Before each round in Valorant, players have the option to choose several items to help them defeat their opponents. One of the essential items is armor. It is divided into three types of shields, differing in cost and protection level. Today, the Bo3 editorial team has prepared a guide explaining the types of shields in Valorant, how they work, and which one is best to choose depending on the situation.
In this article:
What Are Shields in Valorant?
Shields in Valorant are additional protective items that don't increase your maximum health but provide extra armor for a specific amount of HP. Shields come in two types — light and heavy — and regardless of the type, both absorb 66% of incoming damage.
One unique feature of shields is that they carry over to the next round. For instance, if you finish a round with 5 shield points remaining, you will start the next round with the same value. However, shields do not protect agents from fall damage, nor can they be restored using healing abilities.
Shields can only be replenished by purchasing new ones at the start of a round. Additionally, if one of your teammates leaves the match, your team will automatically receive Light Shields in the first round after the side switch. Now that you know what shields are in Valorant, let’s move on to the types of protection and when to use them.
Light Shields
The first type of shield, as the name suggests, is a lighter version, providing less protection. Light Shields cost 400 credits, making them a budget option when your economy is weak. They absorb 25 damage and can help you survive a direct headshot from certain weapons at distances between 0 and 30 meters. Light Shields will protect you from pistols (except the Sheriff), SMGs like the Stinger and Spectre, shotguns like Bucky and Judge, LMGs like Ares and Odin, and even the Bulldog rifle.
However, Light Shields won’t protect you from headshots from sniper rifles or the most popular rifles like Vandal and Phantom. Still, they offer solid body protection against most weapons, except for the Operator sniper rifle and the recently added Outlaw rifle, both of which can penetrate light armor. The addition of the Outlaw significantly changed the meta, where players previously preferred light armor due to its low cost and decent protection.
When to Use Light Shields
Light armor is a budget-friendly option. You should buy it when your economy is struggling, or if you know the enemy’s weapon setup and heavy armor won’t save you from a Vandal headshot or an Operator body shot.
If you’ve lost the first few rounds and don’t have enough credits for both a weapon and heavy armor, prioritize Light Shields. While offering less protection, they allow you to fully buy weapons and abilities, compensating for the lack of defense. Light Shields are also effective in pistol rounds, where enemies don’t have high-damage weapons.
Heavy Shields
The second type is Heavy Shields. Unlike Light Shields, they cost 1,000 credits but absorb up to 50 damage. This price difference is why many players prefer Light Shields. Heavy Shields provide an extra 50 HP, allowing you to survive more damage. Only a few weapons can deliver a one-shot kill to the head within 30 meters, including Vandal, Guardian, Sheriff, and sniper rifles (Outlaw, Operator, Marshal).
In terms of body shots, Heavy Shields make you much harder to kill. The only weapon that can kill you with a single body shot within 30 meters is the Operator.
When to Use Heavy Shields
Heavy Shields are a versatile protection option that significantly increases your survivability and opens more gameplay opportunities. Due to their high cost, Heavy Shields aren’t usually purchased in the first rounds, where investing in weapons is more important. Typically, you can buy Heavy Shields along with full abilities and weapons after confidently winning the first 2-3 rounds. If you lose the pistol round and early rounds, Heavy Shields are usually purchased after round 4-5, provided you have enough credits.
Note that your armor choice should also depend on your opponents and the overall game situation. If you fail to plant the Spike or eliminate several opponents, your economy will suffer, making it better to skip Heavy Shields to save for future rounds.
Regenerative Shields
With patch 9.10, Valorant introduced a third type of armor — Regenerative Armor — featuring a unique mechanic unlike any other in the game.It costs only 250 credits more than Light Shields (650 credits total) and can absorb up to 75 damage, 25 more than Heavy Shields. However, there’s a catch: it can only absorb 25 damage at a time.
After taking damage, if the wearer survives and avoids damage for a few seconds, the armor will regenerate back to 25 points. It has two additional charges, meaning it can absorb up to 75 damage in total.
When to Use Regenerative Armor
Regenerative Armor is a specific choice. It offers the same initial protection as Light Shields (25 points), but for an extra 150 credits, you gain the ability to restore that protection.It’s best used in rounds where enemies don’t have high-damage weapons that can kill you with a single shot. It’s also effective if your team has agents capable of healing.
This makes Regenerative Armor a good choice for eco rounds, force buys, or bonus rounds. However, if the enemy team has powerful weapons, it’s better to choose Light or Heavy Shields, depending on your team’s economy.
Conclusion
After reading this guide, you’ve learned about the types of shields in Valorant, how they work, and when to use each one. Remember, armor selection should be discussed with your team, as cooperation is key to winning in Valorant. Keep following our portal to learn more about various aspects of Valorant and how to use them effectively. We will update this guide if the armor system changes in future patches, as happened with the introduction of Regenerative Armor.
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