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What does the Shield of the Maiden do in Enter The Gungeon?
The Shield of the Maiden is a C-rank active item that will let you spawn a shield that protects you from incoming bullets as well as contact damage in Enter the Gungeon.
The Shield of the Maiden lasts for 4-seconds but firing your gun or rolling will cut its duration short. In addition, you cannot move while the Shield of the Maiden is active, making it a strictly defensive active item. The Shield of the Maiden has a 1.5-second cooldown.
The Shield of the Maiden does not, however, block incoming damage from explosions, fire, and other environmental effects, which means you will still take damage from these sources even while standing behind the shield.
Is the Shield of the Maiden a good item in Enter The Gungeon?
The Shield of the Maiden is a great active item that you can use when in a pinch. While dodge rolling will always be your reliable dodge mechanic in the game, active items that can help you block incoming damage can be very useful in certain situations as well.
The only downside to the Shield of the Maiden is that it renders you immobile while it is active, which means that you have no other choice but to play defensively while the shield is up. This can be great for situations where you’re in dire need of a reload or when you’re very low on HP and are in need of a quick breather.
Best Synergy for the Shield of the Maiden in Enter The Gungeon
The Shield of the Maiden shares two Synergies with two other items/guns in Enter the Gungeon – Mirror Shield and Shield Night
Mirror Shield
Mirror Shield is a Synergy between the Shield of the Maiden and the Rolling Eye. Through the Mirror Shield Synergy, the Shield of the Maiden will reflect incoming bullets towards enemies while it is active.
Shield Night
The Shield Night Synergy will activate if you have the Shield of the Maiden and the Knight’s Gun in your inventory.
The Shield Night Synergy will give the Knight’s Gun the ability to leave a shield on the floor after reloading. This will allow you to move out of the way and place defensive shields on the floor.
How to Use the Shield of the Maiden in Enter The Gungeon?
To use the Shield Maiden, you simply have to activate the item just before you come into contact with enemy bullets. This is to maximize the relatively low active duration of the item. Use the Shield of the Maiden in tandem with your dodge rolls to dodge and block incoming bullets from various sources.
The Shield of the Maiden renders you immobile while the item is active making it a purely defensive item in Enter the Gungeon. While rolling and shooting will instantly remove the shield, reloading will not. This means that this active item can come in useful when used in tandem with slow reloading weapons such as rocket launchers.
Conclusion
Overall, the Shield of the Maiden can be a very good defensive item in Enter the Gungeon. It does, however, take some getting used to, as most players are probably more used to dodge-rolling bullets as opposed to blocking them head-on.
That said, using dodge-rolling and the Shield of the Maiden in tandem can help you work through even the toughest rooms in the Gungeon with ease.