Barrier Champions

The icon identifying Barrier Champions.

Barrier Champions are a type of Champion enemy.

Overview

Visually, Barrier Champions appear with a tendril-like growth on their upper back in the shape of a circle. When a Barrier Champion takes enough damage (usually, when it reaches around half health or less), it will surround itself with a bubble shield. This shield will deflect players' attacks, rendering the Champion immune to damage. Entering the barrier will apply a disorienting static effect to the player's screen. While the shield is up, the Champion will start regenerating to full health and will continue attacking the player. After a short period of time, it will drop its shield.

Anti-Barrier Champion effects are referred to as Shield-Piercing or Pierce. Mods and other effects that grant Shield-Piercing allow a Barrier Champion's shield to be damaged. When its shield is fully depleted, the Champion will be stunned, canceling its health regeneration and preventing it from acting for several seconds. Breaking a Barrier Champion's shield will also trigger perks that require breaking enemy shields, such as Disruption Break and Turnabout.

Shield-piercing effects allow players to shoot through most enemy barriers that normally block damage completely. This includes Phalanxes, Taken Phalanxes, Taken Vandals, Knights, Hydras and Hobgoblins. They will also cause rounds to overpenetrate enemies. In PvP activities, these effects will deal increased damage to Titan Barricades.^[1] Despite the name, Shield-Piercing effects (such as from Artifact Perks) do not increase damage against non-matching enemy elemental shields. However, some Exotic weapons that can stun Barrier Champions, such as Arbalest or The Lament, can also break enemy shields.

Enemies

Cabal
- Barrier Colossus
Fallen
- Barrier Servitor
Hive
- Barrier Knight
Vex
- Barrier Hobgoblin

Shield-Piercing Effects

These effects can stun Barrier Champions by damaging and breaking their shields.

Artifact Perks

Main page: Seasonal Artifact

The Seasonal Artifact contains Artifact Perks that can be used to stun Barrier Champions. These perks must be unlocked on the Artifact before they can be used, and will automatically take effect after unlocking them. These perks' effects usually require the player to use specific types of weapons or abilities in order to stun Champions. The anti-Barrier perks that are currently available will differ depending on the Season.

The following anti-Barrier Artifact Perks are available during the Season of the Witch, and can be unlocked on the Acolyte's Staff Seasonal Artifact:

Elemental Keywords

These elemental buffs can allow weapons to damage Barrier Champions' shields. However, they will not override an anti-Champion effect that already exists on a weapon (i.e. an Artifact Perk or an Exotic weapon's intrinsic effect).

These keywords can temporarily stun Barrier Champions, but will not break their shields.

Freeze;
Suspend.

Exotic Weapons

Arbalest
Eriana's Vow
Revision Zero
The Lament — Only when revving the blade by holding Guard.
Wish-Ender

Exotic Armor

Titan

Second Chance — Grants Shield-Piercing effect to Shield Throw.

Synergy

These effects do not stun Barrier Champions, but may synergize with other anti-Barrier effects.

Weapon Perks

Adaptive Munitions - This weapon adapts its damage output and effectiveness against energy shields that don't match the weapon's damage type.
Disruption Break - Breaking a combatant's shield with this weapon makes them more vulnerable to Kinetic damage for an improved duration.
Genesis - Breaking a combatant's shield with this weapon fills its magazine from reserves. Energy weapons regenerate ammo on hit when matching the damage type to the combatant's shield.
Turnabout - Using this weapon to break the shield of a combatant or a Guardian using their Super will grant you an overshield.

Strategy

A Barrier Champion can only be stunned while its shield is active. It is best to keep your anti-Barrier weapons loaded to be ready for when its shield is raised.

Dealing a large amount of damage (for example, with a Power Weapon) to a full-health Barrier Champion will usually guarantee that it brings its shield up, allowing it to be stunned. If a Barrier Champion is already at low health, it can usually be baited into bringing up its shield by dealing small amounts of damage to it.

Try to keep the Barrier Champion within your line of sight. If it hides behind cover and brings up its shield, it will be much harder to stun it before it returns to full health.

A Dawnblade Warlock's Well of Radiance will constantly give the Radiant buff while standing in it, allowing any weapon to damage a Barrier Champion's shield. However, this will not override an existing Overload or Unstoppable anti-Champion effect on a weapon.

The Major Spec weapon mod and Vorpal Weapon perk provide a damage bonus against all Champions.