The sabres dont get a mention which sadddens me.
These weapons are incredible if you are willing to go 21/18 or 18/18. You can use a lighter shield to the same effect as a heavier one plenty of PS for non-stabbing 1H.
I use the second teir sabre( i forget its name). I strongly recomend these weapons for many reasons. Reach is nearly 90 so is still decent, damage is high especially for the weapons price (nomad sabre approx 1.5K does 29 cut), They have high speed 100+ as mentioned earlier, they air hit (even a small amount of air reach is worth it), They have curved blades again only slightly but poor hitboxes give your opponent less time to react.
21/18 is an optimized build sacrificing IF but again you shouldnt ever be taking hits until the shield is broken at which stage you must become a 2H with the advantage of speed and an ability to hit your opponents face.
When your shield breaks find another one or if you are half decent continue to fight without changing your style dont let your opponent sense your loss. A lot of shielders go into an aggressive frenzy when they lose their shields this might get a hit but wont last long. You have to be an enigma show no weakness and you will destroy any 2H. Remember without a shield you can now block while kicking with very little risk.
xbows are good but depending on cav concentration spears can be better, remember the reach of a spear is increased alot by using a shield at the same time. Go for the horses head not the rider. If they are 1H heavy cav use your 1H on the pilot if you think they are not expecting it.
As shielder you can take risks and deliver very heavy damage even at low levels (using maces).
At a low level dont use a shield for melee at all you wont be fast enough.
