Shift



Shift is an Epic tank in Hills of Steel 2.

It has two modes, changing between a monowheel with a small blaster and a quadrepedal cannon.

Primary
Shift fires up to six small, slow-moving projectiles in a short arc that deal a small amount of damage to one target. The damage is equal to Shift's Attack stat.

Secondary
Shift turns on it's side, sprouts legs and a much larger cannon. In this state, Shift's primary attack fire up to six quick-moving shells a short distance straight forward. The shells explode after a short delay, dealing a moderate amount of damage to all targets in a moderate radius. The damage is roughly 250% of Shift's Attack stat.

Using Shift's secondary attack in this state causes it to revert to its original configuration. There is a short cool-down between using the secondary attack and using the primary attack.

Special
A semi-transparent shield appears around Shift. The shield protects against attacks from outside (damage to the shield appears a small blue numbers instead of ranged numbers), but attacks from within the shield still damage Shift directly. The shield has health equal to Shift's special value and has no time limit, though only one shield can be active at a time.

Strategy
Shift is the fastest tank in the game in it's initial configuration. Coupled with decent health and it's shield, Shift can be an incredibly tough and evasive tank, but cannot contribute much to the offensive line this way.

Using Shift's secondary attack reduces it's speed to among the slowest, but it's large number of shots, good damage and blast radius make it a viable threat. Note that Shift's cannon shot explodes at a set distance and time, not when it strikes an enemy. This means that enemies retreat from Shift can often escape damage.

Use Shift's secondary attack to change modes mid-air to cover extra ground and reduce the effective cool-down time before you can attack.

Because the shield has no time limit, there is no reason to "save" it until you get into combat. If your Special is charged, you can activate it immediately and start charging up your Special again.

Upgrades
Antenna is a less effective upgrade on Shift because Shift's only source of damage is its primary attack. Ammo Crate and Bullet make Shift a more dangerous opponent while also charging its special faster.

Due to Shift's incredibly high speed, using a Heavy Barrel or Heavy Coating hurts less than on other tanks.

If you have an Energizer for Shift, it's one of the best choices. If you have your shield active while at or below 30%, you can survive longer than other tanks while having a significant damage boost.

Skins
Pink (50 gems)

Moto (150 gems)

Enduro (season 18 reward)