Tier A Hard Tank/Defensive Carry

The Shieldbearer

Unique reflection mechanic creates exponential damage scaling. High skill ceiling.

Starting Ball

Iron

Passive Ability

Shield reflects balls, +100% damage per reflection

Unlock Requirement

Build Iron Fortress Blueprint (unlocked by clearing Fungal x Forest biome)

Playstyle Guide

The Shieldbearer's reflection mechanic creates unique gameplay where positioning your shield optimally is crucial. Each shield bounce doubles ball damage (+100% per reflection), allowing exponential damage scaling. Iron starting ball synergizes with defensive tank playstyle and bleed-based evolutions. Build toward Hemorrhage (Iron + Bleed) or Leech (Iron + Brood Mother) for sustain and burst damage. Advanced technique: position shield to create multiple reflections before balls hit enemies. Requires understanding of ball physics and shield positioning. High skill floor but exceptional ceiling when mastered.

Recommended Evolutions

These evolutions synergize best with The Shieldbearer's abilities and playstyle:

Hemorrhage

View evolution details →

Leech

View evolution details →

Virus

View evolution details →

Bomb

View evolution details →

Strategy Tips

⚠

Advanced Character

The Shieldbearer requires good understanding of game mechanics and careful execution. Practice with easier characters before attempting mastery.

Role: Tank/Defensive Carry

Focus on survivability and sustained damage. Position aggressively and let your evolutions do the work.

Passive Ability Analysis

**Shield Reflection: +100% Damage Per Bounce** creates a unique damage multiplier system: (1) **Reflection Stacking** - Each time a ball bounces off The Shieldbearer's shield, it gains +100% damage (doubles). First reflection = 2x damage, second reflection = 3x damage, third reflection = 4x damage. Maximum practical reflections: 2-3 per volley. (2) **Positioning Requirement** - Shield is positioned in front of The Shieldbearer. Balls must hit shield before hitting enemies to gain damage multiplier. This requires specific positioning: stand close to enemies so balls reflect off shield into enemy groups. (3) **Tank Passive** - The Shieldbearer has "massive HP pool" (exact values unconfirmed, estimated 30-50% more HP than standard characters). This enables aggressive positioning required for reflections. Iron starting ball synergizes perfectly - Iron has increased durability (hits 3 enemies before breaking), making reflected Iron balls hit multiple enemies with 2x-3x damage. The key insight: The Shieldbearer is a **tank that scales offensively through positioning**. Poor positioning = tank with no damage. Expert positioning = tank with S-tier damage.

Early Game Strategy (Waves 1-10)

**Waves 1-10: Shield Positioning Fundamentals** The Shieldbearer's early game focuses on mastering shield reflection mechanics: **Wave 1-3 (Iron Ball + Shield Foundation):** - Starting Iron ball has increased durability (hits 3 enemies before breaking) - **Shield positioning:** Stand CLOSE to enemies (not far away) - shield must be between you and enemies - Practice timing: Shoot → ball travels → hits shield → reflects with 2x damage → hits enemy - Shield reflection is MANUAL - requires understanding ball trajectory and shield position - Target: 1-2 reflections per volley by wave 3, ~50% reflection success rate **Wave 3-5 (First Evolution - Hemorrhage):** - **Primary: Create Hemorrhage (Iron + Bleed)** - Uses starting Iron, adds bleed + burst - Hemorrhage detonates bleed stacks for burst damage - synergizes with multi-hit reflected balls - Shield reflections make Hemorrhage hit 2-3 enemies with 2x-3x damage = bleed spread - Alternative: Create Bomb (Iron + Burn) for explosive AoE, but Hemorrhage scales better with reflections - Wave 5 target: Hemorrhage created, 2 reflections per volley average **Wave 5-10 (Sustain Addition):** - Add Leech (Bleed + Brood Mother) for lifesteal sustain - Leech provides healing per hit - reflected balls hit multiple enemies = more healing - **Tank sustain loop:** Take damage → reflect balls for 2x-3x damage → Leech heals from multi-hits → tank more damage - Wave 10 target: Hemorrhage + Leech, 15-20 total balls, 2-3 reflections per volley **Gold Priority:** 60% Bleed/Brood Mother balls (Hemorrhage/Leech path), 30% ball levels, 10% defensive passive items **Positioning:** Stand in melee range of enemies - shield must be between you and enemies for reflections. This is opposite positioning from most characters.

Mid Game Strategy (Waves 11-25)

**Waves 11-25: Reflection Mastery + Sustain Scaling** Mid-game focuses on maximizing reflections and sustain loops: **Wave 11-15 (Double Reflection Technique):** - **Advanced technique:** Position to create 2 shield reflections per ball before hitting enemy - 2 reflections = 3x damage multiplier (1x base + 2x from reflections) - Hemorrhage with 3x multiplier detonates massive bleed damage on 3+ enemies - Add Breastplate passive (reduces incoming damage 10%) for additional tanking - Wave 15 difficulty spike: Tank positioning + Hemorrhage burst + Leech sustain trivializes this **Wave 16-20 (Virus Addition):** - Create Virus (Bleed + Poison) for spreading damage-over-time - Virus spreads bleed + poison to nearby enemies on hit - reflected balls spread to more targets - **Optimal build:** Hemorrhage + Leech + Virus (bleed-focused tank build) - Add Crown of Thorns passive (punish melee attackers with splash damage) - Wave 20 boss: Tank all damage, reflected balls with 3x multiplier burst boss down **Wave 21-25 (Sustain Loop Perfection):** - **Healing loop:** Crown of Thorns + Bandage Roll (launches baby balls when healing) + Everflowing Goblet (overhealing) - This creates: Take damage → Crown of Thorns damages attackers → Leech heals from multi-hits → Bandage Roll spawns baby balls → more healing - The Shieldbearer becomes nearly unkillable with perfect sustain loop - Wave 25 target: Hemorrhage + Leech + Virus + sustain passives, 3 reflections per volley **Gold Management:** 40% new balls (Poison for Virus), 40% ball levels (scale Hemorrhage/Leech), 20% passive items (Breastplate, Crown of Thorns, Bandage Roll) **Character Pairing:** The Itchy Finger (2x attack speed) pairs exceptionally with The Shieldbearer - constant enemy pressure feeds reflection and bleed chains.

Late Game Strategy (Waves 26-40+)

**Waves 26-40+: Immortal Tank with Reflection Burst** Late-game The Shieldbearer becomes an unkillable fortress with S-tier burst: **Wave 26-30 (Optimization):** - 3 reflections per volley (practiced by now) = 4x damage multiplier - Hemorrhage with 4x multiplier on 5+ enemies (bleed detonation) = screen clear - Sustain loop (Crown of Thorns + Leech + Bandage Roll + Everflowing Goblet) provides infinite healing - **The Shieldbearer takes zero net damage** - healing outpaces incoming damage - Wave 30 boss: Tank all boss damage, reflected Hemorrhage bursts delete boss in 10-15 seconds **Wave 31-40 (Wave 40 Push):** - Build toward Sacrifice (Bleed + Dark) for explosive bleed conversion - Sacrifice converts stored bleed into massive burst damage - synergizes with Hemorrhage bleed stacks - **Ultimate build:** Hemorrhage + Leech + Virus + Sacrifice + Crown of Thorns + Everflowing Goblet - This provides: Reflection burst (Hemorrhage), Sustain (Leech), Spread (Virus), Finisher (Sacrifice), Counter-damage (Crown of Thorns) - Wave 40 target: 3-4 reflections per volley, immortal sustain loop, 4x damage multiplier **Wave 41-50+ (Endgame Fortress):** - The Shieldbearer is one of the BEST wave 50 characters due to defensive scaling + sustain - Wave 50 enemies deal 500+ damage per hit - The Shieldbearer's massive HP pool + sustain loop negates this - **Wave 50 build:** Hemorrhage + Leech + Virus + Sacrifice + 2 defensive passives - Strategy: Tank everything, reflect balls for 4x-5x damage, sustain loop keeps HP full - The Shieldbearer's wave 50 limitation: Requires perfect reflection positioning - one volley without reflections loses damage multiplier - Mitigation: Practice makes perfect - expert Shieldbearer players achieve 90%+ reflection success rate **Gold Management:** 20% new balls (complete Sacrifice path), 50% ball levels (max Hemorrhage/Leech), 30% passive items (maximize sustain loop) **Reflection Record:** Expert players achieve 4-5 reflections in optimal setups (waves 35-40) = 5x-6x damage multiplier from reflections alone (S-tier DPS from A-tier character).

Best Evolutions for The Shieldbearer

**Top 5 Evolutions for The Shieldbearer:** **1. Hemorrhage (B-tier normally, A-tier for Shieldbearer, 1.8x damage + bleed detonation)** - Recipe: Iron + Bleed - Why it works: Uses starting Iron ball, detonates bleed stacks for burst damage - Reflection multiplier (3x-4x) × Hemorrhage detonation = massive burst on 5+ enemies - Synergy: Core evolution for The Shieldbearer, build entire strategy around this - **Essential evolution - defines Shieldbearer playstyle** **2. Leech (A-tier, 1.9x damage + lifesteal)** - Recipe: Bleed + Brood Mother - Why it works: Lifesteal per hit + reflected balls hitting multiple enemies = massive healing - Reflected balls hit 3-4 enemies with 3x damage = 9-12x effective healing from single volley - Synergy: Enables tank playstyle, creates sustain loop with Crown of Thorns - **Required evolution for wave 30+ survival** **3. Virus (A-tier, 2.0x damage + spread DoT)** - Recipe: Bleed + Poison - Why it works: Spreads bleed + poison to nearby enemies, reflected balls spread to more targets - 3x reflected Virus ball hits 1 enemy, spreads to 3-4 nearby = 9-12 total enemies affected - Synergy: Turns single-target reflections into AoE spread **4. Sacrifice (B-tier normally, A-tier for Shieldbearer, 1.7x damage + bleed explosion)** - Recipe: Bleed + Dark - Why it works: Converts stored bleed into explosive damage, massive finisher burst - Hemorrhage stacks bleed → Sacrifice detonates all stacks → 3x reflection multiplier = screen clear - Synergy: Bleed-focused finisher, pairs with Hemorrhage for combo burst **5. Bomb (A-tier, 2.0x damage + explosive AoE)** - Recipe: Iron + Burn - Why it works: Uses starting Iron ball, adds explosive AoE damage - Reflected Bomb (3x multiplier) deals 6.0x effective damage in AoE radius - Synergy: Alternative to Hemorrhage path, more straightforward damage scaling **Evolutions to Avoid:** - **Holy Laser/Black Hole** - Don't synergize with reflection mechanics (require Laser/Light/Dark balls that conflict with Iron/Bleed focus) - **Maggot** - Multiplication doesn't benefit from reflections (baby balls don't inherit reflection multiplier) - **Freeze-based evolutions** - The Shieldbearer needs to tank in melee, freeze keeps enemies at distance (anti-synergy)

How to Unlock The Shieldbearer

**Unlocking The Shieldbearer: Build Iron Fortress Blueprint** **Recommended Character:** The Pitling (fast progression) **Strategy (40-60 minutes):** **Phase 1: Reach Fungal x Forest Biome** - Fungal x Forest is a mid-game biome (wave 15-20 range) - Play The Pitling with strong evolution build (Bomb, Magma, Holy Laser) - Fungal x Forest unlocks after completing 4-5 earlier biome combinations - Fungal biome has poison enemies - bring control evolutions (Blizzard, Frozen Flame) **Phase 2: Clear Fungal x Forest Boss** - Complete full biome run (typically 10-15 waves to reach boss) - Boss drops Iron Fortress Blueprint upon defeat - Blueprint is guaranteed first-time clear drop - Collect blueprint from boss loot **Phase 3: Build Iron Fortress in New Ballbylon** - Return to New Ballbylon hub - Access Housing tab in build menu - Select Iron Fortress Blueprint - **Resources required:** 70 Stone (expensive - highest A-tier unlock cost) - Farm stone through multiple runs if needed (harvest mode generates ~10-15 stone per run) - Place building, send workers to construct (bounce into building) - Construction takes longer due to high stone cost (70 Stone = significant worker bounces) - Once complete → The Shieldbearer unlocks **Time Investment:** 40-60 minutes total (Fungal x Forest progression + 70 Stone farming) **Common Mistakes:** - Underestimating 70 Stone cost (highest A-tier cost - plan stone farming) - Not preparing for Fungal x Forest poison enemies (bring control/sustain builds) - Attempting unlock too early (Fungal x Forest is challenging - recommend 3-4 evolutions minimum) **Priority Ranking:** Unlock The Shieldbearer AFTER The Shade and The Repentant (70 Stone cost is significant) - save for later once you have easier A-tier characters.

Advanced Tips & Tricks

**1. Shield Positioning Mastery:** Shield position is FRONT of The Shieldbearer. Stand directly in front of enemy spawns so balls shoot → hit shield → reflect into enemies. Practice "shield sandwiching" - position between two enemy groups so reflections hit both groups. **2. Double Reflection Technique:** Shoot at ~30-degree angle toward shield - ball hits shield once, bounces toward side wall, bounces back to shield, reflects again (2 reflections = 3x multiplier). Requires precise aim and positioning. **3. Hemorrhage Timing:** Hemorrhage detonates bleed stacks. Build 5-10 stacks with normal hits, then reflect a ball for 3x-4x damage to detonate all stacks simultaneously. This timing maximizes burst. **4. Sustain Loop Optimization:** Crown of Thorns + Bandage Roll + Everflowing Goblet + Leech creates infinite healing. Take damage → Crown of Thorns damages attackers → Leech heals → Bandage Roll spawns baby balls → Everflowing Goblet allows overhealing → more healing → more baby balls. **5. The Itchy Finger Synergy:** Pair with The Itchy Finger (2x attack speed). Constant ball spam + reflections + bleed spread creates overwhelming pressure. The Itchy Finger feeds The Shieldbearer's reflection mechanics perfectly. **6. Reflection Success Rate Tracking:** Aim for 70%+ reflection success rate by wave 20, 85%+ by wave 30, 95%+ for wave 40+ attempts. Practice positioning in waves 1-15 to build muscle memory. **7. Boss Reflection Strategy:** Bosses are large targets - easier to reflect balls into. Position shield so boss is directly behind it, spam balls, every ball reflects for guaranteed 2x-3x damage. **8. Melee Range Defense:** The Shieldbearer WANTS to be in melee range (unlike all other characters). Massive HP pool + sustain loop makes melee positioning safe. Use this to maximize reflection angles and bleed spread.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

**1. Ranged Positioning:** - Mistake: Positioning far from enemies (habit from other characters) - Why it's bad: Shield must be between you and enemies for reflections - ranged positioning makes reflections impossible - Fix: Position in MELEE range, embrace tank playstyle, stand directly in front of enemies **2. Not Building Hemorrhage First:** - Mistake: Creating Bomb or other evolutions before Hemorrhage - Why it's bad: Hemorrhage is THE core evolution for The Shieldbearer - bleed + reflection synergy defines the character - Fix: Create Hemorrhage (Iron + Bleed) by wave 3-5, no exceptions **3. Skipping Sustain Evolutions:** - Mistake: Building pure damage without Leech or sustain passives - Why it's bad: The Shieldbearer's tank positioning requires sustain - without Leech, you die in melee range by wave 15-20 - Fix: Create Leech by wave 8-10, add sustain passives (Crown of Thorns, Bandage Roll) by wave 15-20 **4. Ignoring Reflection Mechanics:** - Mistake: Shooting balls without considering shield reflections (treating like normal character) - Why it's bad: Without reflections, The Shieldbearer is just a tank with no damage - reflections provide ALL the DPS - Fix: Practice reflections every wave, track success rate, optimize positioning for 2-3 reflections per volley **5. Building Non-Bleed Evolutions:** - Mistake: Creating Holy Laser, Black Hole, other non-bleed evolutions - Why it's bad: The Shieldbearer's kit (Iron start, tank playstyle, reflection multiplier) synergizes specifically with bleed evolutions - Fix: 100% bleed-focused build - Hemorrhage, Leech, Virus, Sacrifice only **6. Not Farming 70 Stone Before Unlock Attempt:** - Mistake: Reaching Fungal x Forest without 70 Stone saved - Why it's bad: Iron Fortress requires 70 Stone (high cost) - not having resources delays unlock significantly - Fix: Farm stone in harvest mode before attempting Fungal x Forest (3-4 runs to get 70 Stone) **7. Giving Up on Reflections:** - Mistake: "Reflections are too hard, I'll just tank and use normal damage" - Why it's bad: The Shieldbearer without reflections is F-tier character - reflections are 80%+ of the power - Fix: Practice, practice, practice. Reflections become second nature by wave 20-30 of practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the maximum reflection multiplier achievable?

Theoretical maximum: 4-5 reflections in perfectly optimized setups (5x-6x damage multiplier). Practical maximum for expert players: 3 reflections consistently (4x multiplier). Average players: 2 reflections (3x multiplier). Each reflection adds +100% damage, so 3 reflections = 1x base + 3x from reflections = 4x total damage.

Is The Shieldbearer the best tank character?

Yes. The Shieldbearer combines highest HP pool + sustain loop (Leech, Crown of Thorns, Bandage Roll) + offensive scaling (reflection multiplier). Iron Fool is tankier early (damage reduction passive) but The Shieldbearer outscales late-game (sustain loop + reflection damage). Wave 30+: The Shieldbearer is THE tank character.

Can The Shieldbearer beat wave 50?

Absolutely. The Shieldbearer is arguably TOP 3 wave 50 character (alongside The Pitling and Lantern Knight). Defensive scaling + sustain loop makes wave 50 enemies survivable, while reflection multiplier (4x-5x) provides S-tier DPS. Wave 50 success rate: 85-95% for expert Shieldbearer players (highest in game).

How hard is The Shieldbearer to learn?

Hard difficulty is accurate. Reflection mechanics require 10-20 hours of practice to master. Positioning is opposite of all other characters (melee vs ranged). However, once mastered, The Shieldbearer is one of the MOST powerful characters (peak performance rivals S-tier). Learning curve is steep but reward is massive.

Should I unlock The Shieldbearer early or late?

Unlock late (after The Shade and The Repentant). 70 Stone cost is highest among A-tier characters - resource-expensive. Also, Hard difficulty means you should master easier characters first. Recommended unlock order: The Pitling → Iron Fool → Lantern Knight → The Repentant (5 Stone) → The Shade (30 Stone) → The Shieldbearer (70 Stone).