the pestilence DoT gets stacks even if hitting a targets shield, even in PVP. Me and my friends tested with all variants of shield and shots hitting the shield give the DoT no matter what. this doesnt feel intended as it lets players counter even bulwark shields at literally any range.
You also get shocked, burned, bled, and can have every other status effect applied to you through your shield even if it's applied via a bullet and it hits the shield. Been like that since the first Division as well. It just goes along with the rest of the game.
Hey The_Soldier, this was supposed to be addressed with TU9... are special ammunition types still applying status effects through shields for you?
Bleed and Burn are not intended to go through shields, while Shock and Confuse still are.