What shields work well with both Gaige and DT?

Borderlands 2 Gaige the Mechromancer
#1

General answers are appreciated, but I recognize this issue is heavily influenced by one’s playstyle and skillset.

I’m trying to think of a good shield for Sharing is Caring, that works well for both characters so I don’t have to menu every time I summon.
DT gets up close for melee, so he’d probably like a nova or roid shield.
But that is not at all how I’m playing. I’m not taking anything in the OC tree for a good while if at all, meaning no Anarchy, no Discord looping, no BSS. I’m trying to stay in midrange, cover when things get hot, maybe toss a transfusion if I’m desperate. I won’t get a whole lot of use out of a nova or roid shield.
So I’m thinking maybe an absorb or turtle shield, but absorb is more of a counter to specific enemies than an all-purpose shield, and I don’t know if DT would appreciate the health hit from a turtle.

What are your thoughts? I’d prefer suggestions of shields without red text, so they don’t obsolete when I level, but I’m open to other ideas.

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#2

A non-red-text shield question for Gaige without BSS… that’s new.

Are you getting Unstoppable Force? A shock spike shield (if you’re also going down the Little Big Trouble tree) is one of my favorites, and works well with this if you can get a kill up.

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#3

Unless the bug is fixed where the health penalty applies twice for using Pangolin with SiC, it’ll be out of the question too. If it is fixed, you can’t go wrong with those. If not I will second @Adabiviak’s suggestion.

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#4

What’s good about spike shields? I guess they could catch most things an absorb doesn’t, but on their own, both seem too situational. Maybe I should keep one of each?

I don’t see what the plan for spike+Unstoppable Force is. Am I supposed to let an enemy kill itself so I can rush to cover and regen?

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#5

I used to go with a purple shock spike shield. Baddies get zapped when they try to melee DT back, and usually I had Gaige up close and personal too, especially with critters, so they would get zapped upon meleeing Gaige.

But the Hide of Terramorphous is my favorite shield when I don’t wanna menu-in and switch all the time. Roid + spike + nova, it’s all good.

Nowadays I almost always use a roid shield because of the insane melee bonus damage DT gets with a roid shield + Make It Sparkle. Until I can farm up a level 80 Hide, I’m using a Punchee. It regenerates quickly, but it helps with DT’s survivability until he gets into melee range of gun-toting enemies. If the Punchee didn’t exist I’d probably just be using a good purple roid shield. A pure roid shield isn’t as useful on Gaige herself (Hide is better because of the nova and spike properties) but that crazy DT damage makes up for it.

Edit: I know you’d rather have non-red-text ideas, but the Black Hole is good too. Synergizes very well with Gaige; it zaps, pulls baddies closer in to both DT and Gaige, and BSS immediately refills it so the next nova blast is ‘recharged’. Edit Edit: @jefe beat me lol. :smiley:

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#6

The Black Hole is another great one. My default. Singularities popping off and BSS recharging again for another pop.

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#7

Ding ding ding, my winner right here. Without BSS (as OP doesn’t have it yet, but I assume it’s in the plan) it’s a one time use for Gaige, but it’s a good one time use because it staggers the idiot that got too close allowing for a hasty retreat. Assuming BSS eventually, does DT get that benefit? I think not, but I’d like to be wrong on this one. @MidnightNova, please tell me I’m wrong.

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#8

BSS only applies to Gaige I’m afraid. DT cant afford the health loss anyway.

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#9

That’s what I thought. I’d never seen more than one nova, but I figured I could be not seeing it because I was too busy proccong Shock and Aaaaggggh with with trusty Jakobs shotguns. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

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#10

You might be best off with a roid shield, even if it seems useless. DT certainly appreciates the extra damage, and it applies all the time while your shield is down making melee a useful safety button.
The main issue is without BSS I just don’t see nova/amp being useful because you’ll probably only see it do what it’s supposed to once per fight. Absorb/Tediore/booster meanwhile don’t offer much help outside of niche situations, especially when you want to eschew the red text versions that are vastly superior.
I’d say it comes down to roid, adaptive, and spike.

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#11

I’ve just had a thought. I know you want to stay away from red text, but have you considered trying a WTF? (Only in solo play. In coop you’d be pilloried by your teammates for putting that monster on the field.)Hear me out before you let the laughter consume you. As far as red text goes this is the sort of gear that shows up far more often than anyone (besides me and maybe a few other crazy individuals around these parts) generally wants. It can have a decent capacity and recharge rate, if you’re not specced for Buck Up then DT will more than likely be far enough away to keep you safe, and if it spews a few boosters before DT’s breaks for the rest of the engagement then it will sow a fair amount of chaos around him. Plus if you’re keeping your distance and sniping into the fray any boosters that your shield spawns will go in the direction of the enemies that are targeting you. It’s probably a fairly high risk strategy because you can’t recall DT and afterward he tends to heel pretty well, but if it works at all it could work incredibly.

But if you’re just not using any red text at all this statement is really accurate.

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#12

Booster shields are a good option if you dont have BSS or is playing coop.
Spikes are good too because DT is going to get in melee range and is not a one time per fully recharge like the nova.

Adaptive is the best option for survivability thou.

But Roid shields take most from SiC by far. The damage increase is crazy, even if it doesnt do a lot for Gaige herself.

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#13

Thanks for all the responses! The reason I didn’t want red text suggestions so much is because to my knowledge, (with a few exceptions) using specific red text gear isn’t a viable long-term strategy until endgame, since the gear will just obsolete as I level and progress. That said, I do appreciate the suggestions and I’ll certainly try them out for as long as I can reasonably use them.

I still don’t understand why Spike shields are much better than Absorb shields. They both counter certain types of enemy while doing little against others. DT will get in melee range, but that doesn’t mean the gunners will melee him, right?

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#14

It’s simple really. Bandits shoot bullets and hit you with melee. Loaders shoot bullets and hit you with melee if you get close enough to them. Creatures almost only use melee. There are very few situations where getting punched in the face isn’t a possibility

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#15

Oh. That actually makes a lot of sense. And I just realized: even if I try to stay in midrange and either kill or run away from melee enemies, they’ll still sometimes get me and they’ll definitely get DT.
Well thanks for explaining.

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#16

Spike shields are, needless to say, made to handle melee type enemies (Stalkers, Skags, Psychos, that sort of thing). When they hit you, they take damage, but your shield does too. If Unstoppable Force is up (especially with a healthy 10 or 11 points therein), it will power through these relentless attacks. Wormhole Threshers got you in their grasp? Get a kill, slag 'em, and let them beat themselves to death on your shield (Unstoppable Force will help it tank through the damage).

I know you said no red text gear, but for the shields everyone’s listing here, they’re the way to go. For my non-Anarchy Mechromancer, she still puts a point in Anarchy:

  • Four points in Smaller Lighter Faster works because the mag size nerf isn’t bad, and it’s one of Gaige’s only reload speed enhancements.
  • For a single point in Anarchy, you open up the rest of the tree. Robot Rampage is arguably one of Deathtrap’s most devastating attacks, and Blood Soaked Shields is awesome for offensive shield play. Then, for another single point, you get Discord. As long as you’re ignoring Anarchy, Discord at least turns the few stacks you get into health and some other buffs (as opposed to reloading it away).
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#17

My Favorites are as follows
#1: Black Hole
#2: Hide of Terramophis,
#3: Antagonist
#4: Flame of the Firehawk
#5: Evolution
I use each in different scenarios based on what enemies I’m facing. I would recommend having a Nova shield for when Deathtrap will be actively fighting with melee.
Black Hole adds a ton of survivability for both of you as you can abuse some of here shield skills to get repeat singularities and novas.
Hide is good for Armored targets or anything beefy that he will actually melee. The nova will obliterate anything fleshy without a shield aswell.
The Antagonist is for when Deathtrap decides he is not going to use melee and the enemy and you yourself want the bullet reflection for some reason or another. Mainly I use it in the peak for some specific encounters like Assassins when they have Hyperion turrets and DT wants to slak off.
Flame of the Firehawk is amazing in compact areas of the game while your leveling up. Hide of terra and Black hole are better imo but harder to get your hands on. The shield is still amusing to use now and then.
Lastly I use the Evolution for most Raid Bosses. It gives you an insane amount of HP and you can stack health regen to make your a better tank then Salvador.
Those are my top picks and why I use them. Everyone has there own style of play so I would recommend testing and trying out different shields to see what works for you.

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#18

I quite agree with you. These are the best options.