Game Mechanics Shields acting like shields (and more shields!)

Notso

Notso

Official Terrarian
Preface
Have you ever found it strange that shields in Terraria can't be used as shields? I didn't, until my most recent RP run and my character found a Cobalt Shield in the first chest in the dungeon that he opened, and I realised it was kind of strange (from his perspective) that he couldn't wear the darn thing on his off-hand while wielding a one-handed sword.

Sure, shields provide a defense bonus, but what if they could actually be used as shields, to stop (to a certain extend) incoming damage altogether?

Now, this is where I need your help. I won't claim to be any good at balancing anything, so while I did my best to come up with a way of not making these OP, if you think this could be a good addition to the game, I'd like some help to figure out "balanced" mechanics.


Shields acting like shields
My current thoughts are:
  • A slot in the "armour and accessories" column for a shield - when a shield is equipped here, it becomes "active" (i.e. you will gain any bonuses associated with it, such as its flat defense bonus or the Paladin's Shield's damage transfer), and the player's sprite is seen wielding it (unless you choose to hide it, like you can with other accessories)
  • [New mechanic alert!] In the active state, you can hold the right mouse button to "use" the shield. While doing this your movement speed is reduced (let's say, as a ball-park figure, by 75%) and you cannot attack, however...
  • [New mechanic alert!] While a shield is in use, its "% shield power" reduces damage taken by all sources, rounded to the nearest integer (i.e. DoT effects can never be reduced to 0 per tick - if you're On Fire! you're bloody-well on fire)
Tentative possibilities:
  1. The damage reduction from an in use shield is directional - from the front you get the full Shield Power, from the top and bottom you get 25%, and from the back you get none
  2. [If 1. is implemented] the shield can be "aimed" with the cursor
  3. When a shield is in use, all damage the player takes (before or after Shield Power reduction?) is removed from a new not-quite-equivalent to mana bar called "Shield Stamina", and the amount removed will be some function of increasing knockback strength of the attack. Shield Stamina will not recover while the shield is in use
  4. [If 3. is implemented] while Shield Stamina is not at 100%, movement speed is still reduced and attack speed is lowered
  5. To avoid power creep, shields could give no flat defense bonuses
What are your thoughts? I highly skilled shield user will obviously be more powerful than someone without a shield, but rather than it only being a straight buff (from the flat defense bonus) it would also increase the skill ceiling of the game. The defense bonus and crafting recipes of other armour items could even be adjusted so that using a shield gives no overall increase in the defense from an armour set or the amount of ore required to craft it.


More shields!
Craftable shields for each material that weapons and armour can be made from, e.g. from the most basic:

Wooden Shield [Crafted]
  • 20% Shield Power
  • +2 defense
Cactus Shield [Crafted]
  • 15% Shield Power
  • +1 defense
  • Melee attackers take damage

To the powerful:

Chlorophyte Shield [Crafted]
  • 70% Shield Power
  • +20 defense
  • (Poofs out a cloud of damaging gas similar to the Chlorophyte Partisan when going from active to in use)

Aegis [Found] (For those who are unaware, the Aegis was Zeus' shield, and had Medusa's head as it's central boss (i.e. the dome in the middle of the shield))
  • 65% Shield Power
  • +23 defense
  • Has a chance to petrify enemies
  • Tooltip: 'Do not use with a Magic Mirror' (has a chance to petrify self)

To the wacky:

Umbrella [A change to the existing item - still held upright as the normal Umbrella would be]
  • 0% Shield Power
  • +1 defense
  • You will fall slower while holding this
  • Tooltip: 'When raining, character gains the "Singing" buff' (has a chance to cause enemies to flee from your awful recital of the famous song)
Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for feedback :dryadsmile:


Changes
  • Scrapped the distinction between 1 and 2-handed weapons
  • Cactus Shield only damages melee attackers
 
Last edited:
Kind of reminds me of starbound's shields and weapon mechanics, with the "one or two handed weapons" thing. I'd rather people just not be able to attack while blocking.
 
Razorpinetree said:
Interesting idea like everything, but shouldn't there be like a hotkey for the sheild?
Click to expand...

Obviously it would be re-bindable, but at the moment I have it as the right mouse button:
Notso said:
  • [New mechanic alert!] In the active state, you can hold the right mouse button to "use" the shield
Click to expand...
Lecic said:
Kind of reminds me of Starbound's shields and weapon mechanics, with the "one or two handed weapons" thing. I'd rather people just not be able to attack while blocking.
Click to expand...

Hmm, so ditch the distinction between one/two handed weapons entirely? I suppose all the weapon animations in Terraria only use one hand anyway, so it's not such a big deal. I prefer that, actually, I'll change the OP.
 
You made it! I was creating an account just to give this idea. Shields are the only thing that I missed in game, maybe it's because I play Dark Souls a lot.

Adding to your idea, monsters could have an attack animation, so we can defend before the attack animation touch our character.
They said they will made a new slot for grapple hook, why not for shields? Boss battles and PvP will be in a new level with shields!

Please Staff, made it! PROBABLY it's so easy to do. PROBABLY it's just another day coding it. :(
 
I believe that shields may be implemented similarly to this way in The Other World, if the teaser trailer is anything to go by. I personally think that they should leave Terraria's shields the way they are, as I think it's unique that blocking is impossible. Adding right click blocking and all that would complicate the game in a way that isn't common to it. The Other World looks more focused on combat, so let's leave combat overhauls for that.
 
Just gonna go right ahead and say I made a thread where you actually use shields as shields. (not gonna link it cause I'm not a douche)
 
I'm not so sure about the shield slot really. It feels rather specific. Why not keep it simple and have it as a accessory slot, as it currently is.

More combat complexity is always a good idea, so I support this. You should have a look at Omnir's mod for an idea of how this was already implemented quite successfully and build some other aspects of your suggestion from this (like projectile blocking).
 
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