Shield

Shields are a bonus layer of defense a hero has on top of their Health.

Unlike health, shields are usually temporary. They'll be reduced by incoming damage first, before hit points. The amount of Shield is indicated by a white bar on top of the health bar (except in Fenix's case, where all shields are displayed above his health bar). Shields will always absorb damage until they are depleted or they expire. When a hero has no shields, they begin to take damage to their hit points instead. Even damage over time effects that were applied before the shield are still absorbed by a shield applied afterwards. You can save a teammate that would have died to Lunara by applying a sufficiently strong shield. If multiple shields are stacked then they are consumed in the order in which they were applied.

Shields can either have a duration or be permanent. Permanent shields are only lost when fully depleted, and can be restored by re-triggering the shield-granting effect.

When a shield absorbs damage on an allied hero it is counted as "healing done" and displayed in the role column of heroes. This only works for heroes and not minions, mercenaries or buildings where shields can still be used to absorb damage.

Basic Abilities

 * Abathur's ability "Carapace" grants the "Symbiote" target shields for 6 seconds.
 * His level 1 talent "Reinforced Carapace" increases the shield amount.
 * Anub'arak's ability "Harden Carapace" grants him shields for 3 seconds.
 * Artanis' trait "Shield Overload" grants him shields for 5 seconds when taking damage below 75% health.
 * His level 4 talent "Shield Battery" increases the duration by 1 second.
 * His level 4 talent "Shield Surge" increases the shield amount while below 25% health.
 * Chen's trait "Fortifying Brew" grants him shields while drinking that persist for 2 seconds after he stops drinking.
 * His level 1 talent "Freshest Ingredients" makes 50% of the shields permanent after the quest is complete.
 * His level 13 talent "Enough to Share" grants nearby allies a stacking shield for 4 seconds while he drinks.
 * Falstad's ability "Barrel Roll" grants him shields for 3 seconds.
 * His level 4 talent "Updraft" increases the shield amount and makes it permanent.
 * Fenix's trait "Shield Capacitor" grants him permanent shields that quickly regenerate if he does not take damage for 5 seconds.
 * His level 13 talent "Auxillary Shields" increases the shield amount but reduces his maximum health, and causes his Basic Attacks to generate shields.
 * Johanna's trait "Iron Skin" grants her shields for 4 seconds.
 * Her level 1 talent "Hold Your Ground" increases the shield amount.
 * Her level 16 talent "Fanaticism" increases the shield duration to 6 seconds.
 * Kerrigan's trait "Assimilation" grants her a percentage of damage she deals as shields for 6 seconds.
 * Her level 13 talent "Volatile Power" increases the shield amount but lowers the duration to 3 seconds.
 * Mei's trait "Cryo-Freeze" grants her a decaying shield for 3 seconds.
 * Tyrael's ability "Righteousness" grants him and nearby allies shields for 4 seconds.
 * His level 1 talent "Salvation" increases the amount he shield himself by.
 * His level 1 talent "Justice For All" increases the amount of shields allies receive.
 * Xul's ability "Bone Armor" grants him shields for 3 seconds.
 * His level 7 talent "Wall of Bones" increases the shield amount.
 * Zarya's ability "Personal Barrier" grants her shields for 3 seconds.
 * Her level 4 talent "I Am the Strongest" increases the shield amount.
 * Zarya's ability "Shield Ally" grants a target allied hero shields for 3 seconds. Can't be used on herself.
 * Her level 4 talent "Give Me Twenty" increases the shield amount each time she gathers a Regeneration Globe, up to 20 times.

Heroic Abilities

 * Anduin's "Lightbomb" grants the target shields for 5 seconds that grow based on the number of enemies hit by the explosion.
 * Chen's "Storm, Earth, and Fire" lets Storm grant all three spirits shields for three seconds, or permanently if it's the final ability cast.
 * Lúcio's "Sound Barrier" grants him and nearby allied heroes shields that decay over 6 seconds.
 * His level 20 talent, "Bossa Nova", reduces the shield duration to 4 seconds, but also reduces the cooldown.
 * Imperius' "Angelic Armaments" grants him shields for 3 seconds.
 * His level 20 talent "Heavenly Host" also grants shields to nearby allied Heroes.
 * Tassadar's "Archon" grants him shields for its duration.

Talents

 * Alexstrasza's level 16 "Overprotective" adds an additional effect to her "Abundance" ability, granting healed heroes shields for 3 seconds.
 * Anduin's level 7 "Power Word: Shield" adds an additional effect to his "Divine Star" ability, granting him shields for 4 seconds if it hits an enemy.
 * Anub'arak's level 7 "Subterranean Shield" adds an additional effect to his "Burrow Charge" ability, granting him shields for 5 seconds.
 * Blaze's level 1 "Endurance Stimpack" grants him shields for 5 seconds.
 * Blaze's level 13 "Juggernaut Plating" grants him 50% Spell Armor for 3 seconds and shields equivalent to 125% damage reduced upon expiration.
 * Brightwing's level 7 "Phase Shield" adds an additional effect to her "Phase Shift" ability, granting her and the target shields for 10 seconds.
 * Deathwing's level 16 "Elementium Plating" grants himself a shield for 8 seconds.
 * Deckard's level 4 "Potion of Shielding" adds an additional effect to his "Healing Potion" ability, granting heroes healed by this ability shields for 6 seconds.
 * D.Va's level 13 "Emergency Shielding" adds an additional effect to her "Mech Mode" trait, granting her shields for 6 seconds if she takes damage that would destroy the mech.
 * Falstad's level 4 "Static Shield" adds an additional effect to his "Lightning Rod" ability, granting him shields for 4 seconds with every strike.
 * Garrosh's level 13 "Defensive Measures" adds an additional effect to his "Groundbreaker" ability, granting him shields for 6 seconds if it stuns an enemy hero.
 * Genji's level 7 "Augmented Guard" adds an additional effect to his "Deflect" ability, granting him shields for 4 seconds when it ends.
 * Jaina's level 13 "Ice Barrier" adds an additional effect to her "Frostbite" trait, granting her a percentage of damage she deals to chilled targets as shields for 4 seconds.
 * Johanna's level 20 "Indestructible" prevents fatal damage and grants her a shield equal to her maximum health for 4 seconds.
 * Kel'Thuzad's level 4 "Strip Shields" adds an additional effect to his "Chains of Kel'Thuzad" ability, granting him permanent shields.
 * Kael'thas' level 1 "Mana Addict" gives him the "Arcane Barrier" ability once the quest is complete, granting him shields for 4 seconds.
 * Li-Ming's level 16 "Diamond Skin" adds an additional effect to her "Teleport" ability, granting her shields for 4 seconds.
 * The Lost Vikings' level 7 ability "Norse Force!" grants all vikings shields for 4 seconds.
 * Lt. Morales' level 4 "Blast Shield" adds an additional effect to her "Displacement Grenade" ability, granting her shields whenever it hits enemy heroes.
 * Lúcio's level 7 "Good Vibrations" adds an additional effect to his "Soundwave" ability, granting him a 7 second shield per enemy hit, tripled versus heroes.
 * Mephisto's level 4 "Static Barrier" adds an additional effect to his "Lightning Nova" ability, granting him shields equal to 50% damage dealt to Heroes for 7 seconds once the Nova expires.
 * Murky's level 13 "Egg Shell" adds an additional effect to his "Spawn Egg" trait, granting him shields that last indefinitely when spawning from his egg.
 * Orphea's level 13 "Abyssal Symbiosis" adds an addition effect to her "Chomp" ability, granting her shields for 3 seconds if it hits an enemy hero.
 * Probius' level 4 "Shield Capacitor" grants him permanent shields. Shields regenerate quickly when not taking damage.
 * Probius' level 13 "Shield Battery" adds an additional effect to his "Warp In Pylon" trait, granting allied heroes shields while they remain in a pylon's power field and 2 seconds after leaving it.
 * Ragnaros' level 13 "Tempered Flame" adds an additional effect to his "Blast Wave" ability, granting him damage dealt as shields for 3 seconds.
 * Rehgar's level 13 "Earth Shield" adds an additional effect to his "Lightning Shield" ability, granting the target shields for 3 seconds.
 * Sgt. Hammer's level 16 "Mechanical Know-how" adds an additional effect to her "Neosteel Plating" ability, granting her shields for 2 seconds.
 * Sonya's level 16 "Nerves of Steel" grants her shields for 5 seconds.
 * Tassadar's level 4 "Plasma Shield" grants him shields while he has maximum Resonance.
 * Thrall's level 20 "Earthen Shields" adds an additional effect to his "Earthquake" heroic ability, granting allies within its area of effect shields for 4 seconds with each pulse.
 * Tracer's level 13 "Jumper" grants her stacking shields for 3 seconds after using "Blink".
 * Zarya's level 13 "Pain is Temporary" grants her shields for 3 seconds.
 * Zeratul's level 13 "Shroud of Adun" adds an additional effect to his "Permanent Cloak" trait, granting him shields over 5 seconds when Stealthed.
 * Zeratul's level 20 talent, "Shadow Stride", grants him shields for 3 seconds after using "Vorpal Blade".

Generic talents

 * "Storm Shield" and its modified versions grant the caster and nearby allied heroes shields for 3 seconds.

Non-Heroic Sources

 * Triglav Protector's pilot ability "Shield Emitter" grants nearby allies a shield.
 * The Nexus Anomaly "Climate Phenomena" grants all heroes a permanent shield while out of combat during Snow Flurries.

Counter Abilities

 * Kel'Thuzad's level 4 talent, "Strip Shields", adds an additional effect to his "Chains of Kel'Thuzad" ability, making it deal bonus damage vs. Shields.
 * Lt. Morales' level 13 talent, "EMP Grenade", adds an additional effect to her "Displacement Grenade" ability, making it deal bonus damage vs. Shields.
 * Varian's level 13 talent, "Shattering Throw", deals heavy damage to enemy Hero's shields and passively makes his Basic Attacks deal bonus damage vs. Shields.