SHIELDS or HP - which is better? (Risk of Rain 2)

Summary

In this video, the debate between shields and HP in gaming is explored, focusing on the mechanics of shields, particularly the item Transcendence. The video explains how shields work, their differences from regular HP, and how items like Shield Generators and leech mechanics interact with them. The pros and cons of investing in shields versus regular HP are discussed, considering factors like survivability, one-shot protection, and gameplay style. The video concludes with a personal perspective on whether shields are worth it, ultimately suggesting that regular HP and leeching are often more consistent and effective in most runs.

Takeaways

• 😀 Shields and HP both function as health, with shields being a blue HP and regular HP being green. However, they differ in healing and recharging mechanics.
• 😀 Transcendence converts all your HP into shields and increases your total health by 50%, plus 25% per stack of transcendence, but does not interact with healing mechanics like leech or regen.
• 😀 Shield recharging only begins after 7 seconds of not taking damage, and will reset if you take damage during this period.
• 😀 Regular HP and shields behave similarly when taking enemy damage, but fall damage is exclusively based on regular HP, meaning transcendence significantly reduces fall damage to 1.
• 😀 Leeching and regen do not replenish shields, but they still apply to you in terms of healing and leeching, though the effect on shields is null.
• 😀 Shield generators only provide shields based on your pre-transcendence HP and do not scale with your shield amount after the conversion.
• 😀 Transcendence interacts with items that increase your base HP (like Knurl and Infusion) by providing a much higher total health after conversion.
• 😀 The effectiveness of transcendence and shaped glass are both tied to the random and exclusive nature of lunar items, making them difficult to rely on in regular runs.
• 😀 Despite the potential benefits of higher HP or shields, one-shot protection plays a significant role in survivability, especially when your HP is above 90%.
• 😀 The passive playstyle of using shields with transcendence is less flexible compared to the more active, aggressive approach enabled by regular HP with leech and regen.
• 😀 While shields are not necessarily bad, they are generally not worth the investment unless you're building specifically for a shield-heavy strategy, such as with transcendence.

Q & A

What is the main comparison in this video?

The video compares the effectiveness of shields versus regular HP in *Risk of Rain 2*, focusing on the mechanics of the Transcendence item and its impact on gameplay.

How do shields function in *Risk of Rain 2*?

Shields function similarly to regular HP in terms of taking damage, but they cannot be healed or regenerated by normal means. They can only recharge after a 7-second window of no damage, and if any damage is taken during that time, the recharge process resets.

What is the key difference between shields and regular HP?

Shields are a different form of health (blue HP) and behave the same way as regular HP (green HP) when taking damage, but shields do not benefit from healing or leeching effects. Additionally, shields require a 7-second period of no damage to begin recharging.

How does Transcendence interact with a character’s health?

Transcendence converts all of a character's regular HP into shields and then increases their total health by 50%, with an additional 25% per stack. This significantly boosts the character's shield pool but prevents them from benefiting from healing and leeching as normal.

Does Transcendence affect shield generators?

No, shield generators only grant shields based on the character’s regular HP, not the converted shield pool. So, even with Transcendence, shield generators do not scale off the higher shield values.

What are the main advantages of having high HP instead of shields?

High HP allows for better leech and regeneration, which are vital for survivability. Additionally, high HP enables **One-Shot Protection**, which prevents death from a single instance of damage when above 90% health.

Can you rely on one-shot protection when using shields from Transcendence?

No, **One-Shot Protection** is based on regular HP. Since Transcendence converts all HP into shields, the protection is no longer available once you reach below 90% of your regular HP.

How does Transcendence interact with items like **Knurls** and **Infusions**?

Items like **Knurls** and **Infusions** increase regular HP before Transcendence is applied, boosting the shield pool significantly when you pick up Transcendence. However, these items don’t impact shields directly after conversion.

What happens if you stack **Shaped Glass** with Transcendence?

Stacking **Shaped Glass** with Transcendence reduces your regular HP, making leeching and healing more effective. However, this strategy is harder to achieve in normal runs due to the exclusivity of obtaining both items from the Lunar Bazaar.

What playstyle is better for survivability, shields or regular HP?

Regular HP, combined with leech and healing, offers more consistent survivability. Shields, especially with Transcendence, require retreating for recharge, which can be cumbersome in high-stress situations. Regular HP lets you continue fighting and healing through damage, making it more reliable in most cases.