Difference between revisions of "Shields"

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{{merge|heavy overlap between [[tanking]], [[Shields]] and [[Passive shield tanking]]}}
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#REDIRECT [[Tanking#Shield tanking]]
{{hatnote|This article explains the functional process of spaceship shielding. For tactical applications of shields, see [[Shield tanking]], [[Passive Shield Tank]], or [[Logistics]].}}
 
==What Is a Shield?==
 
 
 
You can think of a shield as a sphere, completely enclosing the ship at a location just inside its [[Signature_radius|Signature Radius]]. [[File:QSG_shield_types.png|right|220px|alt=shield damage types (layers)]] Since the Signature Radius is the effective size of the ship – the area that is targeted by weapons – the shield intercepts any damage that occurs before it can reach the ship. At that point, the damage is filtered – some is rejected and the remainder is passed through to the ship's armor.
 
 
 
The ships shields have a different shield resistance value for each of: [[Damage_types|thermal, kinetic, EM, and explosive]] damage. <span style="color:#ccffee">Resistance</span> indicates how much of that kind of damage will be rejected by the shield when the ship is hit by that kind of weapon. Resistance values are always shown in percentages – for example, "30% Thermal Resistance" means that the shield will reject 30% of the damage from any weapons hit that does thermal damage.
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_shieldcapacity_dashboard.png|right|350px|alt=heads up display showing shield about half destroyed]]The shield also has a <span style="color:#ccffee">capacity</span> which shows how many hitpoints of damage it would take to destroy, or "drop", the shield. In combat this shows as the outermost of three red rings on the pilot's dashboard display. A ship's shield also has a <span style="color:#ccffee">recharge rate</span> which shows how fast the shield rebuilds itself while damaged.
 
 
 
The base values for all of these can be found in the Attributes panel of the ship's Show Info window.{{clear}}
 
 
 
{{Example |  Example 1: Here are the shield values for a Caldari [[Kestrel]] Frigate:
 
 
 
[[File:QSG.png|430px|alt=shield get info attributes for caldari kestral]]
 
*Shield Capacity in Hitpoints: 500
 
*Shield Recharge Time in Seconds: 625 (10.4 minutes)
 
*Shield Resistance: EM:0% Thermal:20% Kinetic:40% Explosive:50%}}
 
 
 
{{Example |  Example 2: A much bigger ship, the Minmatar [[Hurricane]] Battlecruiser:
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_hurricane_shield.png|430px|alt=shield get info attributes for minmatar hurricane]]
 
*Shield Capacity in Hitpoints: 4250
 
*Shield Recharge Time in Seconds: 1400 (23.3 minutes)
 
*Shield Resistance: EM:0% Thermal:20% Kinetic:40% Explosive:50%}} 
 
 
 
Notice that both ships have the same four shield resistance values. This is because the resistances are expressed in percentages. The Hurricane starts out with almost three times as many hitpoints, thus each percentage absorbs considerably more damage than will the Kestrel. In each case the shield recharge time tells how long it takes for shields to go from empty to 99% capacity. The actual shield recharge rate varies quite a bit in combat – this is discussed in the [[#Shield Recharge Rate|Shield Recharge Rate]] section, below.
 
 
 
===Resistance and Vulnerability===
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_hurricane_shield.png|400px|thumb|Base resistances of hurricane battlecruiser. The four resistances shown for this ship show how much of each type of damage the shield will reject.]]
 
 
 
There are four types of damage, and a shield will deal with each separately based on shield resists.
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_shielddefense.gif|260px|thumb|Shield damage rejection and vulnerability.]]
 
 
 
Each of these resistance values also represents a corresponding "vulnerability" number that shows how much damage will ''get through the shield'' for each hit of that kind of weapon. The Vulnerabilities are always 100% minus the resistances. So, for example, a ship with these resistances:
 
 
 
Shield Resistance: EM:0% Thermal:20% Kinetic:40% Explosive:50%
 
 
 
would have these vulnerabilities:
 
 
 
Shield Vulnerability: EM:100% Thermal:80% Kinetic:60% Explosive:50%
 
 
 
This is the damage that would impact on the shield if the ship flew with no benefits from skills, modules or rigs.
 
 
 
{{note box|Because of the way the shield damage reduction modules and rigs work, it is often more useful to focus on the shield's Vulnerabilities than its Resistances.}}
 
 
 
===Shield Capacity===
 
 
 
Shield capacity indicates how many hitpoints of damage it will take to drop the ''shields''. (''The ship itself is also protected by Armor and Hull defenses, and so it will take considerably more than than that to destroy the entire ship.'') In general, the larger the ship, the larger the base shield capacity.
 
 
 
You can think of a shield's capacity as its current size; whenever the shield takes damage of any kind, its capacity goes down, and it shrinks. So while hits that do thermal, kinetic, EM, and/or explosive damage may be mitigated by the shield's resistance layers, any damage that does get through will be subtracted from the Shield Capacity value. This reduction will appear on the pilot's dashboard as a red mark in the outer shield ring.
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_shieldcapacity_dashboard.png|center|400px|alt=heads up display showing shield about half destroyed]]
 
 
 
 
 
{{ note box | '''IMPORTANT''': When shield capacity drops below 25%, the shield will begin to "leak" damage through to the armor and/or the hull of the ship. A buzzer will sound when the 25% limit is reached. (Certain skills will reduce this leakage – see [[#Shield_Skills|Shield Skills]], below.)}}
 
 
 
 
 
Shield [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Item_Database:Ship_Equipment:Shield:Shield_Boosters Booster] and [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Item_Database:Ship_Equipment:Shield:Shield_Extenders Extender] modules add hitpoints to the capacity of the shield and increase the total amount of damage that the shield can take before it is destroyed. Because the total shield recharge ''time'' never changes, increasing the shield capacity will also reduce the shield recharge ''rate''.  [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Medium_Core_Defense_Field_Extender_I Core Defense Field Extender] rigs also extend shield capacity, but at the expense of Signature Radius.
 
 
 
{{Example |  Example: [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Small_Shield_Extender_I Small Shield Extender I]
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_shieldextenderI.png|thumb|alt=shield extender I get info attributes]]
 
 
 
*Bonus: adds 400 hitpoints to the shield's total capacity
 
*Stacking Penalty: no
 
*Signature Radius Penalty: yes
 
*Capacitor Use: no
 
*Applies to damage type(s): all
 
}}
 
 
 
===Damage Type Resistance===
 
As noted in the [[#Resistance and Vulnerability|Resistance and Vulnerability]] section, above, weapon strikes result in one or more of four types of damage: [[Damage_types|thermal, kinetic, EM, and/or explosive]]. Various modules mitigate specific types of damage. These modules often have stacking penalties. and while dealing with those is a matter of ship fitting, and not are discussed in detail here, an [[#Technical_Section:_Fitting_Multiple_Modules_with_Stacking_Penalties|illustrative example]] is included, below.
 
 
 
[https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Item_Database:Ship_Equipment:Shield:Shield_Hardeners Shield Hardener] and [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Item_Database:Ship_Equipment:Shield:Shield_Resistance_Amplifiers Resistance Amplifier] modules reduce the Damage Type Vulnerabilities of the shield. [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Medium_Anti-Kinetic_Screen_Reinforcer_I Anti-Damage Type Screen Reinforcer] rigs reduce specific Damage Type Vulnerabilites, but increase the ship's Signature Radius.
 
 
 
{{Example |  [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Kinetic_Deflection_Field_I Kinetic Deflection Field I]
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_kineticdeflection.png|thumb|alt=kinetic deflection I attributes]]
 
 
 
*Bonus: reduces the vulnerability of the shield to kinetic damage by 50%
 
*Stacking Penalty: yes
 
*Signature Radius Penalty: no
 
*Capacitor Use: yes
 
*Applies to damage type(s): kinetic
 
}}
 
 
 
Since you need a different module for each type of damage, and since most ships do not have enough medium level power slots to handle more than a few modules, it is difficult to use these kinds of modules to protect against all types of damage. One solution is to load the kind of module you need for the expected encounter. Another is to use a "multi-type" module that protects against all damage types.
 
 
 
{{Example | [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Item_Database:Ship_Equipment:Shield:Shield_Hardeners:Adaptive_Shield_Hardeners Adaptive Invulnerability Field I]
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_adaptiveshield_module.png|thumb|alt=adaptive shield hardener attributes]]
 
 
 
*Bonus: reduces the vulnerability of the shield to all types of damage by 25%
 
*Stacking Penalty: yes
 
*Signature Radius Penalty: no
 
*Capacitor Use: yes
 
*Applies to damage type(s): EM, explosive, kinetic. thermal
 
}}
 
 
 
The following module is listed under Armor and Hull in the EVE Ship Equipment list. It has unique properties and is widely used in many different fits.
 
{{Example | [https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Damage_Control_I Damage Control I]
 
 
 
[[File:QSG_damagecontrol_I.png|thumb|alt=damage control I attributes]]
 
 
 
*Bonus: reduces the vulnerability of the shield to all types of damage by 7.5%
 
*Stacking Penalty: none listed, [[#Weird_Exceptions|minor exceptions may apply]]
 
*Signature Radius Penalty: no
 
*Capacitor Use: yes
 
*Applies to damage type(s): EM, explosive, kinetic. thermal
 
*Other bonuses: reduces damage to armor and hull
 
*Other contstraints: a ship may activate only one of these at any given time.
 
 
 
}}
 
 
 
==Using Shields==
 
 
 
In some cases the technical construction of the ship dictates the use of Shields (or Armor) as its primary defense. Any ship receiving a bonus to shield capabilites would likely use shields. And because most shield modules use medium level power slots, a ship with more mid than low slots will tend to use shields.
 
 
 
For example, these ships will usually use shields:
 
 
 
*The ORE [[Procurer]], a mining ship, receives a 5% bonus to shield hitpoints.
 
*The Caldari [[Moa]], a cruiser, receives a 4% bonus to all shield resistances.
 
*The Caldari [[Kestrel]], a frigate, has four mid slots and only two low slots.
 
 
 
On the other hand, these ships will usually use armor:
 
 
 
*The Amarr [[Prophecy]], a battlecruiser, has seven low slots and four medium slots.
 
*The Gallente [[Incursus]], a frigate, has a 7.5% bonus to Armor Repairer amount.
 
 
 
It is worth noting that many ships can use either shields or armor. In these cases the choice is a matter of fitting ... what is the goal of the fit, and what are the skills of the pilot?
 
 
 
{{ note box | '''IMPORTANT''': Ships should use ''either'' shields ''or'' armor ... but never both. Some shield modules increase the Signature Radius of a ship and make it easier to target. Some armor modules decrease the speed of a ship and make it easier to catch. While there are benefit trade-offs that make this acceptable for one kind of defense or the other, there are few, if any, trade-offs that accomodate both.  | italics = no }}
 
 
 
===Advantages of Shields===
 
 
 
*Does not reduce speed or maneuverability
 
*As a first line of defense, leaves you with Armor and Hull as a fallback if shields go down
 
*Recharge on their own – no need to dock for repairs
 
*Shield recharge modules work more quickly than armor repair modules
 
*Low slots are available for weapon enhancing modules
 
 
 
===Disadvantages of Shields===
 
 
 
*Increases signature radius – ship becomes easier to target
 
*Fewer kinds of enhancement modules – less choice than with armor
 
*Shield recharge modules use more capacitor power than armor repair modules
 
*Mid slots are not available for EWAR, propulsion and scanning modules
 
 
 
===Shield Tanking===
 
 
 
The term "shield tanking" refers to the use of shields as a ship's primary defensive mechanism. There are three general approaches to Shield Tanking:
 
 
 
*Active – use modules that draw on the ship's capacitor to improve shield performance
 
*Passive – use modules that do not draw on the ship's capacitor; mostly to improve shield recharge rate
 
*Buffer – use modules that do not draw on the ship's capacitor; mostly to increase the shield's capacity and resistance
 
 
 
This topic is covered in depth in the course on [[Shield_tanking|Shield Tanking]], and in the article on [[Passive_Shield_Tank|Passive Shield Tank]].
 
 
 
=== Ships that Use Shields ===
 
 
 
Every ship has a shield. Whether or not a pilot decides to expand and improve the shield is his or her choice. You can find [[Shield_Tanking#Common_Shield_Tanking_Ships|lists of ships]] that are commonly tanked with shields, but unless you are in a drastic hurry, you are better off choosing a ship that fits your situation and THEN deciding whether to use shields or armor as your primary defense.
 
 
 
That said, here are the factors that you look for when you are thinking about shields:
 
*a ship bonus that favors shields over armor,
 
*a shortage of low or a surplus of mid power slots,
 
*more need to favor modules that improve weaponry (which tend to need low slots),
 
* less need for modules that support tackling and scanning (which tend to need mid slots),
 
*pilot skills that are biased towards shields.
 
 
 
 
 
== Fitting Multiple Modules with Stacking Penalties ==
 
 
 
Shield resistance modules are subject to [[Stacking_penalties|Stacking penalties]] which progressively reduce the effectiveness of the modules if they alter the same attribute. In other words, the second module is less than 100% effective, the third even less so, and so on.
 
 
 
The penalty only applies to the module's impact on the affected attribute, and progresses as follows:
 
 
 
:1st mod: 100.0% effectiveness
 
:2nd mod: 86.9% effectiveness
 
:3rd mod: 57.1% effectiveness
 
:4th mod: 28.3% effectiveness
 
:... etc.
 
 
 
The modules are penalized in order from least effective to more effective - the "best" module for that attribute will be the one that works at 100%; the "second best" one at 86.9%. It is not recommended to fit more than two or three resist modules that are stacking penalized.
 
 
 
In addition to stacking penalties the shield resists aren't added together directly. Two 30% unpenalized resist modules will not give your ship 60% resist profile. You can think that each resist module reduces incoming damage individually. With incoming hit of 100 damage the first 30% resist module would reduce the hit to 70 damage and the second resist module would further reduce 70 damage to 49 damage giving total resist of 51% instead of 60%.
 
 
 
[[Category:Fitting]]
 

Latest revision as of 16:49, 19 January 2023