Helldivers 2 offers a 3rd person perspective gameplay based on squad-based shooting, where you must fight multiple battles against alien invasion threats. To keep up with the gameplay needs, you experiment with a variety of weapons and balance out your offense and defense tactics. The Ballistic shield is a great defensive weapon that can save you from immediate and unexpected enemy attacks. This guide offers a detailed walkthrough for obtaining the Ballistic Shield in Helldivers 2 and using it to your benefit on the battlefield.
How To Get The Ballistic Shield In Helldivers 2
The Ballistic Shield in Helldivers 2 is one of the support backpack stratagems that is available to you once you are at Level 12 for 6,000 requisition slips. It can be wielded as a one-handed shield while protecting against small arms fire.
Here are the detailed instructions for obtaining the Ballistic Shield and deploying it for missions in Helldivers 2:
- Once you have reached Level 12, head over to your Ship Management Terminal.
- Proceed to open the Stratagems Tab 2.
- Now, scroll down to the Engineering Bay Subsection and there you will find the Ballistic Shield Backpack Stratagem.
- Before the mission begins select the Ballistic Shield Backpack and you are good to go.
Similar Guide: How To Get & Use BR-14 Adjudicator In Helldivers 2
How To Use The Ballistic Shield In Helldivers 2
Using the Ballistic Shield in Helldivers 2 requires a bit of getting used to. Memorizing and practicing the controls is the key for acing the wielding of this support weapon:
- PC players can call down the Ballistic Shield by using Ctrl + W A S D keys.
- As for the PS5 players, the shield can be controlled by the keys – L1/LB+D-Pad.
Once you equip the shield during battle, you will notice that it automatically switches your Primary Weapon with your Secondary Weapon. You have to carry the Ballistic shield in your off-hand so that it might not hinder you while you are using two-handed weapons.
Although every weapon in Helldivers 2 is two-handed there are limited secondary weapons that allow the use of Ballistic shields collectively:
- MP-98 Knight
- SMG-37 Defender
Advantages of Using The Ballistic Shield In Helldivers 2
The Ballistic Shield offers the following stats that need to be kept in mind for its efficient utilization:
- Call-in-Time: 5 seconds
- Cooldown Time: 300 seconds
Now that you are familiar with the basic stats of the Ballistic Shield, let’s discuss all the advantages it offers during combat:
- It protects you from small arms fire, basically, it can block anything coming from the front.
- On pressing the Aim Button, you will assume a defensive stance, which acts as covering your whole front body with a shield, just leaving your weapon arm exposed. This makes it relevant in situations where you are leading the attack.
- It can also protect you against the direct impact of an Eagle 500kg Bomb but not the ensuing explosion.
- It can also save you from an Eagle Cluster Bomb if you are on the outer edges of the blast.
More Helldivers 2 Guides For You:
- How To Get & Use AC-8 Autocannon In Helldivers 2
- How To Get And Use R-36 Eruptor In Helldivers 2
- How To Get Boosters In Helldivers 2
Disadvantages Of Using The Ballistic Shield In Helldivers 2
Being a support weapon, Ballistic Shield has many shortcomings that can leave you exposed if not taken care of. Here are all the disadvantages of the Ballistic Shield in Helldivers 2:
- A ballistic shield can only benefit if you are being attacked from the front angle. In case of attacks from multiple angles, the shield will leave you exposed and at the mercy of your enemies.
- While reloading your weapon the shield will shift aside, breaking the complete protection.
- This shield can only protect you from small to medium explosions. In case of bigger blasts, it will flung away and you will need to pick it up. Only if you have put the shield on your back, it will stay with you.
- The shield can be broken by a large explosion like an Annihilator Tank blast, but will also greatly reduce damage.
- Its use against Terminids is quite limited, as it is not effective against melee attacks.
