Shield Rework: Utlility/Customization over EHP

[DrBorris]

Shield gating is apparently pretty high up on the chopping block, so now seems like a great time to throw an opinion into the mix that isn’t just “Give shields armor”.

Shields suck (in mid-end game), we all know this, but a straight buff to shields to make them a competitor with Health is NOT what should be done. Shields should be different, playing a frame heavily modded into shields should feel very different from playing a frame heavily modded into health.

 

Disclaimer: All numbers proposed are obviously not final, but rather base suggestions. I am sure there is something I glanced over that somehow makes something OP or UP, please do not discredit the core idea of the thread (Utility over EHP and buffing shields through customization) just because one of the proposed changes is broken.

 

Rather than paragraphs, I am just going to list changes off…

Base changes:

• Warframes now use proto-shields.
• Make shield recharge rate and recharge delay visible stats.
• Innate shield gate for every 500 shields (and a gate at 0 shield). Make this a visible stat. Shield value for gating counts down from max.
• Shields block all elemental/physical procs besides Impact, Blast, Magnetic, Viral, Toxin and Gas. This also applies to enemies.
• Overshields block all procs besides Impact and Blast. Enemies get this as well.
• Overshields have their own shield gate past your max shields (count up from max), shield gates for Overshields are the same value as traditional shields.

 

If you want more details on how I envision shield gates…

The Shield Gate is a static amount based on your Warframe’s max shields that is determined by counting down from max. For example, if you have 1000 Shields you will have a shield gate at 500 remaining shields and 0 shields. If you have 700 shields you would have a shield gate at 200 and 0 shields. And if you had 1100 max shields you would have a gate at 600, 100, and 0 shields.

Again, this number is static and based on your max shield amount. So if you have 1000 shields and take 200 damage you will be left with 800 shields. But if you ten took 600 damage your shield gate at 500 would kick in so you would be left only taking 300 damage, leaving you at 500 shields.

As soon as you have one point of oversheild you will gain a gate at what your max shields (without overshields) would be. So if you have a base of 800 shields and then have 1 point of overshield (801 total shields) you will have a shield gate at 800, 300, and 0. Further shield gates for overshields count up. So if you have 800 normal shielding and 600 overshields (1400 total) you will have a shield gate at 1300, 800, 300 and 0.

 Just one more time to reiterate. Shield gates count down from max shields for traditional shielding and count up from max shields for overshields (with an additional gate at 0 shields and a gate at max shields for overshielding).

 

Mods (oh, they shall be a-plenty)

Basic Mods:

• Fast Deflection: Buffed to a 10-rank mod (180% at max rank).
• New Mod: Reduces Shield delay by 150% (5 rank), Calculated by Recharge Delay = 3/(1+mod)
• New Mod: Nightmare mod that increases recharge rate by 90% and reduces recharge delay by 75% (5 rank)
• New Mod: Reduce Shield gate by 150% (10 rank), Calculated by Shield Gate Threshold = 500/(1+mod)

Not-so-basic Mods:

• New Mod: 25% chance to completely ignore damage (3 rank)
• New Mod(s): Upon full shield depletion, deals 5x total capacity of shields to enemies in a 15 meter radius (damage falls off over range, 50% at 15 meters) with a 100% proc chance. A different mod for every elemental (base elements are uncommon, dual elementals are rare). Shields need to recharge back to full in order to explode again. (5 ranks)
• New Mod*: Improved movement relative to currently available shields, 5% more movement speed per 100 point of shield (50% at 1000 shields). (5 rank)
• New Mod*: When shields are at max, you regen (Max Shields)/100 health per second.
• New Mod*: Improved casting speed relative to current shields, +50% when shields are full (+25% if shields are at half, etcetera).
• New Mod: Increased ability range relative to currently available shields. 3% per 100 shields.
• New Mod*: Using an ability causes you shields to start recharging.
• New Mod: Gain 1 energy for every 8 points of shields recharged (Rage for Shields).
• New Mod*: Killing an enemy starts shield recharge.
• New Mod: Upon taking fatal damage replenish 10% of total shields and 2 health and immediately begin shield recharge. Shields must recharge to full in order to save you again.

An asterisk* means that it is an exilus mod. Also, if something is ever relative to currently available shields overshields are NOT calculated into it.

 

This is obviously more mods than anyone would (or could) put on one build, but that is kind of the point. Modding into shields may end up being more mod-intensive, but the rewards seem to weigh well with the costs. And hopefully enough of those mods are tempting enough that a “shield” build would be very diverse. While the tankieness is obviously not there to the extent that Health has with armor, some of the other bonus would make me spec into shields on quite a few frames. In general, shields would be better with dealing with a burst of damage while health would be superior with sustained damage, but of course base stats of the frame would play a large role in which is more viable.

 

And I am sure you are already looking at “OP” combinations of these mods, but think about how many mods it takes to get an “OP” combo. Health has some absurd combos with QT (considers armor) and Rage which leads to massive EHP pools. Warframe builds are very tight as they are, modding into shields would be a definite risk as a heavy gunner will still be able to shred you just as fast as they can now if you try to face-tank.

 

A few other shield related things…

• Shield Osprey: Gives overshields (enemies with overshields have purple shield bar) equal to 25+(25*.00075*(50-15)^2). This is the same equation used for shield scaling of enemies. Shield recharge rate of affected allies is doubled. Multiple osprey (still) do not stack. This makes shield osprey priority one when dealing with Corpus rather than something ignored in even mid levels. Don’t forget that Shield Osprey are extremely squishy.
• Mag’s Polarize: Along with refilling some shields, also have it kick start shield recharge.

 

If you have any other ideas for new mods, additional base changes, or adjustments to anything else I said please give your suggestions. No single person’s idea is perfect, but hopefully thorough collaboration we can get close and hopefully get DE’s attention.

 

[Aeon94]

10 minutes ago, DrBorris said:

Overshields block all procs besides Impact and Blast. Enemies get this as well.

Everything except this^ sounds cool. I mean viral , toxin , magnetic , gas immunity is too much for it :B

Edited May 15, 2017 by Aeon94

[DrBorris]

2 minutes ago, Aeon94 said:

Everything except this sounds cool. I mean viral , toxin , magnetic , gas immunity is too much for it :B

It is just for Overshields though, which very few Warframes can use and enemies can only gain with Shield Osprey (one of the squishiest if not the squishiest enemies in the game). Shields are supposed to be on par with Armor for enemies, right now all they are is a super squishy additional HP pool.

[peterc3]

Lot's of these mods would make you effectively immortal if you could replenish shields. Way too confusing and overwrought. Also useless for currently 2 warframes, likely more in the future.

[DrBorris]

7 hours ago, peterc3 said:

Lot's of these mods would make you effectively immortal if you could replenish shields. Way too confusing and overwrought. Also useless for currently 2 warframes, likely more in the future.

How would it make you immortal? And more importantly how is it better than Health/Armor mods?

 

And oh, because two Warframes don't have shields that means shields shouldn't matter for any Warframe... What? It should not be just a "meh, shields suck anyway" when you pick a shield-less Warframe, it should be "I'll miss shields, but this Warframe makes up for it by ____".

 

And I am nut sure how exactly this is "complicated". This is more complicated than calculating armor's damage reduction by 1-(300)/(Armor Value+300)? Shield gating itself is simple, for every "x" amount of shields you get a gate. And as for the mods, each mod seems (to me) pretty self explanatory. It is when you combine mods that you have to think about how it works, and that is the point. That is where theroy-crafting and build diversity come from.

Edited May 16, 2017 by DrBorris

[Sajochi]

I'm on board with this. As someone who plays Mag and Chroma a lot, it would make their shields more than just a stat they interact with. Especially since I picked up Primed Vigor.

I even like the mod ideas, some are really good candidates for new exiles mods. I'm all for more variation in builds for Warframe. Makes the game interesting. Wish I had something to add, but I'm no good with stuff like this (give me character concept stuff, and watch me go).

Hopefully the devs see your post and take some of it into consideration. 

[(PSN)Ozymandias-13-]

I actually really like the idea of having multiple shield gates, and the basic mod ideas will really make modding for shields worth doing.

[DrBorris]

8 hours ago, Sajochi said:

I'm on board with this. As someone who plays Mag and Chroma a lot, it would make their shields more than just a stat they interact with. Especially since I picked up Primed Vigor.

I even like the mod ideas, some are really good candidates for new exiles mods. I'm all for more variation in builds for Warframe. Makes the game interesting. Wish I had something to add, but I'm no good with stuff like this (give me character concept stuff, and watch me go).

Hopefully the devs see your post and take some of it into consideration. 

That is what I am hoping for, reworking shields could be more than just making them viable, it could also be a way to add even more variety in builds.

[Phyrak]

I dig it

[Elvangreen]

Needs a bit more analysis, (that rage mod one would be OP with volt's capacitance, EV Trin Aug would be godly) but overall a REALLY god idea.

[KX297]

1 hour ago, Phyrak said:

I dig it

Same.

+1 to OP for having a cool post.

[VoxGray]

This could have even further implications beyond just making shields viable to build towards. For instance, these changes alone would go a long way towards making Chroma's shock form more viable compared to his ice form, and might help with build diversity there. I'd be eager to see what monstrosities the community could create with these ideas, considering what we can already do with health/armor builds.

[DrBorris]

15 hours ago, Phyrak said:

I dig it

Glad you diggin'

 

14 hours ago, Elvangreen said:

Needs a bit more analysis, (that rage mod one would be OP with volt's capacitance, EV Trin Aug would be godly) but overall a REALLY god idea.

And Health+Armor mods are godly on Inaros/Nidus and even frames like Ash and Saryn that can use them as energy batteries. As for Capacitance and EV Trin though, I am pretty sure that energy regen would only be for shields themselves regenerating, not necessarily being added to by external sources (so no infinite energy with capacitance, even though I'd be down for that).

 

12 hours ago, EmissaryOfInfinity said:

This could have even further implications beyond just making shields viable to build towards. For instance, these changes alone would go a long way towards making Chroma's shock form more viable compared to his ice form, and might help with build diversity there. I'd be eager to see what monstrosities the community could create with these ideas, considering what we can already do with health/armor builds.

Yeah, and I think that is kind of what I really hope DE achieves with shield gates. We can do some insane stuff with health and armor, it would be great if we could do stuff that was just as cool (if not cooler) with shields but keep shields with their own flair (Burst vs Sustain).

[Awazx]

+1 !!

[Azamagon]

On 2017-05-20 at 3:00 PM, Phyrak said:

I dig it

And here's another "digger" :)

[Navarc]

Corrupted mod: -49% / -74% / -99% Shield Recharge Rate +100/+150+200 Armour +100/+150/+200 Health. Those are static numbers on the end, not percentages.

Edited May 28, 2017 by Navarchus

[DrBorris]

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:51 PM, Navarchus said:

Corrupted mod: -49% / -74% / -99% Shield Recharge Rate +100/+150+200 Armour +100/+150/+200 Health. Those are static numbers on the end, not percentages.

I am not sure about those exact numbers, but having shields actually be worth using will have the added benefit of making corrupted mods for health/armor/shields be viable for release. If they came out today the "-shields/+heath" would be used on a ton of Warframes probably, without any use of a "+shields/-health". If losing shields actually feels like a, ya know, loss, then a ton of new fancy corrupted mods would become a thing.

I guess that is just more to the point of making Warframe builds even more diverse.

 

Come on DE, just imagine all of the new mods you could make us grind for, we all know how you love watching us on the hamster wheel. 

 

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 4:05 PM, Azamagon said:

And here's another "digger" :)

Going to need more shovels.