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Energy shields inDune: Awakeningprovide wearers with an extra layer of defense against conventional weaponry. They absorb damage with little to no cost to the wearer, allowing them to shrug off ballistic weaponry and other projectiles. However, much like in the source material, slow blades are more than capable of defeating a shield user.
It’ll take a while before players can get their first shield inDune: Awakening, and once they do, they’ll be able to venture deeper into the more dangerous parts of the deserts of Arrakis without fear. Still, considering how differently shields here work compared to other games, you’ll want to know the little details that makeDune: Awakening’sHoltzman shields so unique.
How to Get a Personal Shield in Dune: Awakening
Players will be able to craft theHoltzman Shield Mk2after they unlock its schematic via the Research menu, though this won’t be available untilafter players leave theDune: Awakeningtutorial zone. You can build one at a Fabricator using the following materials:
Particle Capacitors and Holtzman Actuators can be found in old Imperial ruins,such as Imperial Testing Stations. Imperial Testing Station 10 in Vermillius Gap has quite a lot of these components inside it, but it is also filled with heavily-armed scavengers. Solo players will need to get crafty with how they fight here. Otherwise, bring a friend or two to take some pressure off your shoulders.
Shields can also be bought from vendors or looted from the world, though they will often be in bad condition if found randomly.
Dune: Awakening - Shield Mechanics
As the game’s tutorial presented, shields cannot be penetrated by projectile weapons or shrapnel from explosives. However, they can bebypassed by heavy melee attacksor overloaded by large volumes of fire.Additionally, they must be manually turned on or off once equipped.
Stamina management is the key to success inDune: Awakening’smelee fights. Players who run out of stamina first are often the first to go down in a fight. Force reactions from your opponent by using light and heavy attacks, and when they tire themselves out, move in for the kill.
As for ranged combat,Disruptorscan overload shields with their extreme rate of fire. Some weapons also firepoison dartsthat disperse toxic clouds on impact. The darts themselves won’t penetrate shields, but the poison will damage targets directly.
Shields will continuously regenerate until they overload completely. They will break if the damage players take outpace the shield’s regeneration rate.
Additional Mechanics
Base Shields
Players can also protect their bases with shields by placing and powering a generator. When a base is shielded,it cannot be raided by other players, and it will resist damage from sandstorms. However, sandstorms in the Deep Desert will still short-circuit base shields, making them vulnerable to attack.
