I skimmed through that other Resist Shield thread and was still confused; what exactly do each of them do, pros/cons of each? And how (or if) is it affected by nanoweave armor and/or the advanced shield capacitor?
The resist shield reduces damage you take, but doesn't apply an extra layer of shield like the NMG. Basically the NMG is like having a 3rd health bar. The resist shield just reduces all damage you take to your shield and health by a lot. Resist shield is better than NMG when max'd out. At least it was right before launch. I haven't tested, nor looked for data on it since it was slightly nerfed in beta. Yes it does go extremely well with nanoweave.
As imij said the NMG gives you another health bar for the enemy to shoot through. The resist shield makes you take less damage to your normal health. The shields are likely very balanced in power - neither is going to be "better". The important thing about the resist shield is if you activate it when you are not a full health its wasted. As an example - you get knocked down to 1 hp - activate your NMG. You now have 1 HP + 20NMG = 21 Effective health. You get knocked down to 1 hp - activate your resist shield. You now have 1HP + a -50% damage modifier (made up number - but probably close) = 2 Effective health. Long story short Resist needs to be used at full HP and it is very strong - if they get the jump on you its worthless.
i would go for resist shield. In beta ive been using it in combo with restoration kits, i always poped restoration before breaching in making me almost invicible for few seconds in combo with resist shield (do remeber that if u really want to go on that path for max efficiency u need nanoweave armor upgraded as well
I don't recall the exact amount of time, I want to say rank 1 resist shield is 8 seconds, and each rank adds more time to that. Unlike the NMG the duration is unaffected by taking damage so you get the full amount of time while being hit.
Resist shield is a % reduction over time, NMG is an additional shield. Resist shield is for when you're at full health/shield and know you are going to be taking damage ahead of time, like rushing a group of unaware people or a MAX with a shotgun or heavy weapon. NMG is for when you are reacting to being fired on already and need to put something between you and your enemy while you finish them off or escape.
resist shield has synergy with nanoweave armor. i been using resist shield + nanoweave 4 and mcg +laser sight and im unstoppable in battle.
Does anyone know if the further ranks of resist shield provides any additional damage reduction? I ask because even at rank 1 - if you turn it on when you are getting shot - you will never live to see it run out due to time, making the additional ranks and additional duration more or less worthless.
I agree. No, additional ranks do not increase the reduction. Unless something changed since beta, I found that the Resist Shield 5 always had about half of its duration or batteries left whenever I died. While I would always see it with 4-5 bars left when I am at 2 health and no shields post some firefight, I don't think I have max Nanoweave, which may improve the efficiency. Please see my post about Resist Shield here: http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/resist-shield.48176/page-2#post-697662
Well then - rank 1 it is! I'll start pouring into NMG and see how that feels. I suspect I'll like rank 5 NMG > rank 1 resist just for those cases when I do get caught with my pants down. Thanks,
Resist shield: Let's do this! NMG: Oh crap I'm getting shot at! Resist shield has the benefit of always being available at near full effectiveness because of its very fast recharge. How much effectiveness you get out of it will depend on your health though. If you're going around TDMing people, NMG is probably better since you don't have to activate it right away. Resist shield is good for any organised, strategic assaults.
Nanite-Mesh Generator. It's the default Heavy Assault shield. Resist Shield was clearly superior back in Beta, but I believe they nerfed it 1-2 patches before the game went live. Now it doesn't reduce damage by as much and you have a hefty movement penalty while it's activated. It'll mostly come down to personal preference. Resist Shield will give you more effective health if you're in a straight up face to face fight and you activate it before you start taking damage. NMG is more adaptable in that you can use it at any time during a fight and still get the full effect. This might sound useless, but it's saved my life innumerable times by letting me survive another few bullets as I escape someone who's gotten the drop on me. It can also be used to absorb fall damage.
It feels like the resist shield will keep you going longer in a running fight over larger amounts of time,regenning shields back and keeping going with it again, but will slow you down more. The NMG feels like it will keep you alive more solidly in a 1vs1 fight but only in a short burst and then it's gone.
What I don't think anyone has mentioned is that when the NMG gets hit a with enough damage, it seems to drain your shields as well. So it is useful, but situational and your timing needs to be key when using it. I could be wrong about the shield thing though.
I have resist and NMG both at 5 since there's no damn information about either out there. The Resist keeps me alive much longer/better than the NMG, but if I don't turn it on immediately before I get shot, then I usually die first. NMG can be turned on midway through a firefight.
