PALADIN: Shield styles / Respec

[mardukc_kurios]

lo all, I have a question about shield styles. My character is lvl 39 now with 40 comming up and i want to do a respec.

In the beginning i put my points in Chants-Slash-Shield but after a while i noticed myself never using the shield styles and doing allright anyway so i decided to keep the shield for (auto) blocking but put no points on it anymore. (I love the shield btw, it blocks blows and thats fine for me

So at lvl 40 i want to do a respec and put the (19) shield points in Chants-Slash which are equaly divided.

I am only afraid of one thing: If i take the points from the shield will it block less frequently then? I have no id about the relation between Shield points/change of blocking..

Anyone can shine a light on this?

Many tnx in advance,
Mardukc Kurios - lvl 39 Paladin

 

[Yussef]

You -must- have 42 Shield as a 1h Paladin, for a 9s anytime stun. Each Shield point = 0.5% of blocking added on top of the base 5%.

 

[Pin]

Originally posted by mardukc_kurios
I am only afraid of one thing: If i take the points from the shield will it block less frequently then?

yes. your spec in shield directly affects how much you block.

Spec 42shield, 42chants, 44slash, rest parry

(or whatever you like really... just get 42shield)

 

[chretien]

Each point you have in shield skill increases your base chance to block by 0.5%, so if you take points out of shield then yes, you will notice a dropoff in blocking rate.
For what it's worth (your spec is entirely your own business, this is just IMO), Paladins should keep Shield as high as possble as this helps them fulfil their primary role of defensive tank. Even with a high Slash skill your melee damage is always going to be very poor, better to concentrate on defending weaker party members than not contributing very much to the damage output of the group.
In any case I'd always take shield to 42 as then you get the Slam style which is pretty much a must have for any shield tank and there's strong arguments for taking your shield spec to 50.
For what it's worth, My final spec is 50 shield, 29 Slash (gets me a good anytime style) and 47 Chants. In RvR I hang around near the casters and clerics and intercept stealthers and enemy tanks who try and take them out. In PVE I can solo reds with no downtime simply because they can't hit me often enough to kill me.
Sure other paladins will post their opinions here too.

 

[Balbor]

i'm guessing your not using your backup styles enough, most of the shield styles (appart from the L42 one) are either position or off-block based. In a group a paladins main role is to provide End and more often than not hold agro so having a good shield spec is importaint.

My paladins final spec will be 48 chants (for last AF), 42 shield, 30 perry and 29 weapon (not sure wither to go crush- to be neutral on all mids or Slash- weak on mid chain but good on hib chain).

Personally I think 50 shield is a bit pointless in RvR as you don't wanna be waiting for a block for that extra second stun, when you can land one right away and then target will be on 1min timer.

 

[deadkid]

i dont remember where i've read the test exactly, but i think it was on vnboards. was stated there that 50 shield block MUCH MUCH more than 42... i mean they said MUCHfookingMORE well spec is always up2u to decide... we dont want zombie template bot machines that make only one viable spec time to experiment

 

[old.diabolus]

lol time to experiment let that fella spec 0 shield i wonder how he will perform in pve and pvp at 50 ;p gonna follo that bright and smart choice with my pala if he is successfull that is lol

46/42/39/24 4tehwin

 

[Addlcove]

Originally posted by deadkid
i dont remember where i've read the test exactly, but i think it was on vnboards. was stated there that 50 shield block MUCH MUCH more than 42... i mean they said MUCHfookingMORE well spec is always up2u to decide... we dont want zombie template bot machines that make only one viable spec time to experiment

haven´t seen it proven in numbers, but it is my experience that a 42shield/30parry gets HIT a LOT LESS than a 50shield pally.

 

[svartmetall]

I respecced my Warrior from 50 Axe/42 Shield/39 Parry to 50/50/28, and even with my Troll's low Dex, noticed a BIG increase in my block rate. If you can spare the spec points, I would certainly recommend 50 Shield.

 

[Capricorn]

Personally I think 50 shield is a bit pointless in RvR as you don't wanna be waiting for a block for that extra second stun, when you can land one right away and then target will be on 1min timer.

isnt the point that 50 shield will more likely to land your slam and have a higher block rate so the big bad....baddies will have less chance to hit the poor soft caster that your supposed to be guarding?

just my 2 pennies or whatever

 

[Sagba]

34 Slash/Thrust/Crush, 50shield, 46 chants and 7 parry for (group) RvR spec imo (7 parry is more than enough).