I happened to notice that my 19th-level character's +6 Tower Shield has a Base Damage Rating that's higher than his best weapon (which is the Axe of Adaxus. Both are around BDR 20 when he's wielding them.)

Granted, the character is heavily invested in the Vanguard tree, which gives a lot of bonuses to shields, but even so -- is that normal for a shield bash to do more damage than a weapon at the same level?

Or is my weapon not all that good, even if it is my best?

In either case, I should craft or loot a shield that has the Bashing ability to get as many bashes in as possible!