The Impaler is a Legendary Weapon in Borderlands 2. This Maliwan Shield comes with a retaliate feature. Just like a normal spike shield, the Impaler will do spike damage to melee attackers. Additionally to that, whenever an enemy damages you with bullets, your shield will shoot out corrosive projectiles that home in on your enemy.
Element:
Corrosive
Special Weapon Effects:
Vlad would be proud.
Launches corrosive homing spikes when damaged with bullets, and deals corrosive spike damage to melee attackers.
How to get the Impaler?:
- You can get the Impaler randomly from any suitable loot source but has an increased chance to drop from The Warrior located in Vault of the Warrior. It also has an increased drop chance from the Handsome Sorcerer located in Dragon Keep.
Notes:
- Spikes only launch in response to hits from bullets. Bullymong thrown projectiles, energy blasts from turrets, rockets, grenades, thresher or stalker ranged attacks, and skag vomit will not trigger a spike.
- The spike has a low projectile velocity, a broad turning radius, and travels initially in a slight arc directly toward the target. If the target is too close, the spike may fail to track it, traveling fruitlessly in a broad circle until it exhausts its range. Hardcover in front of the target will also block the spike. If a closer target presents itself during the spike’s arc, the spike may change course to track that alternate target instead.
- Kills made by launched spikes don’t count towards the “Game of Thorns” challenge.
- Launched spikes (but not melee spikes) deal elemental splash damage and are buffed by grenade damage bonuses. Kills with launched spikes will trigger Blood Bath.
- A launched spike that detonates at close range can damage the wearer of the shield. This may happen when the shield is struck by a bullet while the wearer is engaging a melee opponent.
- The Impaler can spawn with a Maliwan capacitor, granting the “Alkaline” prefix and corrosive immunity to its wearer. It cannot spawn with resistance against any other element.
- Bullets fired by the wearer, but deflected back by enemy armor (e.g. Helmets or Nomad Shields) to hit the wearer, will still trigger the launched spikes, as it counts as bullet damage.
Trivia:
- The launched spikes are identical to the ones launched by a Necrophage.
- The red text is a reference to Vlad the Impaler, the ruler of Wallachia, who killed enemies and impaled them on spikes.
