That arguement should be treated as a curseword and be automaticlly censored on this forum. I'd rather buy a bottle of aids and shove in my face then buying a shield.
Enjoy learning to do the arrow dance or enjoy eating arrows/bolts then. This isn't a single player game, one shouldn't be able to be a powerhouse of everything and fill all roles.
Dodging only works (efficently against skilled xbowmen) if you arent holding your shield up and most of the time the shield either shatters completely after two shots or gets pierced easily, the only way shielders would be able to dodge bolts is if the proj speed got nerfed like on bows, but since that is never going to happen...
the whole "just buy a shield" argument simply doesnt work like against archers.
If your shield breaks in one hit of an arbalest you have a weak shield and are getting exactly the performance you paid for. If your shield gets shattered after 2 shots, why is an arbalest shooting you twice? It takes forever and a day to reload those things. Either you didn't make him a priority and you're suffering the consequences, or you're running in a very straight line, which is silly.
As for other xbows, there are few xbows that can break a level 4 shield in 3 shots, let alone 2. Can we have a conversation about balance without people exaggerating wildly so what they don't like will go away, please?