Best Shields in Borderlands 2 (2024)

Borderlands 2 has a lot of awesome shields but what are the best shields in the game? Well, in this Borderlands 2 item guide, I’m going to inform you which shields you should be farming and why. Because there are really great shields in the game and Tanky Turtle Shields and Adaptive Shields will get you a long way, however, which Shields should you use in Borderlands 2’s End Game? So without further ado, these are the best shields in Borderlands 2!

Borderlands 2: Best Shields

These are the best shields in Borderlands 2 for any character and will work with any general build.

5. Evolution

The Evolution is a Seraph Adaptive Shield manufactured by Anshin and is very similar to its legendary counterpart, the Neogenator. While the Evolution has a low shield capacity it significantly increases your maximum health. On top of that, it also provides you with the highest elemental resistance in the game. The Evolution Shield also provides some health regeneration that increases as the shield takes damage.

The Evolution can be obtained from Hyperius the Invincible in the “Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty” DLC or you can purchase it for 120 crystals from the Seraph Vendor in Oasis during your Normal or True Vault Hunter Mode playthrough. Technically, it can also drop from Master Gee the Invincible, however, you only have a 0.5% chance of getting it there against a 33% from Hyperius the Invincible.

4. Blockade

The Blockade is a Seraph shield manufactured by Anshin that has good overall stats, however, it shines due to its damage resistance. This shield grants you a +52.5% Damage Reduction passive bonus, however, when the Blockade is fully charged, it grants you an additional +450% Damage Reduction. Which is very useful for surviving very heavy damage such as explosions and raid boss attacks.

The Blockade can only be obtained from the Ancient Dragons of Destruction in the “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” DLC and has a 33% drop chance.

3. Sham

The Sham is a legendary absorb shield manufactured by Vladof. Its absorption chance ranges from 77% to 94% depending on the item’s parts. The 94% Sham is a popular sought-out item in the Borderlands community.

Its high absorb chance is great against enemies with firearms, however, its low capacity makes you more vulnerable to other attacks.

The Sham has an increased chance to drop from BNK-3R located in The Bunker map of the base game.

2. Antagonist

The Antagonist is a Seraph shield manufactured by Maliwan that can deflect bullets. On top of that, it will fire homing Slag orbs back at the enemy when damaged. The Shield will still deflect bullets when it’s depleted, however, it will not shoot the Slag orbs.

The Antagonist is an overall great shield that has good stats and provides you with the ability to Slag enemies without needing to switch to a Slag weapon but you should not rely on this ability.

The Antagonist can be obtained for 120 Crystals from the Seraph Vendor in Flamerock Refuge in the “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” DLC.

1. The Bee

The Bee is a legendary Amplify Shield made by Hyperion. Its special ability adds Amp damage to your shots without consuming Shield Capacity. Amp Shields will only provide Amp Damage when your shield is full but they drain a portion of your shield capacity. That way you only deal bonus damage on your first shot after each shield recharge. However, since the legendary Bee shield doesn’t drain your shield when applying the Amp Damage, you will deal that bonus damage as long as you keep your shield fully charged.

The Bee Shield’s Amp damage gets divided over the number of projectiles that are on the weapon’s item card. This means that shotgun pellets only get a fraction of the bonus damage. However, when a projectile splits and is not listed on the item card, you will get the Amp damage on all your projectiles.

The Bee can be obtained from Hunter Hellquist located in Arid Nexus – Boneyard or from Treants in the Forest in the “Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep” DLC.

Honorable Mentions

These are also great shields in Borderlands 2, however, they lean more towards a specific character and will work really well with a specialized build.

Love Thumper

Love Thumper is a unique maylay shield manufactured by bandits. It deals good Roid Damage and each melee hit will create an explosive nova. While other shields might provide more Roid Damage, you have a bit more opportunities to apply it with this shield. This is a great shield for your Melee Zero build.

You can get the Love Thumper by completing the mission “Best Mother’s Day Ever” located in The Highlands.

The Rough Rider

The Rough Rider is a unique shield manufactured by Jakobs. It is the shield without a shield because it actually has zero capacity and that’s the interesting part. While the Rough Rider also provides increased Health and Damage Reduction the fact that it’s always fully drained allows you to enable those skills that only trigger when your shield is broken. Something Salvador players can really benefit from.

You can get the Rough Rider from The Bulwark in Hunter’s Grotto during the “Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt” DLC.

Big Boom Blaster

Big Boom Blaster is a Seraph Booster Shield manufactured by Torgue. This shield drops boosters that replenish 1 Grenade and 1 Rocket Launcher Ammo on picked up. The Big Boom Blaster is a good choice for players that use a lot of rockets and grenades.

You can get the Big Boom Blaster from Pyro Pete on UVHM in the “Campaign of Carnage” DLC or purchase it for 120 crystals from the Seraph Vendor in Badass Crater of Badassitude.

Flame of the Firehawk

Flame of the Firehawk is a legendary Nova Shield manufactured by Maliwan. Its special ability is that it constantly triggers fire novas when your shield breaks. There are cool character builds that extend this ability, for example; Krieg can set himself on fire and can constantly trigger these novas as his shield will stay drained. But other characters could use the “Orphan Maker” as this cursed weapon deals self-damage.

Flame of the Firehawk is a quest reward from the mission Cult Following: The Enkindling located in Frostburn Canyon.

Hide of Terramorphous

Hide of Terramorphous is a legendary shield manufactured by bandits. It combines the effects of a Roid, Nova, and Spike Shield and provides the Highest Roid Damage in the game. The Hide of Terramorphous is a very versatile shield and Gaige, Krieg, and Zero can make really good use of it.

You can get the Hide of Terramorphous from Terramorphous the Invisible located in Terramorphous Peak.

Conclusion

These are the best Shields in Borderlands 2, however, that doesn’t take away that you can create cool interactions with other shields. The most important thing is that you have fun playing the game and if you think another shield should be on this list, then let me know in the comments.