Shields offer an additional gauge on top of your Health Bar in Borderlands 2. Shields break if they absorbed too much damage, however, they have the ability to recharge after a short cooldown.
Shields are commonly weaker against Shock Damage unless you have a shield with elemental resistance like the Legendary Transformer Shield.
Borderlands 2 Attributes
| Shield Attribute | What it means |
|---|---|
| Capacity | How much damage points it can absorb before it breaks. |
| Recharge Rate | How many points it recharges per second |
| Recharge Delay | How long you need to wait until the shield starts filling up again. |
Borderlands 2 Shield Types
| Shield Type | Effect |
|---|---|
| Absorb | Chance to absorb bullets that hit the shield. Damage is negated and the bullet is added to the character’s stock. |
| Adaptive | Increases maximum health. Temporary resistance to elemental damage based on the last type taken. |
| Booster | Chance to drop shield booster when hit. |
| Amplify | Partially drains your shield, if it is fully charged, to amplify your first shot. |
| Elemental Nova | Elemental area damage when depleted; must fully recharge between novas. May reduce or negate corresponding elemental damage (burn, corrode, shock). |
| Elemental Spike | Melee attackers take elemental damage when hitting the shield. May reduce or negate corresponding elemental damage (burn, corrode, shock). |
| Explosive Nova | Explosive area damage when depleted; must fully recharge between novas. May reduce or negate explosive damage. |
| Explosive Spike | Melee attackers take explosive damage when hitting the shield. May reduce or negate explosive damage. |
| Roid | Bonus melee damage while depleted. |
| Shield | Lower capacity, higher recharge rates, shorter recharge delays. |
| Turtle | Significantly increased shield capacity, but lowers maximum health. |
