Ever wanted to take a barrage of missiles to the face and keep on standing? If that’s what you want, you’re going to need a shield. Shields are the main form of defense in borderlands 3. It can be said that most builds rely on it. So let’s look at the top 5 best ways to stay alive in borderlands 3.
5. Old God
The area Negul Nershai is supposed to translate to "soul obliteration" and "a soul tortured in hate gravy".
The old god is not exactly a standout shield with a super special effect. But it’s not to be discounted. It does a good job of keeping the wearer alive as well as providing a noticeable boost towards damage output. The old god is a pretty good shield for elemental builds and an okay shield for any other builds.
Manufacturer: Hyperion
The old god is a reference to the Great Old Gods from Chthonic mythos. They were a powerful pantheon of deities who once ruled the earth but have since fallen asleep. This fits in with the Chthonic theme of DLC 2.
Old God Stats
- Legendary
- Fairly High Capacity
- Average Recharge Delay and Recharge Rate
- The end comes from within. - Deal 20% increased damage to the element it is resistant to. 25% damage reduction against all elements.
- Overall Decent Shield
- Contributes towards elemental damage
- World drop in DLC 2
- Empowered Grawn located in Negul Neshai on Xylourgos.
4. Big Boom Blaster
This shield works well for grenade regeneration and ammo regeneration, but it can't drop a booster more than once every second, that being said, if you apply a status effect like fire to yourself it should work well to regen ammo.
This is a great shield for anyone going for an explosive build. It also drops boosters which help to restore shields. I wasn’t as much of a fan of boosters in bl2, seeing as you had to manually pick up the boosters, but now that they automatically pick up like ammo in bl3, I would highly recommend this shield.
Manufacturer: Pangolin
The big boom blaster is a recurring shield from bl2, but instead of it being a seraph Torgue shield, it’s a legendary pangolin shield. So thankfully, you won’t need to do seraph raids with your friends for this shield.
Big Boom Blaster Stats
- Legendary
- Average Capacity, recharge rate, and recharge delay
- For all your big boom blasting needs! - Has a chance to drop a booster that restores shields, a grenade, and ammo.
- Sustainable when dropping boosters
- Gives free grenade and heavy ammo
- World Drop
- The Unstoppable located in Ambermire on Eden-6.
3. Recharger
Something important you need to know is that you can't use a loaded dice or deathless artifact with this shield, as you have to take some health damage for the recharging effect to activate.
The recharger shield is a great shield for any build. Its special effect is very useful for any vault hunter. Even if you aren’t running a build that focuses on shield regen or maintain, it works just fine. So make sure to pick one up if you get the chance.
Manufacturer: Hyperion
The special effect for this shield is a common phrase but is also speculated to be a reference to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode titled, Once More With Feeling.
Recharger Stats
- Legendary
- Good Capacity and Recharge Rate
- Average Recharge Delay
- Once more, with feeling. - No recharge delay when depleted. This ability will have a fixed cooldown of 20 seconds. Increased recharge delay.
- Effectively has double the capacity
- Works well if you find yourself taking a lot of damage
- World Drop
2.Stop-Gap
The stop-gap can, however, work with a deathless or loaded dice artifact because even if you would take health damage, you are given invulnerability for 5 seconds. That being said, if you do take damage after those 5 seconds, you're sol.
The stop-gap is like an upgraded version of the recharger. Instead of instantly filling the shields on depletion, however, something else happens. You’ll have to stick around to find out what. The shield is also very easy to farm and if you’re playing through the campaign, you should run into it naturally.
Manufacturer: Hyperion
This shield’s flavor text is a reference to a Terry Pratchet novel titled The Last Continent.
Stop Gap Stats
- Legendary
- Good Capacity
- Average Recharge Rate and Recharge Delay
- The process is called "living". – When depleted, the character is immune to damage for 5 seconds. Always has a recharge delay of 5.5 seconds or longer.
- Works well with shield regen abilities
- 5 seconds of immunity is enough to take cover and get back in the fight
- World Drop
- El Dragón Jr. located in Jakobs Estate on Eden-6.
1. Transformer
Lots of people prefer to use the transformer and a Maliwan splash weapon that does shock damage, the two pair really well.
The Transformer is a fan favorite shield in the bl3 community, it works very well for most if not all builds. It also isn’t too hard to farm and get. You’ll most likely get one by accident. It’s easily M10 viable for all builds. Making it the best shield overall.
Manufacturer: Hyperion
On top of being a returning shield from bl2, the special effect text on the transformer is a reference to the old Transformers tv show.
Transformer Stats
- Legendary
- Good Capacity
- Average Recharge Rate and Recharge Delay
- There's more than your eye can see - 100% shock damage to shield-charge conversion, and 40% projectile absorption. All parts are fixed.
- Good all-around shield for any build to use
- The special effect is good for shock splash weapon users
- World Drop
- Killavolt located in Lectra City on Promethea.
- It’s Alive Mission reward in Desolation’s Edge on Promethea
Also Be Sure To Read:
- Borderlands 3 Best Weapons and How To Get Them
- Top 5 Borderlands 3 Best Assault Rifles and How To Get Them
- Top 5 Borderlands 3 Best Shields and How to Get Them
- Top 10 Borderlands 3 Best Artifacts and How To Get Them
- Top 5 Borderlands 3 Best Grenades and How to Get Them
- Top 10 Borderlands 3 Best Anointments
- Borderlands 3 Best Farm Spots (Legendaries, XP, Eridium)
