Sloucho added shields and some other off-hand items. How good are they?

Holo-Shields apparently add the same level armor as an equally rare commando chest, 124-144 pts, lv 26-30. That is a significant amount of Armor. The cost is that you must give up using 2-handed weapons such as Rifles, Heavy Weapons, Hand Blasters, and Dual Pistols. You would have to use Light or Heavy Pistols instead.

The difference between an epic Rifle and an epic Heavy Pistol is (currently) 4-8 damage points. Since weapon damage determines skill damage (and engineer heals), a trade-off has to be made between 4-8 damage points and 124-144 armor. (The damage difference in damage may be less, though, because shields DO add stat points, which DO affect your damage output.)

If you are a Commando, a holo-shield and a heavy pistol may make you more survivable. However, a good rifle will give you better control of aggro.

If you are heal-tanking as an Engineer, grabbing a holo-shield and a heavy pistol may be a good idea. If you're playing with a good tank, you may want to use a rifle.

If you are playing as an Operative, your best bet is to run around and not get hit. Rifles are the clear choice.


The Holographic Display, though, is an odd duck... It only provides 32 armor... Is it just for aesthetics, or does it improve something beyond printed stats?