I was playing new Vegas today and was using energy weapons. It got me thinking... If technology has advanced significantly in energy weaponry why are there no energy shields or plasma based shields anywhere in the games or lore that can be used?

Furthermore there are almost no shields... If dual weidling pistols isn't allowed why can't the pc have at least a crude metal shield in one hand and pistol in the other to balance one handed weapons with more powerfull rifles?

Enemies could utilize shields to make you flank them or use explosives or sneak ect. This would add an interesting element to gameplay.

Thoughts?

There never were shields in Fallout. This isn't Rainbow Six, Counter Strike or Borderlands. Why include new gameplay mechanics if they aren't needed? Easy as that!

Everyone knows when a lasgun contacts an energy shield you get an atomic level explosion. Sheesh.

they did exist, yo could see the energy shields in use in the Fallout 3 main quest line near the end. when liberty prime was tearing [censored] downtown to the jefferson memorial.

screw you and your references to an amazingly awesome sci-fi series.

I am simply curious as to why I am not pouring over them not being in the game. I don't think it would be crazy of a mechanic to add; it could block against melee enemies, critters and such. Blocking with a weapon always just seemed odd to me I suppose.

If you're thinking more of a force-field type shield the Tesla Armour the Enclave employed in Fallout 3 and sometimes in New Vegas that resisted energy weapons as a special effect. That's kinda as far as it can go without putting in special mechanics for them.

If you're thinking full on Legionary scutum for Caesar's Legion then I think thats something they logically would have but never really shown as having. It doesnt make sense to bring a physical shield to a gun fight, but maybe in the tribal lands that the Legion conquered they made use of shields in massive formation combat with undisciplined tribal warriors. When you go up against the service rifle using NCR troops it turns into human wave tactics and you just need to charge as fast as you can with your machete, the shield becomes dead weight with bullets getting through it no problem.

If you're thinking riot or ballistic shield or something like that for Fallout 4 then it becomes something that would logically exist but isnt represented in game since it would be a dead end once you get power armour, so its much better to put development resources into other things. Would be cool to see it in a mod or something though, even though thats probably not going to happen with the GECK being the way it is.

Energy shields are far more wasteful than energy weapons. With an energy weapon, you fire a certain amount of energy at a target. With an energy shield, you have to spread out the energy to ensure that everyone is protected. Also, there could be some problem like each square centimeter of an energy shield has to exceed the energy output of the energy weapon. Which results in energy weapons requiring power sources that can fit into a rifle and energy shields requiring 500 MW power generators or better.

So use the power armor energy cores possibly? If i play a light armored sneaky character I wouldn't mind a shield of things get hairy. Obviously it wouldn't be needed for someone running around in power armor.

Pratical use in the field would limit its aplication, however we are talking about a generation in fallout that has harnised the use of a nuclear powerplant worth of energy, into a mere battery sized pack. Still, even then they are not the holy grail of infinite energy you would likely need to keep a shield running for more then 0.02 sec. As for your garden variety metal shield, good luck on your first energy wielding baddie you meet, he'd put a hole right trough your shield, and likely you, first chance he gets.

This is not halo.

I can safely say, energy shields has never been a thing that I felt Fallout needed.

How well can a crude metal shield hold up against automatic fire, grenades and a super mutant swinging a sledgehammer the size of a small person, really?

Sorry, but I hate when people do things like this. It isn't Doom either and it borrows mechanics from that. It's not TES and it borrows mechanics from that. It's not a lot of things, doesn't mean it can't include something remotely similar. Sheesh. (BTW, Halo is not the only game to use shields. And afaik, they don't even use shields in the manner the OP is talking of.)

OT, I don't want shields.

Thick steel can hold up against almost any arms fire, maybe not a high caliber armor piercing round... Depending on shield thickness. A sledgehammer would break the arm of the person but then again blocking with a melee weapon would be worse... A grenade would go through almost anything obviously.

Also if you had a shield and were in the middle of the wasteland not near anything you could set the shield down and use it for cover.

Actualy, you might just save yourself a haircut if you got a nice solid piece of steel between you and that grenade, but yeah, to manny things that can get throught it.

the slow blade penetrates the shield .

its going to barrow stuff from the elder scrolls because its made by the same company.

but shields are not meant for this game. energy shields are for games like halo, not really for a Bethesda game.

plus that's the whole point of custom armor .

Logically there's lots of things missing from the Fallout world that people would obviously be using in a post apocalyptic society. .. but you just can't get everything you can think of into a game.

A physical shield would actually be better than an energy shield unless you are suffocating in energy like Star Trek. Physical shields also would go really well with the Brotherhood of Steel's Knight style.

Wonder how effective a monofilament shield would work. A monofilament shield would consist of millions of parallel monofilaments. Shield Bash would certainly create a new and more disturbing meaning.

And I agreed with you, did I not? And I know it's made by the same company, but it still shares a principle. Pretty sure they got someone from Bungie overseeing the shooting mechanics anyway.

Games can have similarities.

Thanks for the replies! As I mentioned I was just curious. I figured they would use the energy for other things... Even forcefield type things for important buildings.

If this sounds too science fiction like... Fallout has plasma guns, energy weapons, aliens galore and such.

They existed in Fallout 3, and were annoying to overload. Zeta is Canon, We have seen Sally unleash the Death Ray

but with shields the game would become easier, no need for stimpacks, just cover till shields recharge. for me games work best when there is just energy shields or just a health bar. the only way shields could work is with power armor. shields wouldn't make much sense if you are just using your vault suite.

I agree with you.