Spiral Knights - Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Aegis and Thorn Shields

Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Aegis and Thorn Shields

14 replies [Last post]

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 15:49

Latisan-Sklay

Coming soon to a podcast near you... the Defender/Aegis line and the Bristling Buckler/Barbarous Thorn Shield line.

Do you use either of them?
What do you think of the Missions system "giving" the recipes for the Aegis line to you?
Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?
Is there any time when you HAVE to have this shield?
What do you think of the looks?

Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Mon, 04/29/2013 - 17:38

Eclaium

Do you use either of them? I

Do you use either of them?
I do have a BTS and a 5* Honour Shield -whatever it's called- which is practically the same as an Aegis. But I almost never use the Aegis, it's still lvl 9.8 (too lazy to carry it again through a mission only for lvl 0.2). I think I only used it like twice or three times when I was doing bombs only JK or trying to heat it in FSC.. while the BTS has been used for over a ...thousand times lol idk really but I use BTS and SSB too much, other shields in my arsenal are rusty now.

Have you noticed any difference between the two of them?
- They look different
- BTS has DMG bonus medium on swords.
- Took ages to find BTS recipe from Basil.
...let's be serious..hm..according to the statuses, Aegis has more defence but I don't notice any difference at guarding jellies' hits. Well, I know it's not a reliable opinion since I haven't done any test or even use the Aegis regularly :3

What do you think of the Missions system "giving" the recipes for the Aegis line to you?
I don't care 'cause I haven't used the recipe yet...for ages.

Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?
Definitely BTS is more worth it to use over the Aegis, apart from the purpose to use Aegis as a costume - it certainly is a cool shield. If you spend energy and crowns for crafting cost, be bothered to get a few more extra money to get BTS recipe, it's worth it especially if you're a sword user. Even if you really care about defences, still, I wouldn't go for Aegis if I were you - Iron Might Plate Shield will save you better. But a great famous person will say: Offence is Defence - the faster you kill monsters, the less damage you take.
Erm, maybe this all sounds like I'm an extreme anti-Aegist but I love the looking <3

Is there any time when you HAVE to have this shield?
I think you only need BTS in your entire SK life. Actually, only SSB is fine but you need to pass 5* Hall of Heroes. As I said above, I almost never use other shields apart from those two, I even use BTS in Shadow Lairs as I'm a sword main player in PvE (somehow I use other shields in danger missions lol).
Well but the answer is no; you don't HAVE to have this shield.

What do you think of the looks?
Aegis and Honour Shield - OMG THIS IS THE BEST LOOKING SHIELD EVAH
BTS - WOW BLACK AND RED LOOKS LIKE A SNARBOLAX ZOMG :O
*cough*

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 19:28

Zeddy

I'm in the process of crafting a Heater Shield. I assume you're lumping this with Aegis and not giving it its own podcast or anything.

The reason for this is that freeze is very important to have on your shield. To get free of being frozen, you need to be able to block the next incoming hit, which is very likely to be freeze-based.

Mon, 04/29/2013 - 23:22

Thinslayer

@Zeddy

I was wondering whether the Heater Shield's freeze resistance was useful. Thanks for the insight.

Regarding the questions...

Do you use either of them?
I actually do not use my BTS as much as one might think. I like my defensive shields. I sometimes use the Aegis for its looks.

What do you think of the Missions system "giving" the recipes for the Aegis line to you?
The Aegis works. I think it's fine that the missions give it to you.

Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?
I don't use either shield often enough to notice, but the Aegis's slightly improved defense has a noticeable psychological impact, if not a major defensive impact.

Is there any time when you HAVE to have this shield?
When I'm wearing my Azure Guardian set. Then I'll refuse to equip any other shield.

What do you think of the looks?
Both look amazing, but I think the Aegis is more awesome-looking. Its name and appearance exude strength, and its Spiral Crest gives you a feeling of belonging to the Order.

The Barbarous Thorn Shield, on the other hand, exudes a different kind of strength: that of the legendary Snarbolax. It looks positively evil!

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 10:05

Zangrious

Tactful

Do you use either of them?

I tend to use Barbarous ALL the time. Out of all the shields, this tends to be the only one that I actually rely on in all situations. On occasion, I may use the Crest of Almire in FSC, but the damage trade-off tends not to be worth it.

What do you think of the Missions system "giving" the recipes for the Aegis line to you?

I merely shrug it off with an "Eh". Sure, it see,s cheap, but considering the Aegis and its family are the most basic shields in the game, it just seems as a means of practicing with a 5* shield, in prep for any of the other 5* shields.

Is it ever more worth it to use one over the other?

It is ALWAYS worth it to use the Barbarous over the Aegis. The Aegis may be easy to acquire, but the Barbarous is worthwhile because it gives you the Sword Damage Bonus, while still doing the Aegis' job of piercing and normal defense.

Is there any time when you HAVE to have this shield?

I always have my Barbarous Shield on me, for almost every mission, and almost every occasion. Combat with the Barbarous is easier than with the Aegis because, as stated before, the Barbarous does everything the Aegis can do, and more. As well, the Barbarous is just more visually appealing; the three glowing 'eyes' make it seem as if the shield is truly alive, and considering the Barbarous equipment lore, I wouldn't be surprised if it was.

What do you think of the looks?

The Aegis looks...okay, considering the shield with the extra swords and stuff. It just seems that the decorative swords are unnecessary, as they have no real meaning to the shield's defense or abilities. In the case of the Barbarous Thorn Shield, its visual appeal associates with its story, as the Barbarous line is the evolution of the original, brown-furred Snarbolax, into the voracious, shadow-cloaked king of beasts. The deep, black color, the glowing red spines, and the three fierce eyes, make it seem like I'm carrying a piece of the beast into the battlefield, lending me strength.

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 13:05

Latisan-Sklay

Not that I use the term often... >.<

Look how swag this podcast is. Our own hosts comment on our discussion threads.

Word out.

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 13:23

Qwez

meh...

I don't have a BTS because I don't need the damage, and I'm generally derping around with my Ancient Plate Shield or Swiftstrike. I'd only use the BTS when I'm soloing and rushing through a level that is simple, otherwise I see no point in the extra damage. I'd rather have a shield when I need a shield, instead of a shield that blocks the easiest damage type. These shields also don't block any statuses, which can be deadly...

Tue, 04/30/2013 - 14:27

Klipik

There's no reason to use Aegis over another shield... BTS has sword attack at the cost of a little defense, and Ironmight has more health and more normal defense at the cost of a little piercing defense. That's why it's ok to give the Cobalt line for free, because there are other sets that do everything better. (That goes for armor too.)

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 05:03

Latisan-Sklay

Whee.

Stayin' alive.

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 07:25

Aureate

There is exactly one reason to get Aegis, and that is if you are a gunslinger on a discount.
The only worthwhile offensive shield for a gunslinger to get is Swiftstrike, which is a nice reasonably cheap 3* shield. Unfortunately, that ain't gonna cut it to get you t3 access, as much as you would like to scream and shout at those guardians that of course you are competent. Aegis is the cheapest option for a 5* shield.

BTS: Expensive, moderately useful for sword users, looks fairly badass with glowing red eyes
Aegis: Cheap shield with same defensive stats as BTS, but swords strapped to it look cool

Unfortunately I will probably be sticking to my Swiftstrike for most of the time, since I don't use swords as much as I used to. I still have the BTS and Exalted Honour Guard in my arsenal, though...

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 12:16

#10

Sir-Greenlink

I used the Aegis line up

I used the Aegis line up until the Mighty Defender. It was then that I switched to Owlite (kinda late, I know). I eventually got the Crest of Almire and Barbarous Thorn shields; they took a while to get but it was worth the effort in the end.

When the homecoming promotion happened, I received the Exalted Honour Guard (a reskin of the Aegis). While the Aegis may have slightly more defence, I prefer the sword damage bonus of the Barbarous Thorn Shield - swords are my main weapon type and there are very few situations in which I will go without one.

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 12:18

#11

Sir-Greenlink

Ignore this post

(Ignore this post. I'm a derp and accidentally clicked the save button twice.)

Thu, 05/02/2013 - 16:55

#12

Orbwanter

There is exactly one reason to get Aegis, and that is if you are a gunslinger on a discount.

Even then, it's better to just get a Blitz and have someone bring you on FSC runs until you have enough tokens for an Ancient Plate Shield.

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 09:21

#13

Batabii

Aegis is bad and you should feel bad for using it.

It is the ONLY five star shield in the entire game that has NO passive bonuses (be it offensive or status) besides Omega Shell, which actually has huge health to compensate. It is a 99% downgrade from BTS, the only improvement being a SLIVER of stats that are rendered completely useless compared to sword damage bonus medium.

Too many noobs use it under the fallacy that "it's cheaper", when it's ultimately a waste of energy.

They really need to change the model so it doesn't look like a Crest of Almire clone.

Fri, 05/03/2013 - 10:59

#14

Zeddy

@Larry

The status resist on shields are not passive bonuses. Fire defence on a shield just lets you shield fire better.

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Arsenal Podcast Discussion: Aegis and Thorn Shields