Riot Shield Support Class: What to chose? « Thread Started on Aug 25, 2012, 3:10pm »
I'm sure with BO2 being a couple months away, everyone's gotten bored of the same old guns. Supporting your teammates with the Riot Shield can offer a lot of advantages to the overall goal of winning the match. In this thread I'll be examining the many options you have with the your custom classes, and describing some of those that I see to be most effective.
*NOTE: My strategies listed below will use the Support package. There are many other alternatives that can effectively work with different Strike packages. However, I am most familiar with Support in tandem with the Riot Shield so this is what I'll be covering in this thread.
Anyways, continuing. The following custom class ideas are revolved around supporting your teammates on mostly defense. There is offense involved in objective modes, but on a personal note I'm much more comfortable defending when using this weapon.
Proficiency: - Melee: less time between bashes. Personally, I find that little butterknife in your back pocket to be more effective anyways. - Speed: helps you move between objectives. Simple but generally more effective in my opinion than Melee.
Secondary: - XM25: allows for a greater reach than most secondary weapon choices. In addition, blast distance can be marked for proper combat engagements. - FMG9 Akimbo: Hey, it works too. I'm just too friendly to defend the objective with D34th Laz0rz. - USP .45 Akimbo / Tact Knife Pistol: As stated previously, you're better off stabbing someone than bashing them twice. For those who are unaware of the USP Akimbo glitch, you get an extremely fast knife draw when wielding them. Particularly useful when you don't want to leave yourself open for too long.
Lethal: - Throwing knife: "Throw it, pick it up". It's worth noting that it doesn't necessarily require Quickdraw Pro or Scavenger if used properly. However you'd better be a good arm. - C4: Whether you're setting a trap or simply pulling it out of your a** into an enemy's face, the results are lethal. Note that you only get one and it's kinda hard to pull out quickly without some perk assistance.
Tactical: - Tactical Insertion: Obviously depends on the map and gametype, but any time you can save getting to the objective can be well worth it. - Stun Grenade: And you thought you were moving slow. - Smoke Grenade: I'm not gonna lie, this has saved me a few times. If you're not a fan, I suppose try something else. This section doesn't matter a whole lot.
Blue Perk: - Sleight of Hand (Pro): This perk offers a mix of bonuses. Obviously you can't reload a Shield, so if your secondary could use a quick fill-up, this would help. Also, this slashes swap times. This is what I personally prefer, helps prevent me getting caught with my pants down. - Recon: Helpful to your teamates when you're using the XM25 or grenades. It's a complex taste, if you like Recon then go for it. - Extreme Conditioning: Just for notiable mention, I really don't prefer this perk at all. Agrue what you want, I'm not using it on my Shield class any time soon.
Red Perk: - Assassin (Pro): Read the label. Then consider: "I have a melee weapon, do I need the extra sleath?" To be honest, this is something I'm not quite sure about yet. It's really debatable, becuase there's another formidable option... - Hardline (Pro): If you're ASSISTING your teamates, then why not benefit more from it? Pretty sure a "Riot Control" counts as an assist (tell me if I'm incorrect about that) so given you'll be getting a lot of those points can rack up pretty quickly. Also worth noting is that this syngergizes very well with Recon. - Quickdraw (Pro): this is notably useful for three additions to the class: Lethals, Tacticals, and an XM25 if you choose to select that as your secondary. For Throwing Knives, it's optional... but the remainder of your lethals (possibly tacticals) deserve a nice side of the Pro variant. And, don't forget the XM25 - the faster you aim with that, the better off you'll be in the long run. All together, it reduces the time you'll need away from your Shield to get the job done *thanks for the reminder Mousey * - Blast Shield (Pro): On Wii, this perk is slightly broken and it's one reason why I don't use it as often as the above. The Pro variant only works when earned via Specialist package, and we don't have any of the manned explosive killstreaks to worry about. On other platforms, it could well save your life with the many explosive threats out there. After all, you can't defend anything if you're dead. - Overkill: Notable mention again, I just wanted to point out that Primary weapons aren't going to be any part of this class setup.
Green Perk: - Steady Aim PRO: Capitalized because we're focusing on the Pro variant's bonus. Honestly, I've been killed by an enemy shooting me straight-forward while I was running with the Shield. If you find that being the case, this perk is a godsend. - Sitrep (Pro): Enemy devices can be a threat to your team. This helps you recognize them. The pro variant, with a good headset, prevents the enemy from tea-bagging your dead corpse after they back-stab you.
Killstreak Setup: - UAV (4): Quite honestly not that hard to get. Insanely helpful, this should ALWAYS be in your first slot. - Counter-UAV (5): What's one more kill, honestly? Realistically however, the CUAV is the only killstreak to disable radar. Is this useful? Who knows. But I tend to roll with this in addition to UAV, or... - Ballistic Vests (5): Understandably, radar jamming might not be entirely useful in an objective-based gametype. Extra health is always welcome.
NOTE: Don't put on more killstreaks than this. Reason being: it's very effective to provide a lot of small support killstreaks refquently, rather than a few more useful ones once of twice during a match. Let the people who decide to abuse the Support Package pull out the Advanced UAVs, Stealth Bombers, and Support Juggernauts. You're better off offering support to the whole team than being greedy and taking all the player-specific options.
I want to hear your thoughts. Which options do you prefer? In what manner would you support your team with the Riot Shield? Thanks, bro.
Edit 8/26/11: Inclusion of a few missed options, fixed beginning statement to reflect purpose of thread.
Re: Riot Shield Support Class: What to chose? « Reply #3 on Aug 25, 2012, 4:01pm »
Yes, of course. I've always found crouching to be a complete pain when shielding... sadly, there's nothing that could assist in crouch defense within the custom class loadouts, so I guess it's just a skill people have to be proficient with.
Heh, and yeah... good luck with getting a deflection kill.
Oops, totally forgot it. Thanks for pointing that out, I was actually going to add it whilst talking about the C4 and Throwing Knives. And the XM25 as well.
I'm sure with BO2 being a couple months away, everyone's gotten bored of the same old guns. So you decide one day to crank out the good ol' plastic shield. Tried to get that Assault Juggernaut with it? Maybe attempted a MOAB? Let's be honest here: the Riot Shield best functions as a support "weapon"
Alright....first things first. The riot shield is a very competitive weapon....the problem is that 75% of the community treat it as a fool's weapon. We have the riot shield clans and the trolls who sit in corners. Then we have the people that exclusively bump. Then we have the people that use it for support. While this does work, I still do not believe that this is the extent of the shield's capabilities. In fact...it is a gross misrepresentation. The riot shield is the game's very best psychological weapon.
This discussion is intended for people who aren't going to complain about the Support Killstreak setup. If you have an issue with it, feel free to roam around with Assault or Specialist on and see where it gets you (shot, most likely).
I see you only have 10 posts. I believe I only had 10 posts when I made my shield guide. Lets talk SnD for a second... I find specialist to be the most effective. Support killstreaks benefit a class that can constantly be taking advantage of easy death situations...and while that can work...a riot shield can't really take advtange of ballistic vests... Getting a recon drone can also be tricky if you are going for a support "role." Whereas Assault and especially specialist provide you the results you need. For instance...a shield user benefits heavily from both blast shield and quickdraw...and sitrep+ steady aim. These combos works wonders.
You are actually much more useful to your team if you know when to switch between supporting your team with intel....and capitalizing on your own intel with easy kills. That later part takes time to learn. Saying that support is the only way to go is not a good way to present the riot shield to your audience.
Anyways, continuing. As most of us are aware of already, use of the Riot Shield in a non-objective gametype is generally ineffective. Therefore, the following custom class ideas are revolved around supporting your teammates on mostly defense.
On the contrary. The riot shield can actually be very strong in TDM. The shield's greatest strength is information gathering. A trained shield user will be able to make presses that other classes cannot. The place where you are going to struggle is FFA since you can't take advantage of two of the riot shield's biggest strengths. Intel gathering and psychological 1 v 1 warfare. You need to be engineering as many 1 v 1 engagements as possible. If you don't believe you are a very real threat...then you won't be. Thing is...you have the potential to be one...you can't limit yourself by thinking otherwise.
I'm sure with BO2 being a couple months away, everyone's gotten bored of the same old guns. So you decide one day to crank out the good ol' plastic shield. Tried to get that Assault Juggernaut with it? Maybe attempted a MOAB? Let's be honest here: the Riot Shield best functions as a support "weapon"
Alright....first things first. The riot shield is a very competitive weapon....the problem is that 75% of the community treat it as a fool's weapon. We have the riot shield clans and the trolls who sit in corners. Then we have the people that exclusively bump. Then we have the people that use it for support. While this does work, I still do not believe that this is the extent of the shield's capabilities. In fact...it is a gross misrepresentation. The riot shield is the game's very best psychological weapon.
I see you only have 10 posts. I believe I only had 10 posts when I made my shield guide. Lets talk SnD for a second... I find specialist to be the most effective. Support killstreaks benefit a class that can constantly be taking advantage of easy death situations...and while that can work...a riot shield can't really take advtange of ballistic vests... Getting a recon drone can also be tricky if you are going for a support "role." Whereas Assault and especially specialist provide you the results you need. For instance...a shield user benefits heavily from both blast shield and quickdraw...and sitrep+ steady aim. These combos works wonders.
You are actually much more useful to your team if you know when to switch between supporting your team with intel....and capitalizing on your own intel with easy kills. That later part takes time to learn. Saying that support is the only way to go is not a good way to present the riot shield to your audience.
Anyways, continuing. As most of us are aware of already, use of the Riot Shield in a non-objective gametype is generally ineffective. Therefore, the following custom class ideas are revolved around supporting your teammates on mostly defense.
On the contrary. The riot shield can actually be very strong in TDM. The shield's greatest strength is information gathering. A trained shield user will be able to make presses that other classes cannot. The place where you are going to struggle is FFA since you can't take advantage of two of the riot shield's biggest strengths. Intel gathering and psychological 1 v 1 warfare. You need to be engineering as many 1 v 1 engagements as possible. If you don't believe you are a very real threat...then you won't be. Thing is...you have the potential to be one...you can't limit yourself by thinking otherwise.
Joined: Aug 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 13 Location: Rostov, Saratov, and Voronezh
Re: Riot Shield Support Class: What to chose? « Reply #13 on Aug 26, 2012, 12:08am »
As a shielder, I perform fairly well in 1v1 situations. This could be attributed to my strategy of primarily attacking snipers, dual-wielders, and other shielders.
Re: Riot Shield Support Class: What to chose? « Reply #15 on Aug 26, 2012, 12:37am »
...Honestly, there is NEVER a reason to EVER use the Riot Shield in MW3... I used to love it in MW2, but it isn't the same in MW3 - it sucks. The better class is simply any SMG with Quickdraw + Tactical Insertion.
The Riot Shield is out classed in any situation that involves shooting or C4.
Saying that support is the only way to go is not a good way to present the riot shield to your audience.
Let's talk for a second. First, you clicked on this video considering the idea that I was going to talk about a Riot shield Support class. I went on to say that it's "best used as a support 'weapon'". This didn't necessarily mean I was insinuating use of the Support package was a mandate to effectively support a team. It's just what I found most useful personally when attempting to fulfill that role. Now, me talking about the Assault and Support package at the start of this thread was simply an addition intended for sarcastic/ironic/comical effect. I could have said, "Hey, today I want to share my ideas about a build revolved around team support by using the Support package". If people complain enough about it, sure, I'll change it. For the time being, it'll stay there.
Besides that, clearly if you can achieve either an Assault Juggernaut or Shield MOAB then you have no need to read this guide and should continue on with your life.
As another note, I have used both Assault and Specialist before to fill a support role on a team. With Assault, I would use Hardline and UAV/Care Package to give my teamates cheap support and free bonuses if I didn't need the contents of the care package. Specialist was used to add perks like Sitrep, Quickdraw, and Scavenger to my current perk selection. These were especially useful when trying to focus on throwing knife kills. To cut to the chase, I have done well regardless of what Pointstreak package I've used.
What I mentioned was what I intended to cover in this thread. Did I want to do a whole novel on the Riot Shield? No. I simply wanted to present a particular scenario, offer my thoughts in that instance, and hope that maybe someone could take something from it.
1v1 with a shield is suicide. Lag compensation will mean that the guy will be running circles around you while you think he's in front.
While I do address this issue in my guide...it will always remain an issue. There are techniques available to avoid this. CQC engagements you have variants of the switch drop that eat lag comp for breakfast. Vs lag at long ranges you are actually pretty solid if you follow my tips about never strafing. Besides that C4 always (regardless of the shield) eats lag for breakfast...as do akimbo FMGs.and switch knifing. Lag will affect players differently. Someone using a riot shield properly shouldn't have to worry too much. Aug 26, 2012, 12:37am, acidsnow wrote:
...Honestly, there is NEVER a reason to EVER use the Riot Shield in MW3... I used to love it in MW2, but it isn't the same in MW3 - it sucks. The better class is simply any SMG with Quickdraw + Tactical Insertion.
The Riot Shield is out classed in any situation that involves shooting or C4.
Just accept it, and /wrists
A perfect example of a person who now views the riot shield as a fool's weapon.
My guide was primarily for SnD however, if we are talking about dom or something(since you are talking about other gametypes because of the tac insert) then the riot shield fills some nice niche roles. The riot shield is the only class that you can take down sniper alleys (with blast shield) like resistance b-dom and cap unopposed.
I went on to say that it's "best used as a support 'weapon'". This didn't necessarily mean I was insinuating use of the Support package was a mandate to effectively support a team. It's just what I found most useful personally when attempting to fulfill that role. Now, me talking about the Assault and Support package at the start of this thread was simply an addition intended for sarcastic/ironic/comical effect. I could have said, "Hey, today I want to share my ideas about a build revolved around team support by using the Support package". If people complain enough about it, sure, I'll change it. For the time being, it'll stay there.
This is all well and good. You should have totally started with this.
Besides that, clearly if you can achieve either an Assault Juggernaut or Shield MOAB then you have no need to read this guide and should continue on with your life.
Can't say I've gotten a MOAB...but I have gotten an assault jug. lol. Still, I care about the misconceptions people maintain in regards to this specific weapon. Case point is acidsnow. The only proof I can show people is the words I write here and the gameplays I have on a regular basis.
As another note, I have used both Assault and Specialist before to fill a support role on a team. With Assault, I would use Hardline and UAV/Care Package to give my teamates cheap support and free bonuses if I didn't need the contents of the care package. Specialist was used to add perks like Sitrep, Quickdraw, and Scavenger to my current perk selection. These were especially useful when trying to focus on throwing knife kills. To cut to the chase, I have done well regardless of what Pointstreak package I've used.
What I mentioned was what I intended to cover in this thread. Did I want to do a whole novel on the Riot Shield? No. I simply wanted to present a particular scenario, offer my thoughts in that instance, and hope that maybe someone could take something from it.
Heres the thing. regardless of a single person's accomplishments with a weapon, a guide should be able to concede that there are alternatives to methods taught. Unless of course you are trying to write a novel.
P.S. Try including blast shield. I find it to be the most effective 2nd tier perk for objective capping in a support role.
you didn't post a video. This Freudian slip makes me think that you are used to posting CoD vids. Would you like to share them?
Well... most of them are Call of Duty commentaries. On the Wii. I'm not sure that discussing them on this forum would necessarily be "on-topic", but if you want to check out my YouTube channel feel free: http://www.youtube.com/oOZeroFlameOo (and I will admit, that was quite the slip on my part) XD
Heres the thing. regardless of a single person's accomplishments with a weapon, a guide should be able to concede that there are alternatives to methods taught. Unless of course you are trying to write a novel.
Ah... so, I should basically just put a little footnote saying *NOTE: this will use the Support package. There are many other alternatives that can effectively work with different Strike packages. However, I am most familiar with Support in tandem with the Riot Shield so this is what I'll be covering in this thread.*
Being new to this forum, I guess that I'm not used to putting such disclaimers in my posts. Better careful than sorry, as they say.
P.S. Try including blast shield. I find it to be the most effective 2nd tier perk for objective capping in a support role.
Personally I've never seen the worth of Blast Shield. This might be because on Wii, the pro variant only works when earned in a Specialist package, AND we lack the Predator Missle, AGM, and AC130. How would you use it on another console?
Personally I've never seen the worth of Blast Shield. This might be because on Wii, the pro variant only works when earned in a Specialist package, AND we lack the Predator Missle, AGM, and AC130. How would you use it on another console?
Oh wow. That is rough. Didn't know that. blast shield works against the riot shield's natural enemies: explosives. With blast shield anything you can spin block you won't die from. Of course even the best spin blocker can lose to lag and blast shield will generally help with this. If you are on an objective,flash prevention is always key regardless of class choice.
In 1 v 1 fights it severely limits the opponent's options. If do any sort of preparation (cooking,tossing,throwing,etc) you have enough time to switch to your secondary and blast them without fear of the explosive killing you.
That said...almost all red tier perks are great for riot shields...there is a tough choice.
Joined: Aug 2012 Gender: Male Posts: 13 Location: Rostov, Saratov, and Voronezh
Re: Riot Shield Support Class: What to chose? « Reply #27 on Aug 26, 2012, 11:56pm »
Maybe tweak the shield so that damage starts leaking through it if it takes a certain level of DPS over a period of time. (1500 DPS/8sec?) Just saying, three bros with rapid fire L85s and impact should be able to get through a piece of plastic. And buff the movement speed on shields too.
Kinda depends, really. Usually with low RPM ARs, LMGs, or inaccurate SMGs at longer ranges, blocking bullets is a piece of cake. Problems start though when they get close. Due to the Wii's low sensitivity and 30 FPS, tracking people trying to circle around you isn't very effective. Especially with akimbo weapons, I find that unless you're looking directly at them and crouching with your shield, you'll still get killed. And the high-RPM primaries hit your feet or rear end almost instantly.
To say the least, if you play Wii with a shield, it's best to say away from anyone facing you... anything closer than 15 meters and you're best off trying to flank them and catch them by surprise.
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