To play as 1h shield is no fun, even lamhban complained about it all the time in the recorded battle union against pillagers.
The guy, who test it, has ping 10 and test it on level 20 players on siege server with ping 80.
Problem:
1. 1h is a bit too slow with shield and without (no reason to use 1h pure)
2. At same time 1h swords lack damage power (1h - 30 dmg while 2h - 40 dmg = 4 ps difference)
3. Heavy weight of shields slow you down so much that shielders get very often outmaneuvered.
4. Width of shields is too small thats why shielders get hit through the side of the shield (the model seems to be bigger)
5. Slow game speed allow to block forever while shields have low hp and thats why are easy to break
6. Shields cost too much thats why in strategus people use level 1-3 shields only
I main 1h & shield and find threads like this annoying. 1h & shield is NOT difficult. Sure it takes longer to kill someone, but they are great at defense. If you're a good 1-hander, it's pretty easy to top the charts.
Now, let's look at these claims:
1. Shields DO NOT affect swing speed. 1 handers are overall the fastest weapons in the game. Carrying a shield does NOT slow down your attacks.
2. 1 handers should do less damage than 2 handers. It's called "balance". They can't be great at everything.
3. You only notice the slowdown from shields if you're holding your block button down. PROTIP: Don't turtle. It's a slow, boring way to get killed.
4. Change your facing. It annoys me when people who are using autoblock think that it should automatically give them 180 degree protection.
5. Sounds like you're turtling and using a terrible shield. Don't turtle and buy a better shield.
6. Shields don't cost too much. The Knightly Heater which is a FANTASTIC shield only costs around 4k.
I hate to say it, but if you're having trouble with 1h & shield you just need more practice. 1h & shield is incredibly viable. Stop turtling, be more aggressive, learn to manual block and buy a decent shield. You'll do fine.