Shields

Shields are your primary defense layer, absorbing incoming fire before hull damage is taken. There are three shield types (Graviton, Molecular, Positron) and three ship categories (Fighter, Elite Fighter, Freighter). Shields also have 10 classes, with higher classes providing greater capacity and recharge rates.

Shield type matters against certain enemy weapons. Nomads use energy weapons that bypass Molecular shields more easily. For PvP, experiment with different types to counter your opponents' loadouts.

Shield Types

Each shield belongs to one of three types, which affects its capacity, recharge and its interaction with different weapon types:

Type Description
Graviton Standard shields with good all-around performance. Best raw capacity per class – the most commonly used shield type.
Molecular Lower maximum capacity than Graviton but features a faster recharge rate. Better for surviving sustained engagements where regeneration matters more than peak buffer.
Positron NPC-only in the unmodified game with balanced stats. Not available for player purchase in standard Freelancer.

Fighter Shields – Graviton

Standard fighter-class Graviton shields, usable by all light fighter ships. The "Opt." (Optimised) prefix indicates an enhanced variant at the same class level with slightly improved capacity and recharge.

Name Class Capacity Recharge Ship Class Price
Sentry Graviton Shield160013Fighter1,000 cr
Opt. Sentry Graviton Shield282118Fighter1,720 cr
Guardian Graviton Shield31,12425Fighter3,660 cr
Opt. Guardian Graviton Shield41,53934Fighter7,420 cr
Sentinel Graviton Shield52,10747Fighter14,920 cr
Opt. Sentinel Graviton Shield62,88464Fighter28,590 cr
Protector Graviton Shield73,94888Fighter49,580 cr
Opt. Protector Graviton Shield85,404120Fighter109,610 cr
Champion Graviton Shield97,398164Fighter240,960 cr
Opt. Champion Graviton Shield1010,127225Fighter289,150 cr

The "Opt." (Optimised) variants of each shield provide slightly higher capacity and recharge than the base version at the same class level.

Fighter Shields – Molecular

Molecular variants trade some raw capacity for a faster recharge rate. They follow the same class progression and price points as their Graviton counterparts.

Name Class Capacity Recharge Ship Class Price
Rampart Molecular Shield145010Fighter1,000 cr
Opt. Rampart Molecular Shield262014Fighter1,720 cr
Sconce Molecular Shield384019Fighter3,660 cr
Opt. Sconce Molecular Shield41,15026Fighter7,420 cr
Palisade Molecular Shield51,58035Fighter14,920 cr
Opt. Palisade Molecular Shield62,16048Fighter28,590 cr
Bulwark Molecular Shield72,96066Fighter49,580 cr
Opt. Bulwark Molecular Shield84,05090Fighter109,610 cr
Barrier Molecular Shield95,550123Fighter240,960 cr
Opt. Barrier Molecular Shield107,600169Fighter289,150 cr

Elite Fighter Shields – Graviton

Elite Fighter (Heavy Fighter) shields offer higher capacity and recharge values than standard fighter shields. These fit the heavier combat vessels in the REM roster.

Name Class Capacity Recharge Ship Class Price
Sentry Elite Shield165415Elite Fighter1,080 cr
Opt. Sentry Elite Shield289520Elite Fighter1,860 cr
Guardian Elite Shield31,22527Elite Fighter3,950 cr
Opt. Guardian Elite Shield41,67837Elite Fighter8,010 cr
Sentinel Elite Shield52,29751Elite Fighter16,110 cr
Opt. Sentinel Elite Shield63,14470Elite Fighter30,880 cr
Protector Elite Shield74,30396Elite Fighter53,550 cr
Opt. Protector Elite Shield85,890131Elite Fighter118,380 cr
Champion Elite Shield98,064179Elite Fighter260,240 cr
Opt. Champion Elite Shield1011,038245Elite Fighter312,280 cr

Freighter Shields – Graviton

Freighter-class shields are the most resilient, designed to protect large trading and hauling vessels. They have the highest raw capacity values of any shield category.

Name Class Capacity Recharge Ship Class Price
Sentry Freighter Shield176517Freighter1,270 cr
Opt. Sentry Freighter Shield21,04723Freighter2,190 cr
Guardian Freighter Shield31,43332Freighter4,650 cr
Opt. Guardian Freighter Shield41,96344Freighter9,420 cr
Sentinel Freighter Shield52,68760Freighter18,940 cr
Opt. Sentinel Freighter Shield63,67882Freighter36,310 cr
Protector Freighter Shield75,035112Freighter62,970 cr
Opt. Protector Freighter Shield86,892153Freighter139,200 cr
Champion Freighter Shield99,435210Freighter306,020 cr
Opt. Champion Freighter Shield1012,915287Freighter367,220 cr

High-End Shields

The top-tier Class 9 and Class 10 shields represent the endgame equipment for both PvE and PvP. They are expensive but widely available at high-security stations and equipment dealers in the core house systems.

For PvP, the Class 10 Elite Shields are the meta choice. The Opt. Champion Elite Shield (Graviton) at 11,038 capacity is the highest available for fighter-class ships.
Name Class Capacity Recharge Ship Class Price
Champion Graviton Shield97,398164Fighter240,960 cr
Opt. Champion Graviton Shield1010,127225Fighter289,150 cr
Barrier Molecular Shield95,550123Fighter240,960 cr
Opt. Barrier Molecular Shield107,600169Fighter289,150 cr
Champion Elite Shield98,064179Elite Fighter260,240 cr
Opt. Champion Elite Shield1011,038245Elite Fighter312,280 cr
Champion Freighter Shield99,435210Freighter306,020 cr
Opt. Champion Freighter Shield1012,915287Freighter367,220 cr