The combat shield is a rectangular steel sheet reinforced with the latest plastic compounds, offering the user directional ballistic protection against incoming fire. It is commonly used for breaching guarded doorways, preventing the soldier and his comrades being mown down by reaction fire. Capable of stopping any cartridge size up to and including sniper rifle rounds, the combat shield suffers progressive degeneration during a mission as it absorbs damage, and eventually fails entirely.

Carried in the soldier's off-hand, the shield limits a soldier to wielding a pistol or using grenades. Though it incorporates a polycarbonate viewing window into the design, it also severely limits the soldier's cone of vision (to the point where they can see little other than what is directly in front of them). It is also extremely heavy and cumbersome, inflicting a significant penalty on the user's available action points when it is equipped. Despite these issues, there is absolutely no substitute for the combat shield when the situation dictates storming a protected doorway.