Defiance Shields Guide

Defiance Shields Guide by JxSiN

First Off: I wanted to get this guide up and running quickly, so it is a work in progress. If I could have you guys’ help to fill in the missing numbers, that would be great. I have some numbers written down, but am unsure of them so if I can get verification on the stats from you all, they will be posted.

Second: I am going to try to make this as least confusing as possible. I always confuse myself when talking about shields. I will break it down as best I can, so lets start:

Capacity Notes: I am not listing capacity on shields. The reason is, the higher the shield’s ego, the higher the capacity. Low cap shields only see a small difference when there is a thousand ego difference, but high cap shields may see hundreds more in capacity.

Shield Class
As of now, there are 6 shield classes (8 really, but not including the 2 non-trade mission related shields). As mentioned in the Capacity Notes, I am not listing capacity, but rather indicating if the shield is low, mid, or high. Also, these are base stats…. certain factors can change. I’ll get more into that in the Quality section. The number in parenthesis is the number of seconds (rounded) from empty shield to full.

Hurricane: Low Cap/ 6 delay/ 70% recharge (7.4)
Ironclad: High Cap/ 6 delay/ 10% recharge (16)
Rebel: Mid Cap/ 3 delay/ 10% recharge (13)
Respark: Low Cap/ 3 delay/ 40% recharge (5.5)
Rhino: High Cap/ 9.6 delay/ 40% recharge (12.1)
Tachyon: Mid Cap/ 9.6 delay/ 70% recharge (11)

As you can see, shields are give and take. For faster delays, you sacrifice higher caps, for a high cap/ mid delay, you sacrifice recharge (thus adding to the seconds it takes to get to full shield)

Quality:

Here is where it is going to get a tad confusing. Each shield has a quality level dictated by a roman numeral (I, II, III, IV, V). These can indicate 2 (two) things. First, if the item does not have a SUB-CLASS, then the higher quality affects a certain stat on the shield. If the item does have a SUB-CLASS, it affects the starting level of that sub-class (D, DX, EX, ARK). Here’s a tricky one… you can combine the two things. YIKES! An item can start with a certain subclass and be a higher quality (thus affecting a stat). Confused? So an item can have a HIGHER quality, yet have a lower Sub-Class and that will give the shield the benefits of a higher quality stat PLUS the lower benefit of a subclass. Jeez, I’m confused now.

So let’s look at quality. If the item DOES NOT have a subclass, the higher the quality, a certain stat is affected (lowered, raised, whatever… it’s not base-line). Here is a breakdown of shield stat effects:

Capacity: The higher the quality, the extra boost is in the capacity. So a quality II shield vs. a quality V shield of THE SAME EGO when put side by side will definitely show the quality V shield will have a larger capacity. Shields Affected by Capacity: Ironclad and Rhino

Delay: The higher the quality, the lower the delay. Putting a quality II vs. a quality V will definitely show the quality 2 having a quicker delay (note: fastest is a rebel V at 2.4). Shields Affected: Rebel and Respark

Recharge: The higher the quality, the higher the percent recharged per second. You get the idea on the vs. by now. Shields Affected: Hurricane and Tachyon.

OK, so what if the shield has a SUB-CLASS? The Quality of a shield Determines the STARTING level of that subclass. For example, a quality I shield will never have a sub-class. A quality II shield can have a Sub-Class of D, but never a DX or higher. Here is a basic chart of QUALITY and HIGHEST SUB-CLASS LEVEL:

I none
II D
III DX
IV EX
V EX (or ARK)

But wait, JxSiN, I have a Blah-Blah IV shield with Nah-Nah DX. Yes, it is possible for a shield of a higher quality to have a lower sub-class level. So what are the advantages of that? It goes back to the shield stats (one of the stats is affected).

For example: A Rhino Berserker IV EX will have the baseline stats (EX is the highest level for a quality IV shield– not including ARK). However, you can have a Rhino Berserker IV DX (lowering the level down to dx). So why is it a IV and not a 3? Check the capacity compared the Rhino IV EX of the same EGO. It is higher. So, sacrifice Sub-Class level and you can enhance the affected stat. So a Respark Nah-Nah IV D will always have a faster delay than the same ego Respark Nah-Nah IV EX, or DX. Still confused? I hope not. So let’s get into Sub-Classes:

Sub-Classes

Here they are. This is where I need help from you guys as well. The numbers in parenthesis indicate that I am not 100% sure of the stat. You will notice 4 %’s numbers after each sub-class. Those indicate the level of the sub-class. They go D, DX, EX, ARK. Once I confirm a certain % based on level, I will remove the parenthesis. Please Note: Certain sub-classes only come in certain levels. ARK shields are a good example of this, as some shields do not come in anything but an ARK variant. Same goes for the Rearm. I have only ever seen an EX Rearm. Also note, this list is NOT complete. I do not have a list of every ARK shield. So if anyone can add to that, please do.

Berserker: + xx% Fire Rate on shield break — 5% 10% (20%)
Blastproof: Take xx% less damage from your explosives 10% 20% 30% (40%)
Blockade: Take xx% less damage from vehicles (5%) 10% 20% 30%
Booster*: +xx% to HP — — — 10%
Brawler: +xx% Melee Damage when shield is down — (5%) 10% (20%)
Bullseye: +xx% Crit Mult when shield is down — — 5% 10%
Charger: Take xx% less damage while recharging — 4% 8% 12%
Contender: +xx% Melee Damage after shield recharges 5% 10% 15% (20%)
Energizer: +xx% EGO recharge on shield break — — — 10%
Fortifier: Take xx% less damage while standing still — 4% 6% 9%
Grenadier: xx% Grenade refresh when shield breaks. Cooldown 5 seconds — 5% (10%) 15%
Guardian: Take xx% less damage when shields are full — — — 5%
Rearm: xx% ammo regen when shield breaks. Cooldown: 5 seconds. — — 1% 2%
Regenerator: +xx% HP regeneration 25% 50% 75% 100%
Reloader: +xx% Reload when shield down 5% 10% 15% (20%)
Survivor: +xx% Self-Revive on shield break — — — 20%

The sub-classes in orange indicate ARK only.

*Someone filled me in on how the Booster works (since I don’t have one to check it out). It is a constant 10% health boost while NOT being attacked (taking damage). Just like the 3% regen perk that is in the matrix. The difference between this and a Regen shield is that the regen shield needs to be full before the regen kicks in, yet the Booster is constant (as long as you aren’t taking damage). Special thanks to Bar6arian for testing, confirming, and supplying this info

Damage Type Resistance:

Another factor is Damage Type Resistance. Adding a damage type resistance into the equation also can up the rarity, but counts against the opportunity for enhanced stats (kind of like adding a sub-class). So, to compare:

Take 3 rhino shields, all the same ego and rarity.
The rhino with no damage type resistance and no sub-class will have the highest Capacity
The rhino with a sub-class and no resistance OR a rhino with a resistance and no sub-class will be in the middle as far as capacity
The rhino with both a resistance and a sub-class will have the lowest capacity of the 3.

So what makes an Orange Shield (or any rarity really). It is determined by Quality, by Sub-Class Level, Damage Type Resistance or by a combination of the three.

In closing:

This guide is by no means complete, and I hope everyone can contribute. I need to knock out those parentheses on the sub-class levels, so I need concrete info on those, please.

Also, I want to add which sub-class/shield type combos work best. For example: HP Regeneration only kicks in when the shield is full, therefor it is better suited to a shield with a faster 0-full speed than say an Ironclad with a 16 second 0-full. Some, such as Energizer, have their ability kick in ON SHIELD BREAK, so having a lower cap shield, OR having a lower ego high cap shield, is more beneficial.

OK Guys, there is the start on the Shield Guide. Comments, Concerns, Assistance, Feedback, Tacos?