These shields were characterized by the purple energy field they projected around the wearer. However, their drawback was that they burned out after absorbing so much damage, and could only be reactivated for a certain number of times (usually five) before being discarded. In addition, they did not protect against energy-based attacks, for instance from that posed by blasterfire. Mandalorian power shields were an upgraded version of the melee shield that offered this additional defense against energy attacks.