Genshin Impact is a game about using strategy in order to make a team of four characters that can support the main DPS. While many players will often talk about including a healer into your team, having a shield user can be just as important. Shield users are now in more need than ever as the Primal Geovishap is a boss that requires a shield to help players survive.
While there isn’t currently a shield user for every elemental, there are a handful of characters that players can pick from to help buff their party. Best of all, almost every character on the list is a four-star, making it free-to-play friendly.
Shield Users
There are currently seven shield users in the game, two of which operate quite differently than the rest. Elemental shields will always absorb 250% of damage from enemies of the same element type. Before going into battle, consider which element you can counteract with the shield users you have collected.
Xinyan
Xinyan is a four-star pyro claymore user. Her shield is used during her elemental burst, Sweeping Fervor. The damage absorption of the shield is based on Xinyan’s defense and the number of opponents hit while it’s in effect; the shield has three different levels.
Hitting three opponents will trigger the shield to also pyro damage to surrounding opponents.
Diona
Diona is a four-star cryo bow user, and her shield is activated by using or holding in the elemental skill button. Using Icy Paws will summon a cryo shield and hurl icy claws out at enemies. Tapping will only send two icy paws out while holding will send out five at enemies.
A shield created from holding will also have a 75% damage absorption bonus.
Kaeya - Special Condition
Kaeya is a four-star cryo sword user given to the player for free at the start of the game. He is a special shield user as he will only summon a shield once he is at a C4 constellation.
The shield will only trigger if he reaches less than 30% health and is only around for 20 seconds, but it can heal him.
Noelle
Noelle is a four-star geo claymore user who lives in Mondstadt. Her elemental skill, Breastplate, summons a geo shield that will scale and heal based on her current defense stat.
Ningguang - Special Condition
Ningguang is a four-star geo catalyst user with a unique shield ability. She summons a screen instead of a mobile shield like most characters. The shield’s durability is directly linked to her health.
The Jade Screen will block projectiles, deal geo damage to nearby enemies when summoned, and passing through it gives characters a 12% geo damage bonus.
Zhongli
Zhongli is the only five-star shield user so far and is a geo polearm. To use his shield, players must hold in the elemental skill button. Dominus Lapidis will explode and create a shield of jade that absorbs 150% damage of all attacks. Fully charging the skill can also create a stone stele, deal AoE geo damage, and drains nearby geo enemies of energy.
Beidou
Beidou is a four-star electro claymore user. To use her shield, players must hold her elemental skill, Tidecaller. Doing so will summon a shield that’s damage absorption is based on Beidou’s health.
