How to best use the Evo Shield in Apex Legends

First added in the System Override event, the Evo Shield is an armor item that encourages combat and makes fights much more interesting. Respawn announced that in Season 6: Boosted, the Evo Shield would become the new standard. But what exactly is the Evo Shield?

Here is a breakdown of how the shield works and tips and tricks to get the best use out of it.

What is the Evo Shield?

Unlike the legendary gold shield, which is static, the Evo Shield levels up as you play through a match. Each level is reached by meeting a damage threshold for how much the player has dealt. You automatically start with a Level 0 shield that only takes 50 damage to evolve.

Note: This doesn’t include damage to downed enemies, and you will need to use shield cells or batteries as you level up the shield, as the new tiers come in depleted.

The final tier, the 125 Shield, is red and is label the ‘fully evolved’ shield. It is the strongest shield currently in the game. Having this shield gives you a leg up on the competition, especially at the end of the match.

Starting off with only a Level 0 or Level 1 shield can be tough, but by Level 2, you start to get more leverage. This change to armor may be jarring, but there are many ways you can strategize to get through the risky portion of wearing your Evo Shield, even if you aren’t a top-tier player.

Finding pre-evolved Evo Shields

As of season 6, pre-evolved shields are now part of the loot you can find. You can naturally find Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 Evo Shields the same way you can find other items. The Level 4 Evo Shield can only be reached by evolving it from a Level 3 yourself or looting it from another player’s death box.

Aside from fighting, you can also upgrade your shield by 100 points worth of damage through the new crafting system for 45 crafting metals each time.

Best Legends for the Evo Shield

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is the perfect legend to pair with a first-time Evo Shield user. He has the Fortified perk, meaning he takes 15% less damage, and he has his own extra shields: both his dome shield and his gun shield, and any damage brought on by his ultimate ability bombardment, will also level up the Evo Shield.

Caustic

Caustic is also a great choice, both due to being the other Fortified legend, and the fact that he can weaken his enemies with his traps. If you are at the start of a game and do end up in close-quarters with another player, gassing them can quickly add to your damage count and get you an easy hit on a target. This lets you level up your Level 0 shield with ease.

Lifeline

Lifeline is a great legend to pair with the Evo Shield, because when you first start out, if you do get hit, Lifeline can self-heal with her drone. You will use fewer shield cells when your Evo Shield is small, giving you more wiggle room to get back in the fight and level up or find a better shield should things go badly. You can also help your teammates the same way.

Rampart

The legend roster just got a little wilder with the addition of modder maverick Rampart. She’s perfect to use with the Evo Shield since she can load more bullets into the magazine of an LMG, set up walls with her tactical, and her ultimate can melt through the competition. Rampart is perfect for the Evo because she’s built for maximizing damage at a safe distance.

Best strategies for leveling the Evo Shield

Sniper

One of the best ways to level up your shield is from a distance. Try to get a sniper rifle and a good scope early. Dealing high damage from afar will level you up with a much lower risk of death. It’s highly recommended to add a skullpiercer hop-up onto a longbow, if that is the weapon of choice. If you can get your hands on a Kraber, leveling up will be a piece of cake.

• Sentinel
• Charge Rifle
• Triple Take
• Longbow DMR
• Kraber .50-cal Sniper (Heirloom Tier)

High rate of fire

While this isn’t as safe as sniping from a distance, getting a gun with a high rate of fire, like the M600 Spitfire or the new Volt SMG will get you in on the action earlier and faster. It is especially useful to level your Level 0 shield. You’ve got to be more careful about incoming damage, especially with the close-range SMGs, but you should level up with a lot of ease.

• M600 Spitfire
• Devotion LMG
• Prowler (with Selectfire)
• Volt SMG
• R-99 (Heirloom Tier)

Overall, the Evo Shield, now being the standard, encourages dealing damage and getting in on the action. It shows active play is rewarded, and the more you fight, the more you can handle.

As of August 2020, the Evo Shield has replaced all classic body armor except for the gold body shield in all game modes.