[Greylancer]

I didn't post in this forum much...well almost nothing....going to change that now....punch me for every mistake i make here because somethimes my sentences end up in a mess.....

I dont see shield very often. Maybe because it doens't work against swords, mind shock and cannonade. But it is a great skill that even helps you dodging sword attacks. In the right hands you can boost your mobility significantly. But first I am going to list all features it has:

Feature 1 : The shield itself. Duh!

Using the skill buttion will create a barrier in front of you. The shield depletes your SP over time. You and your teammates can attack through the shield. The shield will protect you from most weapons. Exceptions are :

Mind Shock, Cannonade, Sentinell, Greanade Launcher, Swords and the Smash Rifle Smash Attack

Sentry Guns won't shoot at you if you are hiding behind a shield. I am not sure if it reacts to players hiding behind somebody else's shield.

Every bullet that hits the shield will drain you SP even more. You can also hit the shield from behind. You can turn it off by pressing the skill button again. The skill doesn't give you a SP "penalty" if you actiavte it unlike Invisible and Fly. Also Shield doesn't alter your runspeed in any way.

The shield gives you a big advantage in a 1vs1 situations. You can also use it to protect somebody. It can also be used to bait swords attacks. However if more enemies start to shoot at you it doens't help much because it will drain you SP very quick making you defenseless.

Feature 2 : "Dodge State"

While you are dodging you can use certain sword attacks in mid-air that you normally could only pull off on the ground. I call this Dodge State. While you shield is active you also have a Dodge State. So you can use sword attacks in the air without using too much SP. Using a sword attack deactivates you shield. Exception here : Counter Sword Revenge. (Simple but useful bait!) Also you have to wait until the shield startup animation is complete. If you don't, you may come out with a jump attack instead.

Here a list of all the Attacks that can be used during a aerial Dodge State.

Plasma Sword Light Slash
Plasma Sword Heavy Slash
Counter Sword Heavy Slash
(Very useful for a real uppercut! However it isn't as fast as Revenge -> Dodge -> Heavy Slash)
Storm Bat Heavy Strike
Smash Rifle Smash Attack

Example of using the Shield's "Dodge State"

Activate Shield -> Jump -> Counter Sword Heavy Slash
Shift -> Space -> Hold down Left Mouse Button

BTW : Running gives you a Dodge State too! Although its very trick to use...


Feature 3 : Cancels any non-sword attack

You can cancel ANY non-sword weapon with shield. Sub, Rev, Sentry,... you name it. Even the Smash Rifle Heavy Attack can be cancelled. You can only cancel by activating not by deactivating. If you press the skill button twice the shield will be automaticlly turned off keeping the SP usage to minimum (this is also known as Air Hugging).

Invisible, Metallic, Anchor, Bind and Block can cancel too. However shield only needs a pixel of SP to activate and the animation is very short.

Examples for canceling with shield :

Fire charged Railgun/Canno -> Cancel into shield (Air Hugging) -> Fire again!
Hold down and release fire button -> Shift, Shift -> Fire button

Smash rifle Smash Attack -> Cancel into shield before it can hit anything
Right mouse button -> Shift
(can be used as a feint...)

Just keep in mind you can't avoid the weapon cooldown by canceling. Railgun and Cannonade are exceptions because they can be charged. You can double shoot with them because the cooldown "timer" starts as soon you hold the left mouse button.

Another thing you should keep in mind is if you want to cancel while your shield is on: You have to turn off the shield first, reactivate it and then cancel into a dodge or a run.

Here a example of canceling while your shield is active.

Activate Shield -> Firing Subs -> Deactivating, Activate
Shift -> Fire Button -> Shift, Shift


Feature 4 : Cancelling the shield startup animation

You can cancel the shield startup animation by either dodging or running. Both actions will turn the shield off. Canceling the shield animation (or an active shield in general) on the ground with a dodge will launch you in the air.

Invisible, Anchor and Block can be canceled too. But it only works with a dodge.

Examples for canceling the shield startup animation.
Activate Shield -> Dodge
Shift -> A/D + Space
Activate Shield -> Run
Shift -> Foward, Foward

Feature 5 : Chain Canceling

Combinding the ability to cancel with the shield and then cancel the shield animation itself into something else gives you the ability to instantly react.

Here some more examples :

Burst/Revo shot -> Activate Shield -> Run
Fire Button -> Shift -> Foward, Foward
(Useful if you want to advance and keep shooting)

Firing the Heavy Machine Gun -> Activate Shield -> Run
Hold down and release fire button -> Shift -> Foward, Foward

Burst/Revo shot -> Activate Shield ->Auto jump Dodge
Fire Button -> Shift -> A/D + Space
(Your personal lifesaver!)

Railgun/Canno charged up -> Cancel into shield and release the left mouse button a split second later
Hold down fire button -> Shift, release fire button
(The Beam won't come out. You have to do it quick though because you could waste a bullet if you are too slow)

Basically cancel anything with a cooldown animation. Cancel into dodge whenever you are in danger. Cancel into running to advance. Its tricky at first but you get used to it. I had to relearn it because mouse macros no longer work with S4...(used Autohotkey to bind my middle mouse button to the shift button)

Feature 6 : Gun + Sword Mixup

You can use shield canceling, the shield itself, shield's dodge state and chain canceling to attack with swords out of nowhere and defend your self with Revenge.

Examples :

Revolver Shot -> Activate Shield -> Plasma Sword Dash
Fire Button -> Shift -> Switch to PS and Right Click

Submachine Gun Salvo -> Activate Shield -> Counter Sword Revenge
Fire Button -> Shift -> Switch to CS and hold down Right mouse button

Revolver Shot -> Activate Shield -> Auto Jump Dodge -> Plasma Sword Heavy Slash
Fire Button -> Shift -> A/D + Space -> Switch to PS and hold down Left mouse button

Submachine Gun Salvo -> Activate Shield -> Jump -> Plasma Sword Light Slash
Fire Button -> Shift -> Space -> Switch to PS and Left Click

Submachine Gun Salvo -> Activate and deactivate Shield (Air Hug) -> Jump -> Plasma Sword Stun
Fire Button -> Shift, Shift -> Space -> Switch to PS and Left Click

Edit note #1 : Basic stuff included now. Reordered some stuff. Command inputs now highlighted.
Edit note #2 : Gun + Sword Mixup added. Edited command stuff.

This post has been edited by Greylancer: 20 October 2010 - 06:37 PM

[S⑨D]

Er, not to be rude or anything, but don't we already have a shield cancel/related guide somewhere up here.

[Anka]

We do sorry :(

[Greylancer]

Err...Maybe I am idiot but I couldn't find one in the yellow book or else where on the board... >.<

[StyxNStones]

I can't recall what the other guide is either but certainly having another viewpoint on the same thing is welcome!

[Reiki]

Looks good, but I think you should explain the basics of the "Shield" skill as well as explain some manuevers. Take a look at the eGs, Intro to S4, and Wavedash guides. They include notations and commands you can input, but always include very basic manuevers and explanations.

For example, though this is a guide about shield, you have not mentioned the following:

• Shield loses SP over time.
  
• Shield loses SP as its hit per bullet.
  
• Unlike Block, shield is directly proportional to SP.
  
• Activating shield does not effect running speed.
  
• Shield only stops bullet and beam based items. Solid objects like a grenade from the Granade Gun, melee weapons, or the explosion from a cannonade, cannot be blocked.
  
• Shield blocks all bullets period thus can be used to stop bullets of people behind you.
  
• Shield's activation cost is very low, allowing cancelling to be useful.

There are a few more, but I really believe you should emphasize the basics (things you mention in your first paragraph) extensively to make your guide unique rather than just touch on the advanced stuff. Then it's worth approving. Also, pictures! Media! Use as much as you can!

[Hamlet Piglet]

I don't think it has an activation cost at all, never not been able to activate a shield.

[Prostigone]

WizPig, on 19 October 2010 - 11:15 PM, said:

I don't think it has an activation cost at all, never not been able to activate a shield.

It doesn't; if you don't have enough SP, it'll just make the power down sound and nothing of value was lost.

[Greylancer]

Edited the guide....again. Maybe I make a tutorial video for shield. I already have most of the footage available because I wanted to make a video that includes every "special move" in S4. (Wave Dash, Anchor Multijump, Flying CS Revenge Dodge...etc) However I canceled it for reasons I can't remember...