Borderlands 2 Shields Guide

Detailed guide to all the shields you can use in Borderlands 2 and how well each one protects you in battle once you equip it

In a rough place like Pandora, you are going to need protection and Shields protect you in Borderlands 2. Shields have the regeneration capacity so if you are being shot from all directions, you can get to cover and take a breather. In this guide, we will talk about all the usable Borderlands 2 Shields.

Borderlands 2 Shields

How fast your shield regenerates will depend on the type of shield being used. Some shields also provide protection against the elemental damage as an additional functionality. All manufacturers except for Jakob’s cranks are there to provide these protective barriers in the game.

For more help on Borderlands 2, read our Legendary Weapons, Grenades and Relics Guide.

Common Shields

Standard

  • A normal type with no particular specialty.
  • Manufacturer: Tediore

Roid

  • It increases the melee damage when it’s depleted.
  • Manufacturer: Bandit

Turtle

  • The health is sacrificed to give a boost to the shield capacity. Not fair? Well, in the battle, it looks like to be fair.
  • Manufacturer: Pangolin

Booster

  • It is able to deploy booster packs that can refill it.
  • Manufacturer: Dahl

Absorption

  • It can absorb bullets and later use them as reserves.
  • Manufacturer: Vladof

Amplify

  • If the shield is fully charged, it will add power to your next gunshot that can do some extra damage.
  • Manufacturer: Hyperion

Adaptive

  • The elemental resistance of the shield is changed to the elemental damage taken at the last.
  • Manufacturer: Anshin

Explosive Spike

  • It can damage the opponents nearby through explosion.
  • Manufacturer: Torgue

Explosive Nova

  • The shield will be depleted in the form of an explosion when it’s not full.
  • Manufacturer: Torgue

Elemental Spike

  • The enemies in the close proximity receive elemental damage by the shield.
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

Elemental Nove

  • The shield will cause an elemental blast when it is depleted.
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

Maylay

  • While it is depleted, you get a specific amount of roid damage added to you melee attacks.
  • Manufacturer: Bandits and Scavs

Rare Shields

1340 Shield
You have the chance to absorb enemy bullets that will be added to your backpack.

  • Location: Out of Body Experience.
  • Manufacturer: Vladof

Aequita
First, you get 10% additional ‘Fight for your life’ time duration for one Aequitas or Veritas in your party. You also get the chance to absorb the enemy bullets that will be stored in your backpack.

  • Location: Clan Wars: Wakey Wakey
  • Manufacturer: Vladof

Order
Melee damage dealt will also heal you if the law is in your hands. When the shield is depleted, it will get you extra roid damage.

  • Location: BFFs
  • Manufacturer: Bandit

Pot O’ Gold
When hit, the Pot O’ Gold will drop money bundles worth $1 each

  • Location: Clan Wars: End of the Rainbow
  • Manufacturer: Bandit

Deadly Boom
When your shield or health is depleted, it will release an explosive nova blast.

  • Location: The Overlooked: This is Just a Test
  • Manufacturer: Torgue

Love Thumper
When the shield is depleted, the melee attacks will get you additional roid damage. The shield has extremely long recharge delay.

  • Location: Best Mother’s Day Ever
  • Manufacturer: Bandit

Captain Blade’s Manly Man Shield
This shield seems like just a regular shield, except it is much more vulnerable to elemental attacks.

  • Location: Message In A Bottle (Wurmwater)
  • Manufacturer: Torgue

The Rough Rider
The Rough Rider shield as 0 shield capacity, and the wearer will benefit from all the ‘when shields are depleted’ effects, as long as they don’t equip another shield. The effects which activate when shield is at full do not work if The Rough Rider is equipped.

  • Location: The Bulwark in Hunter’s Grotto can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Jakobs

Cracked Sash
The Cracked Sash shield comes with a very low shield capacity, coupled with a fast recharge speed and super low recharge delay; which ranges from 1.48 seconds to 0.98 seconds.

  • Location: Chubby enemies of Super Badass Varkids can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Tediore

Legendary Shields

Flame of the Firehawk
It will continuously fire nova blasts when it’s depleted. It must be fully recharged between the successive nova blasts.

  • Location: Cult Following: The Enkindling
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

The Transformer
You have the chance to absorb the enemy bullets which go to your backpack.

  • Location: Pimon, Wildlife Exploitation Preserve
  • Manufacturer: Vladof

The Bee
When the shield is fully charged, you will get extra amp damage in your next shot.

  • Location: This Just In
  • Manufacturer: Hyperion

The Sham
You get a chance to drop an IED booster when it’s damaged.

  • Location: BNK3R
  • Manufacturer: Vladof

Fabled Tortoise
The movement speed is increased when it’s depleted.

  • Location: ‘Safe and Sound’ – Blue, Caustic Caverns
  • Manufacturer: Pangolin

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Just like the sham, you get a chance to drop an IED Booster when damaged.

  • Location: Chubby Enemies
  • Manufacturer: Dahl

Black Hole
It releases a shock nova blast when the shield is depleted.

  • Location: Hell Hath No Fury
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

Neogenator
You get the same elemental resistance equivalent to the damage taken in the last hit. It will also regenerate your health, and the health regeneration rate is increased.

  • Location: Monster Mash: Part 3 – Zed’s Abomination
  • Manufacturer: Anshin

Impaler
When you are taking damage with bullets, it will launch corrosive homing spikes.

  • Location: The Talon of God – Second Target
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

Hide of Terramorphous
This shield is like a fusion of the Maylay, Fire Nova, and Fire Spike shields. It grants a significant roid damage increase.

  • Location: Terramorphous the Invincible, in Terramorphous Peak can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Bandits

The Cradle
This shield causes an explosion; releasing explosive nova, when it is depleted.

  • Location: Henry, in The Highlands can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Tediore

Seraph Shields

Antagonist
Enemy bullets bounce off the Antagonist shield, and it boosts damage to enemies close by. When damage is inflicted onto it, it throws homing balls of slags at the enemy. It has increased shield capacity, innate damage reduction, low recharge relay, and fast recharge rate.

  • Location: The Seraph Vendor in Flamerock Refuge can trade it.
  • Manufacturer: Maliwan

Big Boom Blaster
The Big Boom Blaster features a very high chance to drop boosters. The boosters also have the ability to restore rocket and grenade ammo.

  • Location: In True Vault Hunter/Normal modes, The Seraph Vendor in the Badass Crater of Badassitude can trade it. In Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, Pyro Pete the Invincible can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Torgue

Blockade
The Blockade shield is very well-rounded. It doesn’t have any exceptional stats, but it has very well-balanced stats overall. It grants decent damage reducation to the wearer.

  • Location: The Ancient Dragons of Destruction can drop it.
  • Manufacturer: Anshin

Evolution
The Evolution shield has low shield capacity, high elemental resistance, and it grants increases maximum health, and health regeneration. As the shield is damaged, health regeneration is boosted.

  • Location: The Seraph Vendor in Oasis sells it.
  • Manufacturer: Anshin

Hoplite
The Hoplite shield has high shield capacity, with it increasing for each user in the party using a Hoplite.

  • Location: In True Vault Hunter and Normal mode. the Seraph Vendor in the Badass Crater of Badassitude trades it. In Ultimate Vault Hunter Mode, Pete the Invincible drops it.
  • Manufacturer: Pangolin

Pun-chee
The Pun-chee shield has high capacity, roid damage and recharge rate, plus low recharge delay. It works well with classes which use melee a lot.

Location: The Seraph Vendor in the Badass Crator of Badassitude trades it.

Manufacturer: Bandits

Sponge
The Sponge shield features high capacity and a chance to absorb bullets.

  • Location: The Seraph Vendor in the Badass Crator of Badassitude trades it.
  • Manufacturer: Vladof
Avatar photo

Ali is a passionate RPG gamer. He believes that western RPGs still have a lot to learn from JRPGs. He is editor-in-chief at SegmentNext.com but that doesn't stop him from writing about his favorite video ...