M.D.S.M.

A deployable shield for the Mek

Short for Mek Deployable Shield Module, the M.D.S.M. is a module that a Mek can be equipped with in ARK: Survival Evolved. The game describes it this way: "Mek Deployable Shield Module. Equip a Mek with this module to arm it with a large deployable dome shield. Unequipping reduces durability." The ARK Wiki says it first came with Extinction, and Fjordur, Lost Island and Genesis: Part 2 have it too, matching the four maps in our records.

Using the dome

Pressing C raises a spherical dome around the Mek; pressing it again, or leaving the dome, turns it off. The shield heats up while it is on and switches itself off when it overheats. Its effects, per the wiki:

• Allies inside take 30% less damage, marked by blue squares rising from them.
• Enemies who were under the shield and step outside take 40% more damage and move 30% slower for 30 seconds, marked by red squares. Turning the shield off does not cause this debuff.

The dome only blocks projectiles, meteors included, and is no barrier against creatures. The wiki also considers it practically impossible to get both effects at once: an enemy's debuff ends when it enters an active dome, and the shield stops allied projectiles from leaving it.

Crafting the module

The engram unlocks at level 93 for 40 engram points. The module is crafted in a Tek Replicator or an Exo-Mek, takes 10 seconds and gives 26.8 XP. Materials:

• 400 Metal Ingot or Scrap Metal Ingot
• 280 Crystal or Primal Crystal
• 180 Polymer, Organic Polymer or Corrupted Nodule
• 30 Element or Red Element
• 30 Black Pearl

Durability, weight and drops

The module has 5000 durability and an armor rating of 20, and taking it off costs durability. It weighs 200 with a stack size of 1. Our records also list the Mek as a creature that drops it, and they count 18 loot entries that can contain it, among them those named Desert Titan, Forest Titan, Ice Titan and King Titan Easy, Medium and Hard, on Extinction.