyone to focus on firing, to heal in relative peace, or reviving a fallen ally if someone was vanquished where the shield gets placed. Protecting a Heavy Helper using the shield allows everyone to get a faster rate of fire while in the shield. 
• Try to keep enemies far away from your shield, because the center of it is weak. Use the Star Struck upgrade if you want to keep them away when you place it (along with a reduced refresh time if you manage to do so). If enemies approach your shield, you can use your Sprint Tackle to knock them away, or Imp Punt to try and vanquish them.

Upgrades to Boost the Shield!

• Injury Time (2 upgrade points) allows you to revive allies, while in your shield, that have been vanquished, twice as fast, or in other words, it only takes half as long to revive them.
• Star Struck (3 upgrade points) allows the shield to knock nearby enemies away when it is deployed, meaning that enemies that are close to you are pushed away a distance, keeping the center of your shield more safe and secure. If you manage to knock your enemies away using the shield, it will have a lowered refresh time, meaning you can use your shield more often.

Unique Shield Abilities

• The shield is domed, protecting attacks from all sides..
• It is the only immobile shield in the game, however it can protect a lot of allies at once, probably the most out of a single shield.

Alpha Better Shield (Super Brainz)

The Alpha Better Shield is a shield for Super Brainz that is not an ability. It is a secondary weapon that you can automatically pull up at any time. It is a personal shield, which means it is designed to protect you while you move towards enemies, but you can also use it to somewhat protect your team, if you would like to. This shield has the unique ability where, while the shield is in use, you have a faster movement speed with the shield deployed (instead of slower), meaning you can use this shield to get to enemies more easily. However, he is unable to attack while the shield is up, so lower it when you are ready to attack enemies. It is a mobile shield and has 160 health.

Strategies

• If you want to reduce your chances of being hit while approaching enemies with your shield, jump around and try to zigzag in directions randomly as well, so your shield takes less damage.
• After you have landed a 3-punch combo, you can use your shield to quickly block some attacks, while you have to wait the short delay, before you can punch again. Then, you can rinse and repeat if you wish.
• You can try charging up an Ultra Flying Fist, then quickly use your shield after you have fired it. You can use other terrain for cover while you charge and just before you fire an Ultra Flying Fist.
• When reviving an ally, use your shield to protect yourself if there are no enemies near you. You can also use the shield to protect allies during battles, if you wish, especially if you are too far away to reach any enemies.
• If you run the Extra Special upgrade, you can fire your Super Ultra Ball with a low risk of being vanquished, because your shield automatically gets held up for you. You can do this if you think you may get vanquished.

Upgrades to Boost the Shield!

• Extra Special (1 upgrade point) allows your shield to automatically raise while in the process of firing your Super Ultra Ball. It will lower once the ability has been used. This does work even if you have the Brainium Basher 9001 upgrade, but only during this ability.

Unique Shield Abilities

• With the shield deployed, you have an increased movement speed, instead of reduced.
• If you use Extra Special, the shield is raised for you automatically when you use Super Ultra Ball!

Shogun-Guard's Shield (Kernel Corn, with Shogun-Guard Legendary Upgrade Equipped)

The Shogun-Guard's Shield is a shield for Kernel Corn that he only gains if the Shogun-Guard legendary upgrade is currently being used. It is a Legendary Upgrade that costs 5 points to equip. If the upgrade is equipped, you gain the shield and it does not count as an ability. It is a secondary weapon that you can pull up at any time. It is a personal shield, which means it is mainly designed to protect you, but you can use it to protect allies as well if you wish. The shield only has a small amount of health and it only covers the top half of your front, however it has the unique ability where you can actually attack while the shield is active, using your new Shogun-Guard primary weapon (with a shield which is not an ability). You may also use Butter Beacon and Shuck Shot while your shield is raised, but not Husk Hop. Reloading is an option while your shield is up as well, giving you some protection while you do that. It is a mobile shield and has 75 health.

Strategies

• When you activate an ability or you need to reload, quickly hold up the shield in addition to that, to protect yourself while doing those specific actions and reduce your chances of being vanquished in the process.
• You can protect allies with your shield to an extrent, if you wish. If you do, you can use your abilities (such as Butter Beacon or Shuck Shot) while you do this, to aid in getting vanquishes or revealing enemies for you and your team.
• If you revive an ally, you can attack and reload, along with holding the shield, but you cannot use your abilities during a revive. However, you can activate them just before you start reviving an ally. If you protect yourself and attack enemies while reviving, you can provide yourself with some protection, an easier revive and good team support as well.
• Because the shield only covers the top half of Kernel Corn, use terrain features to prevent the bottom half of Corn from showing at all. This way, enemies cannot attack you directly, until your shield is broken, or they must attack you from behind. If you back up into a corner, enemies should not even be able to attack you from behind.
• You can protect weaker characters, and characters in more vulnerable states such as Peashooter and Sunflower (while using Pea Gatling or Sunbeam), to make them less likely to be vanquished or flanked. You can also use your Butter Beacon to reveal where the enemies are for your ally or allies. However, this may not be amazingly practical because you and your shield has fairly low health.

Upgrades to Boost the Shield!

There are no direct upgrades to boost the shield. Practice to get better with it. 

However, you are required to use the Shogun-Guard to use the shield. You get a changed primary weapon, which has less speed and ammo, but deals more damage, alongside it. If you can use this primary weapon effectively, you can gain more benefits out of using this upgrade.

Unique Shield Abilities

• You can use your primary weapon, all abilities (except Husk Hop) and reload with your shield deployed, and all while using a mobile shield you can pull up at any time.
• It only covers the top half of Kernel Corn, instead of your whole front, but use the terrain to your advantage.

Asteroid Shield (Space Cadet Passenger)

The Asteroid Shield applies to Space Cadet passengers only and it is an ability that protects the Space Station fortress. When you use this ability, it creates a shield that protects part of the station. It only disappears and the cooldown only begins when the shield is destroyed, however if you would like to cancel it early, you can dismount off the station, then come back on immediately. Your shield will be cancelled and the cooldown will begin, but if enemies are around this may not be worthwile to do. There can be up to 3 shields on a single station at once, if there are 3 Space Cadet Passengers on the station and all of their shields are active at the same time. If your shield is in cooldown, but the Space Station uses Space Force, you will get your Asteroid Shield back very quickly, so make sure to check your shield ability cooldown often as you may be able to redeploy your shield quickly. Your shield moves around with the station and has 100 health. 

Strategies

• Use the shield when the Space Station begins to take damage, and try to block attacks in the direction that damage is coming from, as you can move the shield around while on the station.
• If you can communicate with the Space Station, see if they can use Space Force once your shield has been destroyed so you can use the shield again quickly.
• If you use your Hands-On Torpedo ability (which is another passenger ability), try and activate your shield first so you can still passively protect the station while you use it.
• If your shield has taken damage, but has not been destroyed, and there are no enemies around, you can dismount the station, then get back on, to start the cooldown for when your station and you enter a fight.
• If you use Ammo Eater, you can give yourself and others more ammo when your shield takes damage, so actively try to block damage so you can keep firing for longer without reloading. As you can attack with the shield up, make sure you do that for cover fire, to help the station you are on survive. But jump off if you think the station is going to get vanquished, because if it does and you are still a passenger, you will get vanquished as well.

Upgrades to Boost the Shield!

• Ammo Eater (2 upgrade points) allows connected Space Cadets to gain 10 ammo when blocking damage with the Asteroid Shield. Good for helping the station by providing more cover fire, essentially.

Unique Shield Abilities

• The shield lasts forever until destroyed, or cancelled, without requiring the use of leaving it held up or it only lasting a limited time.
• You can only gain this shield ability if you are a Space Cadet passenger, simply being a Space Cadet or Space Station will not work.

GENERAL SHIELD TIPS

• * of shield you have, if you use it to protect your team as much as possible, your team will have a slight advantage at taking out your enemies. Even if it is a personal shield, you can still protect allies with it if you would like to.
• You can revive using shields in order to offer protection to yourself, allies reviving along with you and allies that are behind you. While reviving your allies, if you move slightly while reviving with a shield active, you can reduce your chances of being hit further.
• If an ally seems to be heavily damaged, you can offer to shield them, in order to make sure they do not get vanquished. If they do get vanquished, you may be able to revive them, depending on the situation.
• You can use shields in order to heal yourself more easily, or allies, when they have been damaged. You can also use cover from the terrain to further aid in this, as sort of a natural shield.
• If your shield is getting heavily damaged, try not to let it break, if it is not an ability shield. Rather, try to recall it and leave it to regenerate passively for a moment. This way, the regeneration rate should be improved (as a shield takes longer to regenerate when broken, as opposed to just damaged), or you can quickly block a damaging attack if it comes your way, rather than being left defenseless and being vanquished.

CONCLUSION

Shields are very useful tools! They can protect you and your team, give your team an advantage, allow your team to take more hits from your enemies, revive fallen allies and to protect weaker characters, for instance. Shields are useful for different purposes, so if you intend to use shields, use these strategies to assist you in getting the most out of them!

Hopefully this guide to shields helps you and inspires you to use them more!

From

@TheSprinter85