The new Guardian Shield has its issues but works if you keep this in mind

The new Guardian Shield is here but don’t over-rely on it.

Fortnite has finally brought in the new Guardian Shield into Chapter 4, Season 1, but if we’re being honest, it wasn’t what we thought it’d be. The shield is something you can carry with you, and deploy should you need to, but it’s not the end-all, be-all that some thought it’d be. Firstly, once it’s deployed, you can’t shoot through it.

So it’s not like the Shield Bubble in that regard. Nor is it something that allows you to use weapons while wielding it. We knew it wouldn’t allow you to do so, but we didn’t realize how hindering not having that ability would make it.

Another major issue with the shield is the recharge time on it is quite significant. It takes a lot longer to charge than you may realize. It may be a 1:1 situation, where it takes as long to charge up, as it does for it to drain.

That said, it actually is a really good item, just not for solo players.

The new Guardian Shield is perfect for team matches

if you’re running with a group of players in a team game, the new Guardians Shield is perfect for you. Fortnite is quietly turning its multi-player game modes from a multi-person Fortnite free-for-all to more of an Overwatch situation.

While there aren’t designed classes (or roles), many of the new items, like the Guardian Shield, and the Shockwave Hammer, really set players down the road of class combat. The new shield turns a player from a traditional Fortnite player to a defensive-minded role.

The shockwave hammer is pure tank combat. The Ex-Caliber rifle is pure offense. The entire shield dynamic allows for a more complex team setup, and that’s a wonderful thing. It’s still not a great item for single-player battle royale fans, but it’s going to be huge for team battles.