shields providing defense to any class regardless of build undermines the entire point of having distinct classes. if any class can equip a shield and gain meaningful defense on top of their damage output then there’s no real tradeoff happening. the stat system is supposed to create build identity but when anyone can just grab a shield for extra survivability that identity gets diluted.
a reasonable solution would be restricting shields to classes that are actually designed around weapons. magic and spirit classes lose weapon slots entirely forcing a real tradeoff instead of just blocking access. warriors get a dedicated shield slot on awakening giving the class actual identity and a reason to commit to the path. hybrids can benefit from shield defense only if they spec into weapons meaning the bonus requires a real investment rather than just being a free stat anyone can grab. the tradeoffs are built in without feeling arbitrary and each class actually has to make a decision about what it wants to be.
this also creates a natural space for arcanium and spirit weapons to matter more. if conjurers and knights are the only classes that can access those weapon types then they become genuinely defining features of those builds instead of just extra options anyone can dip into. class exclusive weapons with class restricted equipment choices means every build actually has an identity.
There is a tradeoff, actually. The shields decrease your speed and jump height, based on their weight. Besides, meaningful defense? 100-200 is meaningful for you? If I was a Warlock, I’d rather not have a shield to keep my agility. And, having a shield kinda ruins the drip, unless it was built around it from the start.
I’ll be real here, weapon classes are the ones who would use the shield the least often. We value our weapon slots way more, shields don’t have as much combat use. Still, they are usable, and can provide necessary value. I respect whoever dedicates themselves to using a shield as a weapon.
speed and jump height barely matter when you’re a mage sitting back throwing spells. the mobility penalty means nothing if you’re not playing in melee range. and 100-200 defense stacking across gear in pvp isn’t nothing, that’s the difference between surviving a low damage attack or not. the tradeoff exists on paper but it doesn’t actually punish the classes that shouldn’t have shields in the first place.
shield skills being decent doesn’t change the argument. the point was never that shields are useless, it’s that they shouldn’t be accessible to every class as a free defense bonus. a mage using shield throw is funny but it’s beside the point. the skills being functional just makes the case for restricting shields to classes that are actually built around them even stronger. good tools should have meaningful gates.
the only reason this doesnt make sense is because the classes arent categorised like that, you can be a tanky mage or a glass cannon berserker. the classes dictate what you use while gear stats dictate more so your type of build. making it so shields can only be used by certain classes doesnt fit that mold that the game has right now.
agility tanking matters way more for melee classes that need to close distance or dodge. a mage losing agility while sitting back casting spells at range barely feels it. the tradeoff punishes the wrong people and lets the wrong classes benefit for almost no cost.
that would be a fair point if the class system actually supported distinct build identities but it doesn’t. a tanky mage and a glass cannon berserker using the same gear pool with the same stat options is exactly the problem. the classes are supposed to create different playstyles but when everything is accessible to everyone it just becomes whoever stacks the optimal stats wins.
the play styles arent different enough i can agree with that, but this has more so to do with gear building than classes. classes = what you can use in ur hotbar and gear = what you can use in your inv, shields are universal item. it allows all possible classes to be tankier which is what you would want in this game. also theres enough viable stats where “whoever stacks the optimal stats wins” isnt the case anymore. piercing isnt completely terrible anymore, power is still the best stat but its not the go to. size is getting nerfed but i still see full size mages. and range/dex is still alright. plus eventually the game will get to a point where you have 5-6 stats per item so even not allowing shields to be used by certain classes wont change anything they would just substitute it.
more stats per item without restrictions just means the optimization gets worse not better. everyone stacks defense on top of whatever they’re already running and the builds start looking identical again. more options without gates isn’t depth, it’s just more numbers.
shields already take up a weapon slot so the “free survivability” thing doesn’t really hold up because that IS the tradeoff. also arcanium weapons already favor conjurers with lower tier thresholds and knights have ancient weapons exclusively, so half the problems you’re solving are already in the game lol.
taking up a weapon slot matters way more to weapon classes than it does to mages who aren’t using that slot for anything critical anyway. the tradeoff exists but it doesn’t hit every class equally. and arcanium weapons have no spell customization nor are they useful to any class for that matter until they’re improved.
