Shift

File:Shift.png
Shift is an Epic tank in Hills of Steel 2.

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

## Attacks

### Primary

#### Wheel Mode

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

#### Cannon Mode

Shift fires 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.

### Secondary

Shift switches between Wheel and Cannon Mode. It can switch between modes any number of times, but, like Scarab, there is a short delay after switching before the Primary can be used as the ammunition reloads.

### Special

A semi-transparent shield appears around Shift. The shield protects against attacks from outside (damage to the shield appears as 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

### As Shift

Shift is the fastest tank in the game in its initial configuration. Coupled with decent health and its 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 its speed to among the slowest, but its 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 retreating 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. This improves your momentum if you do get destroyed. Also, remember that your shield can protect allied tanks as well, so team up with ranged allies to keep them safe.

### Vs Shift

When playing against a Shift, take advantage of the tank's weaknesses, and try to prevent it gaining or getting advantage from its shield.

If you have a quick tank, you can try provoking it into shifting at all the wrong times: run in close to get the tank to switch to cannon mode, then back out of range, and back and forth.

Shift has poor range in either configuration, so if you can keep Shift at a distance, you may be able to kill it without taking any damage. This prevents it from gaining Special and robs it of momentum.

### Upgrades

Upgrades like Antenna and Fuzzy Dice are less effective on Shift because its only source of damage is its primary attack.

Ammo Crate, Bullet and similar upgrades help charge Shift's special faster while also making it a more viable threat.

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

Due to Shift's shield, this tank could be a good candidate for Energizer, since it could potentially survive at low health for extended lengths of time.

### Targeting

Shift is not able to target its Primary in Cannon Mode. It can target in Wheel Mode, but the damage is so negligible it hardly seems worth the time.

Targeting is largely irrelevant to this tank.

## Skins

Pink (50 gems)

Moto (150 gems)

Enduro (season 18 reward)