Does shield skill increase "arc of protection"?

[Dravic]

Does the shield skill increase shield's speed? I mean, it should, shouldn't it?

Wiki says it does, but how much?

[Scrambles720]

Ive only really ever noticed a huge forcefield for a shield on horseback. Ive blocked attacks that i would never block on foot on horseback. does being on horseback affect the shield forcefield or am i completely insane?

[Phew]

Since shield speed and protection arc are virtually impossible to measure empirically, we're probably at the mercy of the devs to release the actual formulas.

Of all the skills, Shield skill is definitely the least understood. The 8% durability per point is known, but everything else is a mystery.

[KaMiKaZe_JoE]

best shield ever is brown lion heater. loom it and be like balbaroth (unkillable)

[rufio]

although im not a shielder myself , and have only played shielder ~6 gens as heavy cav, i have learned from other shielders, that shield skill 6 is needed to ''effectivley'' protect people behind you from archery, and yes it increases your ''forcefield'' witch directley should aslo affect  your block arch in melee combat, the hitting arround shields i do as my 2 hander needs timing and good movement, its basicly a back hit .  what could be  confusing you is the turn/lol stabbing, this is also how u sometimes get hit by a pike or 2 hander , but it seems like the person in question is hitting through somone else, same consept applys to shield, so watch well from witch side the initial stab is being turned and face that way slightly. hope this advise helps

[Phew]

I'm well aware of the wonkyness with thrusts; I use a +3 Long Espada, and most of my attacks are thrusts. Whenever I thrust I feel like I'm just as likely to warp through the space-time continuum and one-shot some archer on the other side of the map as I am to TK a teammate behind me; they are just plain unpredictable.  I am astounded by the ridiculous reach as often as I rage at failing to connect with an enemy directly in the path of my blade.

Thrust mechanics aside, I'd like to know the equations behind shield speed and melee protection arc.

[Adamar]

Concerning forcefields, Im not sure if this is directly related to shield skill, but even a buckler can become completely imune to arrow fire from the front. I say this, because as an archer I've tested it many times while trying to shoot players such as leoking in the head and knees, with no success. Recently, he(leoking) was even kind enought to stop a few metters away from me and aim his shield to the ground, so I could try shooting him in the head, but the arrow still found its way to the shield's orbit(why I ended up raging against bucklers some time ago). The devs should find a way to deal with this - make the whole thing more realistic.

[Kafein]

I don't like that at all and I'm 2H. It makes my build nearly useless.

Bah feint better, you don't need to go behind your opponent when you can get your hits in without the headache.

[Leshma]

That's not the point. If I get behind the opponent and strike he shouldn't be able to block that strike. Simple as that.

[Dravic]

Concerning forcefields, Im not sure if this is directly related to shield skill, but even a buckler can become completely imune to arrow fire from the front. I say this, because as an archer I've tested it many times while trying to shoot players such as leoking in the head and knees, with no success. Recently, he(leoking) was even kind enought to stop a few metters away from me and aim his shield to the ground, so I could try shooting him in the head, but the arrow still found its way to the shield's orbit(why I ended up raging against bucklers some time ago). The devs should find a way to deal with this - make the whole thing more realistic.

2 things:

1st. LeoKing uses quite a high agi build and has quite a high shield skill. Fair enough to get some profits, be it more durability for shield or forcefield, isn't it?

2nd. This mod is about fun, not realism. And the increasing forcefield is not game breaking - it is a reward for getting shield skill points. Should be rewarded, not punished.

Oh, there's actually a third one.

3rd. If you nerf shield skill, it will lead to more whine about archers' powah, thus causing a nerf and/or more insulting on the forum and ingame...

[Adamar]

I wouldn't ask for a nerf, but for a different shield 'engine'. The forcefield doesn't make much sence, that's all.

[rustyspoon]

I wouldn't ask for a nerf, but for a different shield 'engine'. The forcefield doesn't make much sence, that's all.

You know the forcefield was drastically reduced in size many, many patches ago. It is possible for archers to get headshots over shields or shoot people in the feet. It's happened to me many, many times even with 6 shield skill. Also, if bucklers didn't stop arrows they would be even more useless than they currently are. If it moved to an engine where the player had to adjust his shield in order to stop arrows, you would honestly be better off not using a shield and just trying to dodge. Forcefield might not be perfect, but I think it's the best solution.

Shields right now are in a pretty good spot. You get perfect blocking and immunity to range from the front arc.

As for downsides, they slow you down, are breakable and on average are slower than manual blocking. Seems pretty balanced.

Still, if you want to be a crazy 1-handed killing machine, I suggest not using a shield at all.

[Adamar]

Im not saying that shields shouldn't stop arrows, but the small ones shouldn't be much good at it, just like in native or real life. I dont remember the last time I shot a shielder under the shield in this mod. Thats just another problem with the custom builds in crpg.
If the devs managed to add forcefield restrictions to match the type of shield used, then we'd have something better. It would be harder for shielders, but it wouldn't be the first time that something got nerfed for both accuracy and ballance here. Maybe then speed would be optimized to compensate...

[Kafein]

That's not the point. If I get behind the opponent and strike he shouldn't be able to block that strike. Simple as that.

True.

But I personally think this is overused. Probably because I most often use shields, which seem to block a narrower range of melee attacks than the correct side block with a 2h, due to block animations and shield coverages.