Honestly, this is the kind of thing that I've always respected your channel for: nobody else tries these things so precisely and goes into it as in-depth as you do. Bravo
Definitely seconded, this is the type of thinking I truly appreciate about this analysis of the deflector. Though in retrospect it seems an obvious approach, the fact is that I definitely did not come at the skill in such a manner,though I wish I had, and neither has anyone else I've seen. Tbh, the both of you, as spitefully as I acknowledge it for *you* dispatch, my eternal arch nemesis XD, have helped rekindle an interest in the art of effective thinking that had fallen somewhat dormant in recent years, at least wrt matters outside of my professional life.
I can't believe this video only has ~ 30,000 views. This information is critical for shield users and it has helped me a lot with my gameplay. Thank you.
I kind of focused on niche stuff in the game and not spamming builds every other day, which is what youtube favors. but I did it more for my enjoyment than the popularity. Glad it helped you!
Great explanation! I never noticed that elites shot at a different hit area and so that's likely why my reflector build did not work too well with heroic. These vids are the ones that will help players the most.
Also, deflector shield is the only shield that benefits from skill damage modifiers, so you can effectively deflect more damage back to the enemies, doesn't seem like a lot, but to reflect 60% more dmg back at the target from the initial bullet damage is a big plus if you want to make a "dps tank" using deflector shield. I still use protection from elites with my foundry/deflector build, but at least majority of my pieces have either skill dmg, or repair skills on them, ramping up my artificer hive repairs. You are spot on with the movements and not being aim center on elites for the deflector to work properly. as long as you're within proximity of the elite shooting at you, aim your weapon above their head and to the left of the elite but keep them in site to move with them, their bullets will kill them and you wont get melted so easily if at all. It's also the more mobilized shield, so you can turn a lot faster even while aiming if you have too, unlike the rest of the shields.
This video must have taken some time to create. I believe it's safe to say thank you from myself and from the collective community. I'm always trying to try new and sometimes strange builds to enhance gameplay and mix things up. I've been hitting a wall with the shield until now. Again, thank you for the video, as it will help me craft a unique build and efficiently use the shield with this new knowledge you've provided.
big brain man I didn't consider the hit boxes, I tried using it yesterday seeing it has more hp than crusaders. After getting my ass whooped by elites I thought the shield is only viable for reds and thought its kinda trash, this video changes everything I like that you actually need some skill using this shield, will switch back to it.
Very very good information. I honestly read the title and thought "yeah right I bet this is the same BS" but no you gave me some new information to work with and try out. Great job. For that I sub :D
Phenomenal video and I agree. I love playing with deflector shield(DS) and I don’t want to play cookie cutter. I have 3 types of builds I run with DS, either full blue, full red or 5 red 2 blue. All work really well I just utilize skill dmg, headshot dmg or regen. Also a little trick most don’t know if you run close and personal on your hand gun kills from your shield will activate talent so it is damn near always active. A lot more tricks to shield I love anyway great video.
For the longest time playing the game I still wonder why the deflector shield isn't as big as the bulwark shield or at least bigger than the crusader shield, given the fact that you can only use your sidearm when you use the skill. They should at least somehow let you use SMG weapons like the D3-FNC set in Division 1.
I use the forge holster rolled with a blue and skill damage. I’ve used it in a build with three yellows with a lot of incoming repairs and repair skills (the named gloves with skill health and repair skills comes in handy here too) and the fixer drone. When the drone was up it heals me and the shield very well.
Wow thank you this helps alot,its my favorite shield but i have no idea how to block these machne gun dudes smetimes i can but i didnt pay attention how i did
What im getting from this is for a deflector build to be effective you have to point your weapon away from the enemy. I see why these never caught on now. Thanks for the breakdown.
Thanks for this video! The Guardians event is currently online and I wanted to create a build for him with the deflector shield, which I planned a year ago...
@@mutantcowboy7341 I have come to the conclusion that build with deflector shield (Liberty, Catharsis, Belstone with skill repair and skill damage + Adrenaline Rush, 4x Foundry Bulwark with skill damage) is not suitable for this event and legendary fortifications, although it is suitable for the usual heroic world. So I put it in a stash.
th-cam.com/video/9YHdAESACC0/w-d-xo.html This is my design of deflector shield for legendary mission(build at the end of video). Although I had 80% PFE, I still had to be caution on positioning myself, otherwise the shield cannot withhold too much damage and cause instant death. Your video is strongly educational and informative. I hope other division 2 player could enjoy the mechanism of this game throught your video.
Rather astounding insight, tbh. This challenges some lazy/hasty assumptions I think I've made wrt this shield, and the other variants, without doing any sort of rigorous testing or critical analysis. Not sure I'll be running a deflector in the *near* future as there are still a lot of aspects of gameplay and use cases of builds I am currently running I need to master but this definitely makes me intrigued and wanting to explore it myself. Thanks for putting this out there; you are honestly, imo, in a class of your own amongst the Div 2 content creators I follow.
@@randyb5067 no i run it entire mission died only once at beginning cuz i got blind i can face tank 2 chungus with ease agro Smith easily i use 4 foundry bulwark skill damage armor rolled all belstone backpack adrenaline rush armor regen skill damage and catharsis mask
I have a Deflector Shield Build with Intimidate & Adrenaline Rush with Mozambique Pistol. 3 Blue, 3 Yellow and 1 Red cores. All rolled with Skill Damage, Armor Regen and 80% Protection of Elites. It's really fun but slow time to kill 🤭 My method when attacking elites is using Primary weapon first. When they are starting to shoot me, then I open my deflector shield.
I played (still play) with the deflector all the legendary missions solo with directives and I want to point 1 major and silent changes to the game since TU15 (there are more than 1). They said they will not touch the damage numbers, and they didn't but they changed the following: 1. Increased enemy aim. 2. Range and damage explosion of grenades and explosives drones. 3. Before the explosion will push you away and now you are sucked in to the explosion spot without the ability to move. 4. The enemy is more aggressive. I watched my solo legendary DUA and you can see all the changes that I pointed out. My deflector build is upgraded to level 12 now and is weaker than before. Now the explosive drone is taking out the shield and some armour while before 2/3 drones were needed. You are the proper guy to also investigate this and expose this silent changes. Do take a look.
I noticed some changes too, especially with the season targets... I died a few times, which is good because I was acting like who cares about these goober AI. So they do seem to have something going on. However I have also noticed weird glitches like delayed or early explosions becoming very common, or enemies getting stuck to my shield and pulling me along with them... I would need to really look at some old footage and compare it directly step by step, build for build... which might be a pain given I can't go back and make footage from then.
I have 80 percent ptoelites and 250k damage on the 🛡 And you absolutely right it's a lot weaker .Before I was running thru legendaries with my deflector 🛡 now I have be ⚠️
Hi MC. This is both interesting and informative stuff. Coincidentally, I've been toying around with this skill of late, and reached much the same conclusions. One thought though: why so much concern with deflector builds being cookie cutter/ lacking variety? I ask because, regardless of the skill upon which a build is centered, there's likely to be a meta for that type of build, is there not? EG, if you're running HB, you should be running an ACS and the Kingbreaker, since this affords maximum survivability and DPS, right? I know you prefer a mathematical and thus theoretically objective examination of builds whenever possible, which is why I'm asking. That said, I don't often run the meta of a build - unless that happens to be also the most enjoyable version of that build for me. Example I'd rather run HB with the Dare because I happen to love LMGs. Ergo, I'm wondering 1) what you find to be the meta deflector shield build and 2) what you find to be the most enjoyable version of the build. Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful work.
I like skills, they are the meat of this game to me. As far as the deflector, it goes back to many things I have said over the years. The point of deflectors and defender drones are to make tanky skill builds. Builds that bypass the need for armor and utilize a special combination of stats to achieve something unique.... These mage tanks just never got a fair shake in PVE or PVP. In large part because the Devs did not really make them in depth enough, but also because too many of the loudest voices in the community can't actually think and demand simple and easy. Every deflector build 5-6 armor with technician and PfE mods. It just shows me how far the game has fallen from its potential to truly make unique and useful combinations. Now I agree that no matter what something somewhere is going to be BiS. The problem I have is that little to nothing in the game really gives alternatives... For example skills like the deflector might have more favor on skill builds if skill tier increased the size by 5% per tier. Or mods existed that gave unique properties depending on the total yellow rolls. Back before the Artificer, shield builds were a lot more interesting because they did not depend on the hive. Now almost every non-DPS shield build needs it. Which made shield and flame turret builds worthless or Tank healers running a chem launcher seem stupid. In short I am just angry about the streamlined nature the game has largely taken since release, and has continued towards since the birth of D1. Every new item, every nerf or buff wave causes little bits of cancer within the build structure and nothing is done to correct the whole.
@@mutantcowboy7341 Wow, that about says it all! Thanks for the lucid explanation. I certainly empathize with your point, and I concur that the potential is there within existing skills to make interesting changes that would foment creativity and build diversity. Thanks for your reply.
I finally slapped-together a Deflector build based on the info you gave in the last video. It's quite fun to use, but you reeeeeally gotta pay attention to your positioning. 😅 I don't see myself using it for Legendary content, sadly. Probably just Heroic farming and certain GEs.
One of the key reasons enemies will start to shoot at your head is the fact that the bullets are being deflected. They will either: keep shooting and die, stop shooting all together and in the cases of elites, aimbot you. I will say, nice pick up on the angles and height advantages, never considered that.
This video was definitely needed 2 years ago lol 😆. It's likely the reason the shield was never buffed or reworked. They were patiently waiting for players to figure out how to use it properly.
The deflector shield was used properly "ages" ago. Do a search for all the legendary solo with 4 directives and you will see the mighty deflector in action.
Great explanation, what build do you use with the deflector shield? I’ve tried to use it several times but I couldn’t make it work the way I thought it would
Interestingly, I've been working on a deflect build and have been disappointed with the survivability overall. I'll admit the angle of the shield never occurred to me thx for the insight. For some reason I'm drawn to an idea around deflecter shield and throwing nads around, ( Acosta's bag will help with both) and Mad bomber talent on chest, (15% armor) that I cant get out of my head. Sounds weird I know. Yet a work in progress build. TU 16 should bring better options for builds, (least I hope).
My first Division 2 build was a nade spammer and oh boy was it awesome. Problem now is that enemy power creep and dev catering to select play styles has made grenades nothing more than a tool to make enemies roll out of cover. I am not even sure if a grenade can take out a red rusher on heroic at this point.
He mentioned distance doesn't matter....it does ..when I go up against chungas in legendary..if you are more than 6 to 10 feet from them they hit your head alot ..i get 2 to 4 feet from them and they kill themselves every time..
Distance has little to no effect of the hit box, they may end up missing you and the shield more because of less overall accuracy at longer ranges, but angle has the biggest impact. You say 2-4 feet another guy says face hugging then someone else says only long range. Well I tested it. They hit you, maybe less or more depending on range just like any enemy. However I have yet to see significant damage when angled correctly as opposed to angled incorrectly. In my close range testing I would say the shield was not more or less effective than it was at 6-10 feet. Got melted multiple times from both ranges while trying to block shots while aiming at them with a pistol. You can even see it in the video.
I have a really strong Deflecter shield on my channel if you want to check it out. I did a lot of testing to get it to be as strong as it is. But check it out and I'd like to see what you think about it. love the videos you put out on testing things. you have the time I don't to do the testing so your videos are a big help.
Good story, but I hate shield players, because they usually also have a reviverhive , so they don't do any real damage, most of the time they even get in the way.
Problem is you hate bad players. A good shield player knows where his allies are and stays out of the way. I could say I hate DPS players because they spend more time on the ground than actually shooting, but again those are the bad ones.
@@mutantcowboy7341 Couldn't have said It better myself, I've seen more garbage full dps players than I've seen shield. Usually It's always the shield players carrying everyone else because they feel like they don't need any armor, I run legendaries everyday and I've started to prefer to just solo them when friends aren't on. And don't get me started on countdown holy hell, It was so bad one day that I was forced to swap to a shield / healer build because none the whole day could kill a single hunter. Managed to solo the whole ending consistently for people with my deflector shield build and my Nemesis build, I feel like I have zero room for freedom when farming countdown most of the time. Either I play something for fun and roll the dice on 50/50 whether the rest are competent enough to contribute, or I put on one of my cookie cutter builds and expect to solo It. It's between running a sniper build to 1shot all the hunters or a shield build to carry the other 7 on my back to a guaranteed extraction. Bad players will try to convince you that going near full reds Is the only way you're going to do damage, there's countless builds that'll demolish the content the game has and has had since release. Though lets not kid ourselves, the "Legendary" difficulty we have nowdays Is kids play compared to the Old one. If someone starts bragging about doing this or that In legendary these days then they need to wake up from their lala-land and realize legendary can be soloed with a shit pistol now because of all the nerfs because of the cry baby community. a good shield player will contribute more to the team than another regular dps would, because a good shield player will usually give others a ridiculous amount of more shield and some bonus damage allowing the rest to face tank even snipers to some degree ( this works wonders with people going full red and potentially glass cannon ). or Deflector shield with some damage buffs on the side, Deflector can kill elites on legendary In a matter of 2 seconds while still be near Invincible. My Sniper build can 1shot all elites Including some raid bosses AND hunters In a full group scaling with Nemesis and White Death, If I'm feeling bored I take the sniper build because every difficulty available In the game atm Is the exact same thing atm. If I can 1shot hunters In a full group scaling and even some raid bosses on the highest difficulty available In the game then what now?. I have to actively handicap myself to make Legendary feel hard, this Is why I have such a gripe with people using "legendary" difficulty nowdays as a "wow look at me I can do this or that In legendary" now. Whether It's Legendary or Normal you play on It's exactly the same fucking thing now, there's so much power creep that people are 1shotting everything In the game with a fucking pistol now with over 100 million per hit. TL;DR. Play what you want and with who you want, using a shield does not mean you're hindering anyone unless the person BEHIND the shield just threw on as much armor as possible with zero "build" to counter the lag of damage you'll be dealing. If you knew how the scaling of enemies worked In the game then people wouldn't be making stupid remarks on what's dragging you down and what's not, a small 10% damage buff to 3 other players from you already means you're contributing nearly all of the extra HP ALONE that the enemies gain from you being there which means he's already making It easier by simply existing Isn't that crazy?. Overall I think the Division community has grown Into a kindergarten over the years, there's no fun left In the game In the multiplayer scene because everyone Is running around with cookie cutter builds and either getting 1shotted 24/7 floor PoV or crying about someone NOT laying on the Floor with his full reds. I miss the old legendary before the nerfs, was so much fun to get all the outfits back then. Now we just speed run them for xp for fun with ape builds to level expertise.
Most of my Legendary tank builds use PFE and the shield is usually health and a regen, but with a deflector skill build I do use the shield damage mod.
Honestly, this is the kind of thing that I've always respected your channel for: nobody else tries these things so precisely and goes into it as in-depth as you do. Bravo
Definitely seconded, this is the type of thinking I truly appreciate about this analysis of the deflector. Though in retrospect it seems an obvious approach, the fact is that I definitely did not come at the skill in such a manner,though I wish I had, and neither has anyone else I've seen. Tbh, the both of you, as spitefully as I acknowledge it for *you* dispatch, my eternal arch nemesis XD, have helped rekindle an interest in the art of effective thinking that had fallen somewhat dormant in recent years, at least wrt matters outside of my professional life.
I can't believe this video only has ~ 30,000 views. This information is critical for shield users and it has helped me a lot with my gameplay. Thank you.
I kind of focused on niche stuff in the game and not spamming builds every other day, which is what youtube favors. but I did it more for my enjoyment than the popularity. Glad it helped you!
Great explanation! I never noticed that elites shot at a different hit area and so that's likely why my reflector build did not work too well with heroic. These vids are the ones that will help players the most.
The community needs more videos like this. There is a lot in this game that people take for granted or just don't put enough thought into. good job.
Thank you so much, I finally know why I keep dying using deflector shield while other deal tons of damage using the same build.❤❤
I have used the deflector shield and all these tips make sense, thanks, I will be using them.
As a new Player, (SHD 50) and deflector shield fanatic. This is good food for thought. Thanks
glad I found this, Ive been tinkering with this shield and a Foundry set, because the ricocheted bullets are so helpful with heavier enemies
Comprehensive study into the shield, nice.
Thank you for this, It's so Insightful and now has me looking at this shield in a totally different light.
Thank you for these tips! Definitely improved my deflecter build. I was able to finish my first legendary run solo.
omg never thought I would make shield build but you have changed my mind thank you so much
Most underrated Div2 Channel on TH-cam
Love the videos man! Keep it up!
Also, deflector shield is the only shield that benefits from skill damage modifiers, so you can effectively deflect more damage back to the enemies, doesn't seem like a lot, but to reflect 60% more dmg back at the target from the initial bullet damage is a big plus if you want to make a "dps tank" using deflector shield. I still use protection from elites with my foundry/deflector build, but at least majority of my pieces have either skill dmg, or repair skills on them, ramping up my artificer hive repairs. You are spot on with the movements and not being aim center on elites for the deflector to work properly. as long as you're within proximity of the elite shooting at you, aim your weapon above their head and to the left of the elite but keep them in site to move with them, their bullets will kill them and you wont get melted so easily if at all. It's also the more mobilized shield, so you can turn a lot faster even while aiming if you have too, unlike the rest of the shields.
This video must have taken some time to create. I believe it's safe to say thank you from myself and from the collective community. I'm always trying to try new and sometimes strange builds to enhance gameplay and mix things up. I've been hitting a wall with the shield until now. Again, thank you for the video, as it will help me craft a unique build and efficiently use the shield with this new knowledge you've provided.
Glad to hear you got something useful out of it.
Great video dude I have a monster deflector shield build and your little tips just made it a whole lot better 👍
Very good info. I just thought it would deflect everything. Couldn't understand what I was doing wrong
big brain man I didn't consider the hit boxes, I tried using it yesterday seeing it has more hp than crusaders. After getting my ass whooped by elites I thought the shield is only viable for reds and thought its kinda trash, this video changes everything I like that you actually need some skill using this shield, will switch back to it.
It is not really that great of a shield, but it can be fun.
Very very good information. I honestly read the title and thought "yeah right I bet this is the same BS" but no you gave me some new information to work with and try out. Great job. For that I sub :D
700+ hours and i never actually looked into this skill. Very good explanation and good homework done by you.
Wow. Thank you. I got depressed whe i tried using the deflector shield. I'll give this a try. Stay safe boss.
Well said.
You got yourself a subscriber. I look forward to seeing more of your content.
I am on a bit of a break from the Division 2, might come back for the new DLC, but I am really just ready for Div 3. Glad you liked the video!
Amazing content. Expert breakdown. I am ready for real world application now of lessons learned.
Phenomenal video and I agree. I love playing with deflector shield(DS) and I don’t want to play cookie cutter. I have 3 types of builds I run with DS, either full blue, full red or 5 red 2 blue. All work really well I just utilize skill dmg, headshot dmg or regen. Also a little trick most don’t know if you run close and personal on your hand gun kills from your shield will activate talent so it is damn near always active. A lot more tricks to shield I love anyway great video.
For the longest time playing the game I still wonder why the deflector shield isn't as big as the bulwark shield or at least bigger than the crusader shield, given the fact that you can only use your sidearm when you use the skill. They should at least somehow let you use SMG weapons like the D3-FNC set in Division 1.
They should've put converted smg as sidearm so it can be put to use, especially with shield that only can use sidearm
Great tactical insight!
I really enjoy this video, this is awesome content, i expected that for so long!
I use the forge holster rolled with a blue and skill damage. I’ve used it in a build with three yellows with a lot of incoming repairs and repair skills (the named gloves with skill health and repair skills comes in handy here too) and the fixer drone. When the drone was up it heals me and the shield very well.
Thanks for sharing your great tips!
Thank you. Now I know how to use it correctly.👍
Thank you for the information you provided. Awesome content, great video 🙏🙏
Wow thank you this helps alot,its my favorite shield but i have no idea how to block these machne gun dudes smetimes i can but i didnt pay attention how i did
What im getting from this is for a deflector build to be effective you have to point your weapon away from the enemy. I see why these never caught on now. Thanks for the breakdown.
Thanks for this video! The Guardians event is currently online and I wanted to create a build for him with the deflector shield, which I planned a year ago...
Hope it helped and everything works out well. I am just ready for Div 3 to come out, although the DLC might get me a bit more involved again.
@@mutantcowboy7341 I have come to the conclusion that build with deflector shield (Liberty, Catharsis, Belstone with skill repair and skill damage + Adrenaline Rush, 4x Foundry Bulwark with skill damage) is not suitable for this event and legendary fortifications, although it is suitable for the usual heroic world. So I put it in a stash.
Anyone considering a Deflector shield build in the near future?
th-cam.com/video/9YHdAESACC0/w-d-xo.html
This is my design of deflector shield for legendary mission(build at the end of video).
Although I had 80% PFE, I still had to be caution on positioning myself, otherwise the shield cannot withhold too much damage and cause instant death.
Your video is strongly educational and informative. I hope other division 2 player could enjoy the mechanism of this game throught your video.
Rather astounding insight, tbh. This challenges some lazy/hasty assumptions I think I've made wrt this shield, and the other variants, without doing any sort of rigorous testing or critical analysis. Not sure I'll be running a deflector in the *near* future as there are still a lot of aspects of gameplay and use cases of builds I am currently running I need to master but this definitely makes me intrigued and wanting to explore it myself. Thanks for putting this out there; you are honestly, imo, in a class of your own amongst the Div 2 content creators I follow.
@@blakemorris2753 agreed this is some 9000 iq testing
I quit like a year ago but up til then I used deflector exclusively when I wasn't using pure skill builds
No to be honest , is fun but the npc still shreding xd
Wow I thought my shield build was awesome , now it just became even better! Thank you so much.....
Semper Fi
So useful! Thanks.
Very nice! Everything you said is true, the deflector might not get you through a legendary but it's a fun build for everything else
I finished legendary missions only using deflecto4
@@Diamondxx47 did you run it the entire mission or did you switch them back and forth between builds?
@@randyb5067 no i run it entire mission died only once at beginning cuz i got blind i can face tank 2 chungus with ease agro Smith easily i use 4 foundry bulwark skill damage armor rolled all belstone backpack adrenaline rush armor regen skill damage and catharsis mask
I have a Deflector Shield Build with Intimidate & Adrenaline Rush with Mozambique Pistol. 3 Blue, 3 Yellow and 1 Red cores.
All rolled with Skill Damage, Armor Regen and 80% Protection of Elites.
It's really fun but slow time to kill 🤭
My method when attacking elites is using Primary weapon first. When they are starting to shoot me, then I open my deflector shield.
Super useful tips! Thanks ❤
I played (still play) with the deflector all the legendary missions solo with directives and I want to point 1 major and silent changes to the game since TU15 (there are more than 1). They said they will not touch the damage numbers, and they didn't but they changed the following: 1. Increased enemy aim. 2. Range and damage explosion of grenades and explosives drones. 3. Before the explosion will push you away and now you are sucked in to the explosion spot without the ability to move. 4. The enemy is more aggressive.
I watched my solo legendary DUA and you can see all the changes that I pointed out. My deflector build is upgraded to level 12 now and is weaker than before.
Now the explosive drone is taking out the shield and some armour while before 2/3 drones were needed.
You are the proper guy to also investigate this and expose this silent changes. Do take a look.
I noticed some changes too, especially with the season targets... I died a few times, which is good because I was acting like who cares about these goober AI. So they do seem to have something going on. However I have also noticed weird glitches like delayed or early explosions becoming very common, or enemies getting stuck to my shield and pulling me along with them... I would need to really look at some old footage and compare it directly step by step, build for build... which might be a pain given I can't go back and make footage from then.
100% agree with you on that
they also spawn from behind in open world and flank more than before
I have 80 percent ptoelites and 250k damage on the 🛡 And you absolutely right it's a lot weaker .Before I was running thru legendaries with my deflector 🛡 now I have be ⚠️
Actually is kinda genius!!👏👏👏👏
I will try it!!!! 🙌
Very informative 👏 👌 👍. I've used it long ago...im thinking of bring it back out in 15.3..lmao
Hi MC. This is both interesting and informative stuff. Coincidentally, I've been toying around with this skill of late, and reached much the same conclusions.
One thought though: why so much concern with deflector builds being cookie cutter/ lacking variety? I ask because, regardless of the skill upon which a build is centered, there's likely to be a meta for that type of build, is there not? EG, if you're running HB, you should be running an ACS and the Kingbreaker, since this affords maximum survivability and DPS, right? I know you prefer a mathematical and thus theoretically objective examination of builds whenever possible, which is why I'm asking.
That said, I don't often run the meta of a build - unless that happens to be also the most enjoyable version of that build for me. Example I'd rather run HB with the Dare because I happen to love LMGs.
Ergo, I'm wondering 1) what you find to be the meta deflector shield build and 2) what you find to be the most enjoyable version of the build.
Thanks for your thoughtful and insightful work.
I like skills, they are the meat of this game to me. As far as the deflector, it goes back to many things I have said over the years. The point of deflectors and defender drones are to make tanky skill builds. Builds that bypass the need for armor and utilize a special combination of stats to achieve something unique.... These mage tanks just never got a fair shake in PVE or PVP. In large part because the Devs did not really make them in depth enough, but also because too many of the loudest voices in the community can't actually think and demand simple and easy. Every deflector build 5-6 armor with technician and PfE mods. It just shows me how far the game has fallen from its potential to truly make unique and useful combinations. Now I agree that no matter what something somewhere is going to be BiS.
The problem I have is that little to nothing in the game really gives alternatives... For example skills like the deflector might have more favor on skill builds if skill tier increased the size by 5% per tier. Or mods existed that gave unique properties depending on the total yellow rolls. Back before the Artificer, shield builds were a lot more interesting because they did not depend on the hive. Now almost every non-DPS shield build needs it. Which made shield and flame turret builds worthless or Tank healers running a chem launcher seem stupid. In short I am just angry about the streamlined nature the game has largely taken since release, and has continued towards since the birth of D1. Every new item, every nerf or buff wave causes little bits of cancer within the build structure and nothing is done to correct the whole.
@@mutantcowboy7341 Wow, that about says it all! Thanks for the lucid explanation. I certainly empathize with your point, and I concur that the potential is there within existing skills to make interesting changes that would foment creativity and build diversity. Thanks for your reply.
I finally slapped-together a Deflector build based on the info you gave in the last video. It's quite fun to use, but you reeeeeally gotta pay attention to your positioning. 😅 I don't see myself using it for Legendary content, sadly. Probably just Heroic farming and certain GEs.
yeah it really requires too much situational awareness to be fun all the time for me.
Get this man a diamon medal!!
Wonderful 👍
Maybe try using a defender drone at t6? Then just pop into cover when it goes down.
Thank you so much for this
thank you for the enlightenment
OMG, thank you so much!
One of the key reasons enemies will start to shoot at your head is the fact that the bullets are being deflected. They will either: keep shooting and die, stop shooting all together and in the cases of elites, aimbot you.
I will say, nice pick up on the angles and height advantages, never considered that.
So clever, thx for this
Just found you....great explanation!
Very informative thnx
This video was definitely needed 2 years ago lol 😆. It's likely the reason the shield was never buffed or reworked. They were patiently waiting for players to figure out how to use it properly.
The deflector shield was used properly "ages" ago. Do a search for all the legendary solo with 4 directives and you will see the mighty deflector in action.
Great explanation, what build do you use with the deflector shield? I’ve tried to use it several times but I couldn’t make it work the way I thought it would
the main build i used for this video was something like 4 pc foundry bulwark catharsis and a shield or skill health item.
Interestingly, I've been working on a deflect build and have been disappointed with the survivability overall. I'll admit the angle of the shield never occurred to me thx for the insight. For some reason I'm drawn to an idea around deflecter shield and throwing nads around, ( Acosta's bag will help with both) and Mad bomber talent on chest, (15% armor) that I cant get out of my head. Sounds weird I know. Yet a work in progress build. TU 16 should bring better options for builds, (least I hope).
My first Division 2 build was a nade spammer and oh boy was it awesome. Problem now is that enemy power creep and dev catering to select play styles has made grenades nothing more than a tool to make enemies roll out of cover. I am not even sure if a grenade can take out a red rusher on heroic at this point.
They need to fix it hit box I love this shield but I’m tired of equipping it and the enemies just shred through my armor before my shield even breaks
I do legendary ...and I've tried a fouther stance ...its twice as weak ..i completed all legendary solo ..so I might know a little about my shield
He mentioned distance doesn't matter....it does ..when I go up against chungas in legendary..if you are more than 6 to 10 feet from them they hit your head alot ..i get 2 to 4 feet from them and they kill themselves every time..
Distance has little to no effect of the hit box, they may end up missing you and the shield more because of less overall accuracy at longer ranges, but angle has the biggest impact. You say 2-4 feet another guy says face hugging then someone else says only long range. Well I tested it. They hit you, maybe less or more depending on range just like any enemy. However I have yet to see significant damage when angled correctly as opposed to angled incorrectly. In my close range testing I would say the shield was not more or less effective than it was at 6-10 feet. Got melted multiple times from both ranges while trying to block shots while aiming at them with a pistol. You can even see it in the video.
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Every time I try to use the deflector shield I get melted from bullets still hitting me 😂😂😂
what’s the build you’re using?
I think the main build I used was catharsis mask, death grip gloves, 4pc foundry bulwark.
I have a really strong Deflecter shield on my channel if you want to check it out. I did a lot of testing to get it to be as strong as it is. But check it out and I'd like to see what you think about it. love the videos you put out on testing things. you have the time I don't to do the testing so your videos are a big help.
So the trick is either we use the high ground or create the high ground ourselve
Basically, higher is better, but angle does a lot too.
Good story, but I hate shield players, because they usually also have a reviverhive , so they don't do any real damage, most of the time they even get in the way.
Problem is you hate bad players. A good shield player knows where his allies are and stays out of the way. I could say I hate DPS players because they spend more time on the ground than actually shooting, but again those are the bad ones.
@@mutantcowboy7341 Couldn't have said It better myself, I've seen more garbage full dps players than I've seen shield. Usually It's always the shield players carrying everyone else because they feel like they don't need any armor, I run legendaries everyday and I've started to prefer to just solo them when friends aren't on. And don't get me started on countdown holy hell, It was so bad one day that I was forced to swap to a shield / healer build because none the whole day could kill a single hunter. Managed to solo the whole ending consistently for people with my deflector shield build and my Nemesis build, I feel like I have zero room for freedom when farming countdown most of the time. Either I play something for fun and roll the dice on 50/50 whether the rest are competent enough to contribute, or I put on one of my cookie cutter builds and expect to solo It. It's between running a sniper build to 1shot all the hunters or a shield build to carry the other 7 on my back to a guaranteed extraction.
Bad players will try to convince you that going near full reds Is the only way you're going to do damage, there's countless builds that'll demolish the content the game has and has had since release. Though lets not kid ourselves, the "Legendary" difficulty we have nowdays Is kids play compared to the Old one. If someone starts bragging about doing this or that In legendary these days then they need to wake up from their lala-land and realize legendary can be soloed with a shit pistol now because of all the nerfs because of the cry baby community.
a good shield player will contribute more to the team than another regular dps would, because a good shield player will usually give others a ridiculous amount of more shield and some bonus damage allowing the rest to face tank even snipers to some degree ( this works wonders with people going full red and potentially glass cannon ). or Deflector shield with some damage buffs on the side, Deflector can kill elites on legendary In a matter of 2 seconds while still be near Invincible. My Sniper build can 1shot all elites Including some raid bosses AND hunters In a full group scaling with Nemesis and White Death, If I'm feeling bored I take the sniper build because every difficulty available In the game atm Is the exact same thing atm. If I can 1shot hunters In a full group scaling and even some raid bosses on the highest difficulty available In the game then what now?. I have to actively handicap myself to make Legendary feel hard, this Is why I have such a gripe with people using "legendary" difficulty nowdays as a "wow look at me I can do this or that In legendary" now. Whether It's Legendary or Normal you play on It's exactly the same fucking thing now, there's so much power creep that people are 1shotting everything In the game with a fucking pistol now with over 100 million per hit.
TL;DR. Play what you want and with who you want, using a shield does not mean you're hindering anyone unless the person BEHIND the shield just threw on as much armor as possible with zero "build" to counter the lag of damage you'll be dealing. If you knew how the scaling of enemies worked In the game then people wouldn't be making stupid remarks on what's dragging you down and what's not, a small 10% damage buff to 3 other players from you already means you're contributing nearly all of the extra HP ALONE that the enemies gain from you being there which means he's already making It easier by simply existing Isn't that crazy?.
Overall I think the Division community has grown Into a kindergarten over the years, there's no fun left In the game In the multiplayer scene because everyone Is running around with cookie cutter builds and either getting 1shotted 24/7 floor PoV or crying about someone NOT laying on the Floor with his full reds. I miss the old legendary before the nerfs, was so much fun to get all the outfits back then. Now we just speed run them for xp for fun with ape builds to level expertise.
What mods do you use
Most of my Legendary tank builds use PFE and the shield is usually health and a regen, but with a deflector skill build I do use the shield damage mod.
Or they could just make the shield 25% larger
10/10 .... great upload. Sub from me.
Need the reg it is better for that build
Have it, most players don't so I never use it... not that I like it much anyway.