Shield mastery, increased defences

Oh you're right. Derp. I forgot about that. It does raise your shield's armor.

Here are the re-done calculations:

Executioner's Casque (lv 26): 113 armor
Bronzescale Gautnlets (lv 23): 67 armor
Plated Greaves (lv 23): 67 armor
Warplate (lv 21): 154 armor

This isn't counting armor from belts (which can get a little high towards the end game) or other gear and passive/active skills, but those are effected too, while shield defenses is not.

113 + 67 + 67 + 154 + 199 = 600 armor
Shield = 199 armor

1.1 * 600 = 441.1 armor = 60 armor gained
1.3 * 199 = 258.7 armor = 59.7 armor gained

Whadda know? A 30% defenses node is equivalent to a 10% armor node.

Yep, these things NEED a buff.

Well, 10% armor and 30% defenses nodes should be equivalent, they are both small nodes. As for the big Shield nodes, do not underestimate 4% block, they add up, the extra 20% defenses is just icing on the cake. Unlike evasion which is countered by accuracy block is much harder to bypass. If we are talking PvP only certain sword nodes have block penetration. As for PvE I don't know if mobs have block penetration.

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geffreyy wrote:

Well, 10% armor and 30% defenses nodes should be equivalent, they are both small nodes

One requires a shield, the other does not. One effects EVERYTHING, one only effects shields. I say it's inferior to 10% armor by default, because they give close to exact amounts of natural defense. The only benefit I can think of is if you find a unique shield with craploads of armor. Of which, there actually aren't that many.

When it comes to shields... it's better to just go and pick x% increase block chance then instead of spending skill points on nodes with 30% more armour from shield ... you better pick faster block recovery nodes ... those are few and they do the trick a lot better.

why ? simple :

why focus on 30% more armour from shields ... thing that will only reduce the incoming damage by verry little ... like ... for each 12 point in armour you will take only half of 1 point of damage ... that's the formula...

you could spend fewer skill points on those faster block recovery nodes ... thing that will make you block more attacks in a smaller time period .... you won't block a part of the incoming damage from that hit ... you will ignore the entire damage from that hit ....

dunno about you ... but .... I prefer to get rid of the entire damage from the incoming hit than only a small percentage of it !


think about this thing : when you fights though monsters that will hit you like a truck... and trust me .. they WILL ! ... if you have picked 30% more armour from shield nodes your armor will receive like 5-10% less damage ... but if you have picked faster block recovery ... you will have a higher chance for oyu to block that hit and get rid of the whole damage ...


for me ... I pick shield block chance nodes until I reach like 30% shield block chance then I will get like 24% or more from a shield .... that alone will give me 55% shield block chance(~60% shield block chance if you go Tempest Shield build- I play w/o this skill).

Just want to say the skill makes sense and shouldn't be changed IMO (maybe a bit buffed).

I have a spellcaster marauder (firestorm) and i recently got a 6 link armour.. it's only lvl 50 tho and hybrid so it has little armour. I have many uniques on me which also provide not amazing armour stats.. but i have about 57% block chance and with this passive i can get an 1700 armour shield and buff my stats to decent armour without spending too many skillpoints. My passives are centered around blood magic / high hp / hp regen / block chance, and the shield defense ones allow me to get some armour while having freedom in choosing the rest of my gear, which you need alot of times with many hybrid/special builds. If they were buffed a little it would be even greater IMO, and would allow you more freedom (like getting armour on shield and evasion / es on the rest of your gear etc.)/