Kuni's Survey: Turtle Up!

[Dracey]

This question is primarily for the Sarlona community, Please identify your server if you are not from Sarlona.

What is your perspective on how and when Shields should be utilized?

Note that this question is inclusive of all character builds, not just stalwart defenders or etc.

[toshiyanemura]

I like shields. I like turtles. Everyone should have a shield and a turtle, if for nothing else but to confuse others.

Seriously though, everyone should have a shield, DR is awesome.

[RenigadeWolf]

EVERY character i have has a shield of some sort (most commonly a tower shield of some sort) and encourage everyone else to carry a shield. FTW

[Enoach]

Rules for when its time to throw up the shield and use Shield Block:

When you realize there is no way you can kill everything surrounding you before they kill you and Help is on the way... Just hold them off for a little bit longer. If help is not on the way and throwing up a shield still won't keep you alive long enough to kill them all, than it does not matter, just go out in a blaze of Glory.

When your out of SP and you find a pack of rabid monsters (best is archers) willing to help you "Shrine" while you wear your con-op and Torc.

I'm from Kyber

[Ilindith]

Spell Points

[LoveNeverFails]

When I'm on my cleric and it has devotion on it.

Or the leader says "Sheild block him in!"

Perhaps I'm sorely misinformed, but I have come across no other reason to have a shield/shield block on any of my toons.

[TrinityTurtle]

The only time I have really ever used shields is on my bard and clerics, primarily because it's an easy place to get devotion, and I usually dress my toons for the effects on the gear. You have to get such ridiculous AC's in this game for them to actually help you in my experience, that I quit messing with it and focused on killing things faster with pots or a rentacleric in between for questing alone, or group success in my groups.

If they made changes to AC to alter this, I would revisit the idea. Except for my fighters probably, as I favor the two handed types.

-Turtel, who is amused by the post name.

[Sarisa]

When first levelling my Cleric, a shield was a good way to get Devotion before pulling the Reaver's gloves, and getting a Superior Potency VI dagger.

Now, I mostly only use the shield (upgraded Light and Darkness) on my Cleric when I'm in a tough spot and need the added blocking DR. I do keep the shield equipped and block when healing eVoN6, as it can prevent knockdowns.

When levelling my Wiz/Rogue, I would gather up a bunch of trash mobs, drop an AoE (this was when Firewall was king), and shield block in it. Good way of controlling aggro and cleaning up a lot of trash mobs fast. My levelling group did the same strategy on our previous characters/TR's as well. I still carry a shield on that character, and use it whenever I am cooking/freezing large amounts of non-epic trash. In addition, the shield I carry (Epic Kundarak Warding Shield) has no Arcane Spell Failure (slotted in the blue slot) and +6 Resistance, so I pull it out whenever I need higher saves, at a cost of lower rates of crits.

My Bard also carries a shield (basic Light and Darkness), but only uses it when I need the blocking DR.

I hide all my shields whenever I see an Air Ele.

[Kages]

There are many different uses for a shield. It all depends on the shield itself though, for example; Leviks Defender gives a heal sometimes when hit aswell as increasing your threat due to the Levik's set bonus's. Epic Kunderak Warding Sheild is an easy and quick shield to get with a good DR and a +6 to saves. This helps no matter what class or race or sex or eye color in tanking the hound in HoX(remember, it only takes a 35 reflex to not get bee's(adjustments madefor higher diffeculties of course.) I find it hard to use a lot of the time due to the numerous amount of offhand/mainhand gear for casters, but Skyvaults shield is a good one to help keep the squishy people alive without affecting their casting abilities.

I could go on and on about all the good things about shields, but in the end I would never use one permanently on any toon. Even my healers/casters use 2-handers or skiver/death's touch/Epic Ornamental Dagger... with much more to throw in the mix of posibilities. That and a toon that runs around with a shield ALL the time dealing minimal damage is more of a burdan to the group than a help. Again that is my opinion, I'm positive everyone has their own opinions and have the right to give them if wanted. Hope that answered your question about sheilds OP.

/end

[Vivamort]

I used a shield on snowy korthos as a sled.

[Trillea]

I use them when my casters need SP.