How do you deal with Shieldbearers? (Foundry Map)

[Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)]

Having set-up a decent group of mages, pyromancers and conjurers, along with some Pikemen to hold the line, the Shieldbearers are still absurdly difficult to kill. I've also tried using Samson III's bomb and stun-charge thing to deal a little more damage from afar, but the amount is almost negligible when I can steam-roll through hordes with my hammer. (These enemies are actually more difficult than the bosses themselves.)

[iAndy]

The easiest and fastest way that I've found by far:

Use the shotgun guy and put all points into player damage. Use the E power, and shoot them from behind and they die in about 3 seconds (depending on how many points you have). If they are facing you, just back away until they keep walking down the path (they only take physical damage from behind). It's easiest to drop in behind them so they don't see you. This might work for melee characters as well as long as you drop in behind them too, they only seem to aggro from line of sight. You can also throw the bomb (Q by default) from any angle and it will do a lot of damage to them.

As a side note I've found towers are hardly buffed by putting points into them so it's unfortunately kind of a waste.

The amount of time it takes to kill them in other ways makes me think the game needs a little balancing of those guys (or maybe a certain defense type needs to do more damage to them).

[Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)]

Originally posted by iAndy:

The easiest and fastest way that I've found by far:

Use the shotgun guy and put all points into player damage. Use the E power, and shoot them from behind and they die in about 3 seconds (depending on how many points you have). If they are facing you, just back away until they keep walking down the path (they only take damage from behind). It's easiest to drop in behind them so they don't see you. This might work for melee characters as well as long as you drop in behind them too, they only seem to aggro from line of sight.

As a side note I've found towers are hardly buffed by putting points into them so it's unfortunately kind of a waste.

The amount of time it takes to kill them in other ways makes me think the game needs a little balancing of those guys (or maybe a certain defense type needs to do more damage to them).

So far my only "strategy" is to kite around them, drawing their attention away from my ballistas, mages, sorcerers, while I go after the healers. The only problem--and I've tried maybe six times now to finish Level 5/5--is that when you run around the healers the shieldbearer may knock you off the edge.

[iAndy]

I find it better to just kill them, the healers do so little healing. The fire mage defenses seemed a little bit worthless to me. No matter where I put them and how much I upgraded them, they just never killed anything fast enough. And there's a few levels where you have to kill them pretty fast or else bad things happen.

[Lieutenant_Scrotes]

Yeah I think I'm going to stop playing the game after encountering these enemies. They make most of your towers completely ineffective and the towers they're supposed to be vulnerable to do such minimal damage you have to gimp your entire defence in order to have enough to take one out. That's while you're dancing around the enemy the whole time in order to stop them just walking to the crystal.

I enjoy tower defence games but a huge part of what I enjoy is being able to create your own solutions to a level. With these enemies you're forced into playing a particular way and it's just not fun.

Edit: Ok so I reinstalled the game after thinking up some new defence strategies while I was in the shower. I can now deal with the Shieldbearers consistently, although they are by far the toughest enemies in the game that I have yet encountered and i'm only 3 levels from the end. This game has it's flaws but I'm having fun again, a bit addicted too it seems.

[Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)]

Originally posted by Lieutenant_Scrotes:

Yeah I think I'm going to stop playing the game after encountering these enemies. They make most of your towers completely ineffective and the towers they're supposed to be vulnerable to do such minimal damage you have to gimp your entire defence in order to have enough to take one out. That's while you're dancing around the enemy the whole time in order to stop them just walking to the crystal.

I enjoy tower defence games but a huge part of what I enjoy is being able to create your own solutions to a level. With these enemies you're forced into playing a particular way and it's just not fun.

Edit: Ok so I reinstalled the game after thinking up some new defence strategies while I was in the shower. I can now deal with the Shieldbearers consistently, although they are by far the toughest enemies in the game that I have yet encountered and i'm only 3 levels from the end. This game has it's flaws but I'm having fun again, a bit addicted too it seems.

Were you able to complete these missions solo, or did you have a group? (I tried similar strategies mentioned here with one and two players, and, in the end, we still lose on the final round due to the shieldguys breaking through defenses.)

[Tamaster]

I encountered them right now on Harvest Room map. Yes, i completed the level, just 3 stars, but managed to.

My tactic was using Galterius with 40 hero damage - in 3 bomb throws one shieldbearer was down, or 2 if close enough.

You can damage them on their flank with Galt's shotgun if you shoot the right angle, it's a bit tricky but you can and that extra dps is a blessing while bomb reloads.

To endure their OP melee area damage: Pikemen health artifact 20% + maxed out pikemen + 1 maxed healer to make pikemen become BIG SPONGE and endure them enough for you to kill them

I didnt see this foundry map yet - but this will be my take with all shield bearer maps.

To be honest? These enemies are OP as f-ck and their supposed "counters" are a joke and just do not work because they get wrecked by other enemies especially ranged ones. I already feel the pain of upcoming levels.

[Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)]

Originally posted by Tamaster:

I encountered them right now on Harvest Room map. Yes, i completed the level, just 3 stars, but managed to.

My tactic was using Galterius with 40 hero damage - in 3 bomb throws one shieldbearer was down, or 2 if close enough.

You can damage them on their flank with Galt's shotgun if you shoot the right angle, it's a bit tricky but you can and that extra dps is a blessing while bomb reloads.

To endure their OP melee area damage: Pikemen health artifact 20% + maxed out pikemen + 1 maxed healer to make pikemen become BIG SPONGE and endure them enough for you to kill them

I didnt see this foundry map yet - but this will be my take with all shield bearer maps.

To be honest? These enemies are OP as f-ck and their supposed "counters" are a joke and just do not work because they get wrecked by other enemies especially ranged ones. I already feel the pain of upcoming levels.

I meant the Harvesting Room; it looked like a foundry when I recalled it based on its layout.

[Tamaster]

Originally posted by Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic):

Originally posted by Tamaster:

I encountered them right now on Harvest Room map. Yes, i completed the level, just 3 stars, but managed to.

My tactic was using Galterius with 40 hero damage - in 3 bomb throws one shieldbearer was down, or 2 if close enough.

You can damage them on their flank with Galt's shotgun if you shoot the right angle, it's a bit tricky but you can and that extra dps is a blessing while bomb reloads.

To endure their OP melee area damage: Pikemen health artifact 20% + maxed out pikemen + 1 maxed healer to make pikemen become BIG SPONGE and endure them enough for you to kill them

I didnt see this foundry map yet - but this will be my take with all shield bearer maps.

To be honest? These enemies are OP as f-ck and their supposed "counters" are a joke and just do not work because they get wrecked by other enemies especially ranged ones. I already feel the pain of upcoming levels.

I meant the Harvesting Room; it looked like a foundry when I recalled it based on its layout.

Ah okay man, try my suggestions, next map also has them but only a few, the big cancer spam is harvesting room, once you get past that the next level is better.

[Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic)]

Originally posted by Tamaster:

Originally posted by Brian (The Schmaltzy Cynic):

I meant the Harvesting Room; it looked like a foundry when I recalled it based on its layout.

Ah okay man, try my suggestions, next map also has them but only a few, the big cancer spam is harvesting room, once you get past that the next level is better.

Honestly, after all the hours I tried alone and with someone else to get through the level, going back doesn't really sound appealing at the moment.

I take issue with games that allow for multiple playstyle, yet requires one for a specific level or encounter. (I also really don't like the gunslinger character because it's constant clicking/tapping the button for each shot.) Meanwhile, one character can absolutely kill bosses in five hammer swings (or less) with no problem, and his dynamite bomb is nowhere near as useful.

If there was a buff for all characters to deal magic-based attacks for a short time, then I don't think I would have any real issue with these imbalances. At least then I could use that ability wisely to turn about instances like Wave 5. (I did away with Pikemen and used a lot of mages and balistas to hold the line while running back and forth luring the Shieldbearers away.)