Shields play a considerable role in Genshin Impact’s combat system. When equipped with a shield, a weak enemy becomes more challenging. Harder monsters and bosses wield powerful elemental shields. Understanding how to deal with different shield types and classes of shield-bearing enemies is crucial as you progress through the game.
Dendro Shields
The weakest type is the Dendro or wooden shield. They are wielded by weaker monsters, such as the Wooden Shield Hilichurl Guards and Wooden Shieldwall Mitachurl.
You can destroy Dendro shields using physical attacks or burn them with Pyro attacks.
Geo Shields
Geo shields are much stronger than wooden ones. You can break them with heavy physical attacks using claymores, explosions, or Geo skills.
Anemo Shields
Only the Fatui Anemoboxer Vanguard is protected by an Anemo shield. He also uses this as an offensive ability. The shield will ignore any physical damage directed to it and absorbs Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, and Electro elemental damage types.
When hit with any of the four elements, the Anemoboxer will absorb the attack and retaliate with the absorbed element.
A suction effect will pull you toward the Anemoboxer before the elemental punch, so make sure you properly time your dodges and attacks.
Other Elemental Shields
Sometimes, elemental enemies will create a shield from that element. If you know which elemental attack is effective against each kind of element, then elemental shields are easy to handle.
When enemies use shields, this will also permanently apply an elemental status to them. This makes it easier to take advantage of elemental reactions.
Hydro
Hydro shields are weak against Electro. It will trigger an “Electro-Charged” effect and break the shield faster.
Although Cryo is not as strong against Hydro, it applies a status effect to enemies, rendering them wet and vulnerable to freezing. A frozen enemy is effectively neutralized for a short time.
Cryo
Cryo shields are easy to break using Pyro. The Cryo status of the shield makes it easy to trigger a “Melt” status, which undermines the Cryo shield’s strength.
The second-best element to use against Cryo is Electro.
Electro
Electro shields can be destroyed using either Pyro or Cryo, but the latter is the most effective.
Pyro
You can use Electro to break Pyro shields, but Hydro just makes it easier.
Some world bosses have abilities that work just like elemental shields, making them immune to certain types of damage. You can deal with these barriers the same way you break the elemental shields of lesser enemies.
Defeating enemies with elemental shields is easy if you know their elemental weaknesses and pick your party accordingly.
Fatui Skirmishers Shields
The Fatui Skirmishers can form shields of their respective elements, giving them an advantage in combat. However, it will be an easy battle if you know which one to defeat first and the elements to which they are most vulnerable.
Keep in mind which elements are most effective against a given elemental shield. Also, Hydrogunner Legionnaires can heal other Skirmishers, so make sure to defeat them first.
Another enemy to look out for is the Pyroslinger. They usually attack from a distance and can deal massive amounts of damage.
Fatui Skirmishers usually come in pairs or groups and use different elements. They can trigger elemental reactions and deal significant amounts of damage.
