Directional shield vs Omni shield (or Ballistic)

[Axis of Lint]

Is there any real use for the directional shield outside of exploiting the stim bug on emplacements and mechs?

I understand that theoretically you can have someone next to you firing through the shield as well but I've literally never had this kind of exceptional niche edge case happen in my favour in testing it out and I have no desire to waste a slot for this backpack when I'm dropping.

If there's something I'm missing that makes this particularly useful, please do tell.

Edit - As people have pointed out, the ballistic shield is a better comparison, so please, feel free to compare those also.

[Mosey]

Nah, it's pretty poor in general. Just bring the bubble.

[Foxador]

You're comparing it to the wrong item is what I'd say that you're missing. The directional shield and shield pack (which I assume you mean by omni shield) are not competing for the same things.

The shield pack can be used with any weapon and it's always on no matter what
The directional shield can only be used with one handed weapon and is only on when you're aiming down sights or bracing your melee weapon

The best thing to compare the directional shield to is the ballistic shield

[Axis of Lint]

Originally posted by Foxador:

You're comparing it to the wrong item is what I'd say that you're missing. The directional shield and shield pack (which I assume you mean by omni shield) are not competing for the same things.

The shield pack can be used with any weapon and it's always on no matter what
The directional shield can only be used with one handed weapon and is always on when you're aiming down sights or bracing your melee weapon

The best thing to compare the directional shield to is the ballistic shield

Okay, but why would I want to take either the directional or ballistic if I could take the omni?

I haven't used any of them in a long time so I'm genuinely curious, they seem pretty useless.

[Dr. Lousy Shot]

Just to be sure here. The directional shield doesn't block melee like the bubble shield right? There really isn't much to use for the directional shield. other than maybe having wider coverage than the riot shield so all your side are covered better.

[Random Person]

Originally posted by Axis of Lint:

Originally posted by Foxador:

You're comparing it to the wrong item is what I'd say that you're missing. The directional shield and shield pack (which I assume you mean by omni shield) are not competing for the same things.

The shield pack can be used with any weapon and it's always on no matter what
The directional shield can only be used with one handed weapon and is always on when you're aiming down sights or bracing your melee weapon

The best thing to compare the directional shield to is the ballistic shield

Okay, but why would I want to take either the directional or ballistic if I could take the omni?

I haven't used any of them in a long time so I'm genuinely curious, they seem pretty useless.

The ballistic shield can block small arms fire without taking damage while neither of the energy shields can, so that at least gives it its ow niche. I think the issue with the directional energy shield is it basically has the downsides of both of its competitors.

[Foxador]

Originally posted by Axis of Lint:

Okay, but why would I want to take either the directional or ballistic if I could take the omni?

I haven't used any of them in a long time so I'm genuinely curious, they seem pretty useless.

Directional shield lets you protect sentry turrets and team mates as they can all stand behind you and get covered by it. That really seems to be the main draw behind it

Ballistic shield blocks melee attacks, acid spit like from bile spewers or titans, harvester lasers and bullets/lasers of course. It has a health bar but it has a decent amount of health tho explosions and explosives like rockets are it's weakness. It also doesn't need to be "aimed" to be effective like the directional shield as it's always active, even when it's on your back. While it's on your back you're almost immune to shots from behind and it will stop melee attacks that hit it. While you're holding a one handed weapon, but not aiming, you hold it off to your left which gives you protection from that side even if you don't raise your shield

You are however limited to the very few one handed weapons in the game to use it. So that's 4 SMG's and the crossbow for primary weapons

Also unlike the bubble shield you're only protected from like 90 (arbitrary) degrees in the front. So not total protection like the bubble shield. But it does last way longer and protects from way more things

Originally posted by Dr. Lousy Shot:

Just to be sure here. The directional shield doesn't block melee like the bubble shield right?

No it doesn't

[Oobaneko]

Imho, it should be twice or triple sturdier than bubble, recharge while off, can be used on manned turrets. Then it can become mobile cover for other helldivers.

[Midas]

It's unfortunately pretty bad. There's no good reason to take it over the ballistic shield.

They should make you immune to stagger/ragdoll from hits that hit the shield, so that it can at least be the anti-rocket shield.

[Adhock]

Originally posted by Axis of Lint:

I understand that theoretically you can have someone next to you firing through the shield as well but I've literally never had this kind of exceptional niche edge case happen in my favour in testing it out and I have no desire to waste a slot for this backpack when I'm dropping.

That's pretty much it. The point of the directional shield is for you to act as the anchor and protection for a firing line for your fellow helldivers to line up on and throw out devastating hail of lead down range while protecting them from return fire.

This really only makes it good against bots as a faction while overseers are the only Illuminate it protects against, Jetpack overseers in particular.

It doesn't protect in melee so it's useless against the bugs.

For coordinated squads, it's a force multiplier that can turn the tides of a conflict as little can survive a solid firing line.

But since everyone has 'main character syndrome' and refuses to actually rely on others or actually cooperate (see people constantly running away instead of team reloading), the stratgem feels useless because it requires cooperative play that was planned but doesn't actually exist.

So long as people act in a selfish 'main character' manner and refuse to cooperate, the personal shield pack will be considered the 'gold standard'.

Fitting really.

[Axis of Lint]

I did wonder at some point if it would be better if it took up your secondary weapon slot but have it be usable with all weapons (not just 1 hand weapons).

[Axis of Lint]

Originally posted by Adhock:

But since everyone has 'main character syndrome' and refuses to actually rely on others or actually cooperate (see people constantly running away instead of team reloading), the stratgem feels useless because it requires cooperative play that was planned but doesn't actually exist.

So long as people act in a selfish 'main character' manner and refuse to cooperate, the personal shield pack will be considered the 'gold standard'.

Fitting really.

I don't think that's really a fair criticism of most players. When you're playing on harder difficulties you can't really just all stand in one place firing at things. You've got things like bile spewers, grenades from illuminate overseers and rocket spam from bots to contend with - it's nigh impossible to keep a coordinated group together at that point and it's honestly much better 99% of the time to be in a looser group to split and cross fire instead.

[Foxador]

Originally posted by Axis of Lint:

I did wonder at some point if it would be better if it took up your secondary weapon slot but have it be usable with all weapons (not just 1 hand weapons).

If you could have a shield in your secondary slot with zero downside everyone would use it

[Squirt Games]

Originally posted by Foxador:

You're comparing it to the wrong item is what I'd say that you're missing. The directional shield and shield pack (which I assume you mean by omni shield) are not competing for the same things.

The shield pack can be used with any weapon and it's always on no matter what
The directional shield can only be used with one handed weapon and is only on when you're aiming down sights or bracing your melee weapon

The best thing to compare the directional shield to is the ballistic shield

in which the ballistic shield is just better because it blocks ranged and melee hits. The directional shield has room for your buddies but my buddies have never taken advantage of that so it's all in all a pretty mediocre item. If they want to make it more useful they need to make it useable with everything, the directional shield in HD1 could be used with a primary, this change is very confusing on their part

[Axis of Lint]

Originally posted by Foxador:

Originally posted by Axis of Lint:

I did wonder at some point if it would be better if it took up your secondary weapon slot but have it be usable with all weapons (not just 1 hand weapons).

If you could have a shield in your secondary slot with zero downside everyone would use it

Well no, because you give up the utility of something like the grenade pistol. It's a trade off. I'd certainly value the usefulness of the GP or the ultimatum over a shield.

[Foxador]

When I was using the ballistic shield I would normally use a catch all build

So I'd use the pummeler for my primary weapon as it can stun and it's only slightly less damage than the defender
Secondary I would use, for bots, the Senator or verdict. This lets me deal with striders and caff with the senator just being a stronger version of that with the chance to kill hulks
Throwable I'd use thermite so I could bust heavies

Support weapon of your choice
I used to use the AMR or HMG

Maybe not "the best" but it could handle almost everything depending on what your support weapon is. Or you could use the super OP crossbow but I'm getting bored of it