What is the best way to deal with the Ruin Defender's shield in Genshin Impact?

The Ruin Defender, also known as the Ruin Guard, is a formidable enemy in Genshin Impact, especially in the Spiral Abyss where time is of the essence. One of the most challenging aspects of fighting a Ruin Defender is dealing with its shield, which can significantly reduce the damage it takes and make the fight drag on longer than necessary. To effectively deal with the Ruin Defender's shield, you need to understand its mechanics, employ the right strategies, and optimize your team composition and gear.

First, let's discuss the mechanics of the Ruin Defender's shield. The shield is not an elemental shield but rather a physical barrier that reduces incoming damage. This means that elemental reactions, which are typically effective against elemental shields, are not as useful here. Instead, you need to focus on dealing high physical damage or using characters and abilities that can bypass or break the shield quickly. The shield can be broken by dealing enough damage to it, but this requires a focused and sustained attack.

To break the Ruin Defender's shield efficiently, you should prioritize characters with high physical damage output. Characters like Eula, Razor, and Keqing are excellent choices because they can deal significant physical damage with their normal attacks and abilities. Additionally, characters with abilities that can stagger or interrupt the Ruin Defender, such as Jean or Zhongli, can be very useful. These characters can buy you time to focus on breaking the shield without being interrupted by the Ruin Defender's attacks.

One effective strategy is to use a combination of high physical damage and crowd control. Start by using a character like Zhongli to create a shield and then switch to a high-damage character like Eula or Razor to focus on breaking the Ruin Defender's shield. Use crowd control abilities to keep the Ruin Defender from attacking you while you focus on the shield. For example, Jean's Elemental Skill can lift the Ruin Defender into the air, giving you a few seconds to deal damage without worrying about counterattacks.

Another important tip is to manage your stamina and energy effectively. Breaking the Ruin Defender's shield requires sustained damage, so you need to make sure your characters have enough stamina to keep attacking and enough energy to use their abilities. Characters like Bennett can help with energy regeneration, while characters like Diona can provide stamina regeneration with their abilities.

Common mistakes to avoid include spreading your damage too thin and not focusing on the shield. If you switch between characters too often or use abilities that don't deal high physical damage, you'll find it difficult to break the shield quickly. Additionally, avoid using characters with low physical damage output, as they will struggle to make a dent in the shield.

Advanced techniques include using food buffs and potions to increase your physical damage output. Dishes like "Mondstadt Hash Brown" can increase your physical damage, while potions like the "Physical Damage Bonus Potion" can give you an extra edge. Additionally, using characters with abilities that can reduce the Ruin Defender's defense, like Lisa's Elemental Skill, can make it easier to break the shield.

For team composition, consider using a main DPS character with high physical damage, a support character with crowd control abilities, a healer, and a character that can provide energy regeneration. For example, a team of Eula, Zhongli, Bennett, and Fischl would be very effective. Eula can deal high physical damage, Zhongli can provide crowd control and shielding, Bennett can heal and provide energy regeneration, and Fischl can provide additional damage and energy regeneration with her Elemental Skill.

Artifact and weapon recommendations are crucial for maximizing your damage output. For physical damage dealers, the Pale Flame artifact set is ideal, as it increases physical damage and provides an attack bonus. Weapons like the Song of Broken Pines for Eula or the Wolf's Gravestone for Razor are excellent choices. For support characters, the Noblesse Oblige artifact set can increase the effectiveness of their abilities, while weapons like the Favonius Sword for Bennett can help with energy regeneration.

In specific scenarios, such as in the Spiral Abyss, you may need to adapt your strategy based on the other enemies present. For example, if you're facing multiple Ruin Defenders, you may need to focus on one at a time while using crowd control to keep the others at bay. Additionally, if the Ruin Defender is accompanied by enemies with elemental shields, you may need to bring characters that can deal with those shields as well.

In conclusion, dealing with the Ruin Defender's shield in Genshin Impact requires a combination of high physical damage, crowd control, and effective resource management. By understanding the mechanics, employing the right strategies, and optimizing your team composition and gear, you can break the shield quickly and efficiently, allowing you to focus on defeating the Ruin Defender and completing the Spiral Abyss.