shields

[old.windforce]

as a hybrid armswoman i use my slam mostly to stun opponents and to guard casters

using Duskwood 99% crafted or the DF one (whatever my mood is)

I heard that small shields are faster and less endurence intensive on slam.

Did anyone did some tests with this?

I am also not sure if the crafted one is much better than the DF one. I seem to land slam most of the time anyhow. The DF one has some nice resist and + hp (capped anyhow).

So what to use as a hybrid slampoler who uses guard on casters

 

[old.willowywicca]

the qua of a shield doesn't affect your chance to hit afaik, but it does greatly affect your block rate. Prob best to use a crafted shield for max blocking power.. also shields are quite cheap to make relative to other "weapons" so getting a MP one shouldn't cost very much.

Use a small shield since it's faster and uses less end to slam with. The negatives of using small shield is that you can block less attackers *on yourself* (there is no limit on how many attackers you can block on people you're guarding (atleast not in pve, haven't been able to check for rvr yet)), since your stated intent is to stay back defending casters you won't be getting attacked much yourself, as anyone back there will be there since they have the explicit intent to kill those casters and not you..

 

[Gabrial]

Originally posted by old.willowywicca
The negatives of using small shield is that you can block less attackers *on yourself* (there is no limit on how many attackers you can block on people you're guarding

Can someone clear something up for me : The only difference between a large and small shield is that i) a small shield uses less END to do moves and ii) a small shield means I can defend against less simultanious attackers.

 

[old.willowywicca]

their attack speeds are diferent too (roound(small) shields fastest, medium shields and tower shields slow, heater shields (also large) fast but not as fast as small), so either use a round or heater shield. Slower shields will do more damage with slam, however since the only reason to use slam is for the stun not the damage (which is poor) a faster shield is more desirable, since the stun lasts the same amount no longer the shield size

 

[Danya]

Originally posted by old.willowywicca
the qua of a shield doesn't affect your chance to hit afaik, but it does greatly affect your block rate. Prob best to use a crafted shield for max blocking power.. also shields are quite cheap to make relative to other "weapons" so getting a MP one shouldn't cost very much.

Crafted have 35% bonus vs 25% on DF which helps your slam though.

 

[old.chesnor]

When you use shield to slam before using polearm, use a small shield. When you are guarding use the biggest shield.

Shield quality increases block rate, and may increase dmg on shield styles. But you slam for the stun, not the dmg, so the smallest (less weight) shield is better for slam, its faster and uses less end (the heavier the shield, the more end it uses).

 

[Gabrial]

Im learning more every day! Im gonna run out and get me a new small shield!

 

[old.windforce]

i thought blockrate was depended on shield spec and dex
on vnboard someone was telling it depended on itemlevel as well. if thats the case duskwood is a bit crap since it is only level 46 while DF one is 49 (90% quality and crappy 25% bonus)
I thought that quality was mostly a dps related thing

choices choices . . . . .


where you got info from chesnor? (no pun intended)

 

[old.chesnor]

Block rate does depend on shield spec and dex. Too much on dex imho as blocking is dex based as most chars that depend on blocking have pisspoor dex. Compare the blocking of a 42 shield specced saracen scout vs. a 42 sheild specced saracen armsman. Anyway, enough whining.

Shield spec/dex/qua on shield are the only 3 things that determine how much you block. Cap all 3 and you will block like crazy, I just know this from personal experience. Especially being killed by scouts (pre-nerf) alot. They are the still the best shield users in daoc btw

One more thing, the level of the shield makes absolutely NO difference to your block rate in my experience. I block as much with a green cons 100% quality shield as I do with a purple++++++ cons 100% shield. I havn't properly tested this, but I think that cons of your shield isn't figured in your % chance to block.

 

[old.willowywicca]

I think (this however is purely a guess) that maybe the con of your shield is what affects it's damage/dps..

 

[old.chesnor]

Originally posted by old.willowywicca
I think (this however is purely a guess) that maybe the con of your shield is what affects it's damage/dps..

Yeah I think so. Although in PvE I rarely, if ever, use shield styles. But it seems logical.

 

[old.Mitsu]

Also you might get an extra free swing with your polearm after a small shield slam.

 

[old.windforce]

Originally posted by old.Mitsu
Also you might get an extra free swing with your polearm after a small shield slam.

huh? why would that be?

 

[old.Cyric]

Doesn't use so much endurance, and takes less time to recover....

 

[DeSlisser]

Damn Slo i thought i already told all of this to you... taking to many mushrooms while playing messes up yer brain

A thing i like to do (am a pole and s/s arms aswell) is using me small shield and jambiya (fastest slasher) in LARGE rvr battles. Dish out slams, find a healer/bard/whatever messes type of class and start spamming fast styles at them.. you wont kill them, but disable everything they can do.

Tho vs mid healers it's tricky (chain has slash resist) cause at one time had a dwarf healer pull me back into the mid main body.... BANG had a couple of trolls on me in no time. But its still very fun to do as they have no defence after they used their insta's.

Not full proof, but you're still doing the thing you're meant to do.

 

[Roalith]

I'm a similar hybrid spec, and likewise I use a small shield for slamming, and a large shield if I'm tanking multiple opponents in pve or guarding.

However, guard is affected by the size of the shield. I am 90% certain of this, having spent my entire career from March to 1.52 as a s/s armsman

One other thing I've noticed though, is that if you have a mob engaged, and it switches aggro to the person you're guarding - Paladin running heal, for eg - you will actually engage it THROUGH the guard.

I have not seen any difference in the amount of end useage between small and large shield styles. The only difference of note is the speed you 'recover' from your slam and are free for the next style - the difference is highly noticeable between small and large shields. As an example, anyone noticed a difference in endurance useage when using, say, a short sword or a bastard sword? Or a two handed sword and a Great Scimitar? Both use the same style sets, same as the two shield types, and both use the same amount of endurance - but because the weapons (in this case shields) have different speeds, you attack faster/do less damage with the style.

Not seen a great deal of difference in the frequency of blocking one opponent with a 99% duskwood heater, and a 91% avernal malison small shield. Certainly not 8%, that's for sure.

 

[DeSlisser]

Mmmh Roalith, i do think using a faster weapon (say a slasher type) uses less endurence than swinging a slower version. Try it out sometime. Same goes for the shield, you use less end using the small shield instead of the largest one.