It seems a recent update made bulwark shield’s have some insane stagger resistance. I don’t know if its a bug or intended mechanics. I have seen a few different people mention this but I figured I would post to get a solid answer. Used to be I could shoot my bolter or plasma gun into their shield and they would stagger. Now it seems like its a 50/50 chance for them to stagger and if they don’t stagger I basically just wasted 5 shots of a bolter into a shield and did absolutely nothing to them.
6 Likes
You need five bolter shots in quick succession to open a shield. I dont think this is the last patch change.
That is fine in my books, bulwarks are designed to be annoying enemy type which other enemies use to push close to you. Overlapping shields bs remains an issue, thanks to hyperdensity 
3 Likes
I’m not sure that’s necessarily a bad thing, tbf. Seems fair?
Is the Ogryn’s shield 100% damage / stagger resistant from the front when braced? Can’t remember.
However: that the shield wraps around the body sometimes in a frontal 180 is more of an issue. I’m convinced in one of the pre-U&L patches they fixed it so that this didn’t happen, but it’s definitely back.
Could be server lag. Could be an old bug again. But I regularly get blue no-damage markers when I know I’m shooting fleshy bits on the side.
1 Like
Before it was more like 2-3 bolter shots now its five. Also, if we want to be realistic here - how is it bulwarks carry around a shield that absorbs every type of gunfire we have? You don’t think it might be smart for them to go “Hey… you know Bulwark shields are OP… let’s turn that into armor!” but nah, let’s keep that insane material limited to bulwark shields lmaooo.
1 Like
They definitely fixed the hitboxes compared to how they used to be a year ago. They still have some jank but at least the square shield doesn’t act like they’re encased in a half set of armor from the front lol
3 Likes
As an pickaxe Ogryn, this is exactly how they feel to me ATM. Any hits to their fleshy sides gets the ‘donk’ metal noise and causes me to stagger. They’re very tedious to fight for this reason.
I have to strafe entirely around them until I’m facing their back in order to get a hit on the flesh.
It might be different for projectiles but this is certainly my melee experience with them currently.
1 Like
it’s a co-op game, if you’re trying to deal with the guy that’s “block in one direction” as his whole gameplan solo and not letting your team help i’m sorry if you can’t play the game well.
2 Likes
Lore and game balance actually. Atm bolter shots can one tap a LOT of enemy types. Bulwarks are partially there to counter the advantages of the ranged power. I wish they worked better, especially in melee, but we have seen some improvements in that area recently, so…
i dislike the gameplay wall i really hate bulwarks i usually just leave and let my team deal with them.
Bulwarks need a bigger stagger and a stamina bar if my block can break why cant theirs?
1 Like
with karsolas pull em towards you, aim straight up and charge your vertical whack.
this way you reach past the shield.
other than that i bait them into swinging at me and use the time to charge my branx.
bully I club heavy hits over the shield no matter what if you want a safer approach 
then again either bullrush or big boom sends them bowling pins flying.
2 Likes
Just like with every other enemy… they’re fine on their own, in groups they do the job of harassing teams and protecting everything behind them; but because Fatshark doesn’t have proper collision (body-blocking) enabled for Elite enemies, having them clip inside one another and form a wall against players while being completely permeable by Crusher/Mauler overheads Rager spam, shotguns, flamers, dogs and trappers is obnoxious.
The elite ball clipping issue is the one consistent gripe that I have with the game and one of the few reasons I don’t always enjoy a high density of elites at every turn.
*edited to add Shotgunners
1 Like
That’s the thing, enemies are not ruled by the same game mechanics as players.
2 Likes
I find the current tendency for difficulty spikes being a result of Rager, Crusher, Bulwark mass spam extremely tedious, especially with Bulwarks and dreg ragers. The game limits your build possibility by stuff like 10+ dreg ragers coming from around a corner, with their silly attack range, and attack combo you cannot hit attack in between because of their attack speed, range and stagger resistance when in groups. Dps check is such a boring way of making things more difficult. I want interact with enemies at range and melee. Bulwarks can be a problem too, especially when mixed with stuff like ragers or shotgunners. “Gameplay”.
2 Likes
Have you tried shooting it in the foot?
Since we can actually hit things that stick out, that might work.
yes? okay?
changing the bulwark to having a limited block would make it less annoying thats what im saying.
Yep, dunno if it’s a ghost buff or directly a bug… but I hate it
Lore side, it doesn’t have any sense, plus is simply boring/unfun and rng (the stagger res seems to vary)
Plus we must add shield’s hitbox, wich seems buggy again, like it had a 180° angle
I do that but still get the metal shield donk most the time. Also the karsolas pull doesn’t stagger them properly. Not like all the other enemies.
Don’t get me wrong, I still kill them all but it’s very frustrating that my hits are not connecting with the fleshy bits I’m clearly aiming at.
1 Like
its not about the stagger rather than get a guaranteed overhead yourself.
,combine with aim upwards = bonk
New reworked ‘No pushover’ lets you open bulwarks shield effortlessly : r/DarkTide (reddit.com)
just stumbled upon this one.
also, having a psyker with surge staff on the team works wonders. or even the dreaded smite.
5 Likes
This is my #1 issue with Bulwarks. Their shield could stop a tank for all I care, so long as when I hit the meat I get the damage…
If they’re limited by stamina or whatever they are significantly less scary, so I’m fine with their improbable levels of durability. Fine line between ‘annoying’ and ‘not a threat’ in this regard!
1 Like