Shield Requirement Overhaul

[Nordwolf]

Actullay pretty similar idea came to my mind a while ago:
to make shield not a requirement, but a bonus, very big bonus not to screw up existing shield builds.

It is realistic - everyone can hold a shield if have got enough strengh, but using it properly requires skill.

The point is to make shield pretty unusable in melee without shield skill, but everyone can hold it with enough skill.

Also yeah, 13 shield skill build will be screwed, because of no ability to use normal shields, but lol.

[Phew]

I was just saying in another thread that the best way to nerf archers would be to buff their proper counter: shields.

As a shielder, I hate archery nerfs. Archery nerfs=all the archers respeccing to 2h (which only gets buffed every patch). The last thing we need are more 2h-ers lolstabbing/hiltslashing all over the place.

[Piok]

As polearmer I like to see this archery "nerf". It only forces them to change build to slower but much harder hitting (actually it force them to team play) but accuracy is not changed and they could still have unrealistic amount of ammo.
As for shield I agree with Angellores changes that everyone should be able to take up shield. But I don't agree with shielders are counter to ranged. If there is any pure antiarcher unit in game its firstly cav then nonexistent pavise ranged and then half mile back shielder with really big shield. So I am against forcefield and magnetfield. I want to see shielder with small shield as target because more targets less danger for me.

[Riddaren]

I was just saying in another thread that the best way to nerf archers would be to buff their proper counter: shields. This sounds promising, but what should the strength requirement on shields be? The heaviest armors only require 16.

Great maul (2H) requires 20 strength and arabian warhorse requires 21 agility.
Current shields require only 18 agility at most.

[owens]

^so what.

I play polearm.

Shields are not under powered at the moment but being penalized in respect to movement speed has made killing archers low on the to do list. I think that shield skill should reduce movement penalty, along with this a strength requirement is necessary.


Making shields more accessible will promote team play, make battle more realistic and most importantly (for me) allow playing archer to be half decent (with respect to fun).


At the moment archery is way under powered (you all know it) but the fact that we are forced into min maxing makes us fish in a barrel. We as 2H and polearm "heroes" cant, don't and wont carry shields as it is a disadvantage we cannot expose ourselves to.

Those with lower shield skill should also pay more upkeep for shields.


At the end of the day every foot soldier carried a shield and rightfully so. In cRPG it doesn't enhance melee so we don't do it, People complain and archers pay the price. As an archer fighting a sheilder and 2 hander gives the same satisfaction (I play as a "ranger" sometimes I enjoy melee whlst im underpowered).

[Moncho]

@san:
Allowing everyone to pick up shields from the ground, with stat nerfs is a good idea, and could also be implemented for all other kinds of weapons such as bows with shit accuracy and damage, crossbows, oh wait they already are possible... , throwing, even things like mauls should be accessible though shitty for everyone, with reductions bigger than -1, -2 etc.
The strength requirement, however, will skew shielders even more towards balanced builds (unless you leave the bucklers for example at 9-10 strength.


@Angellore:
The cap on shield skill damage reduction is a great idea, but I do not think the weight reduction should take place, as it will only get small shields stunned even more.
The extra weight of shields is counteracted imo by lower armor. Hell, you have a shield, you do not have to worry about armor that much, and can use the mails perfectly well... Also you will get shot less and lose less health from ranged as well


In general, though, what we need is a change of mentality, as many 2h/poles do not use a shield instead of 4-6 hitpoints simply because they are min maxers, and even this suggestion would not be a big change for them

Great, I got ninjaposted by a guy who proved my point:

At the moment archery is way under powered (you all know it) but the fact that we are forced into min maxing makes us fish in a barrel. We as 2H and polearm "heroes" cant, don't and wont carry shields as it is a disadvantage we cannot expose ourselves to.

Those with lower shield skill should also pay more upkeep for shields.

The second idea I quoted is a good one though

[San]

I was just saying in another thread that the best way to nerf archers would be to buff their proper counter: shields. This sounds promising, but what should the strength requirement on shields be? The heaviest armors only require 16.

I wasn't thinking of anything more than 18, except maybe for maybe huscarl only to be like 19 or 20, but that can get away with 18 too. There doesn't need to be too high strength requirements for shields, just curb off the 12/27 shielders from medium-heavy and 15/24s from the heaviest, just like weapons. 27/12 and 24/15  shielders wouldn't be able to use the medium & fast shields like the knightly shields as well as they can now, though, with those shields having higher requirements. -1 or -2 wouldn't be too much of a difference, though.

With the new arrow weight patch, I can catch archers on my tanky ass slow shielder. I think I should still have some trouble catching them, while agility shielders eat them for breakfast.

[LordRichrich]

Hmm, just clear one thing up, you aren't balancing on looms, right?

[San]

I think it is. Looms will be buffed due to the fact that you experience less of a penalty if you have one. I just thought something like that would be easier to code than some sort of external penalty factor. That,  and I never see shield looms on the servers except for the turtliest of players.

What I had is just a list of suggestions. I doubt anyone would like them all since I was pretty specific at certain parts, but I would like people to read and think of what kinds of things they would like to add shield diversity.