dread knights shields or not

[kishtar]

i have a lvl 20 DK i have a 1025 ac. i put all my points into str dex and con for the dmg resists. i use a 2 handed axe to great effect. iwhat i want to know is if using a shield really makes that big of a difference. i only have 1 abillity that uses the shield and it seems pretty useles to me. i mjust tired of rangers and and bards telling me that if i use a shield i will hold aggro better and they dont have to dump aggro.most rangers i g have grouped with thiks its ok for them to just spam there attacks with no reguard.. please some info here would be greatly appreciated.

[TheKnight]

What does your playstyle prefer?

The only reason I use a shield at all at the moment as a warrior is for +stats.

I may well revert to two handed swords again.

[SwordMage]

I think the real answer is that if your healer says he or she can't keep up with the damage, it is time to pull out the shield.

[Rithrin]

I went two handed swords since I'm on the FFA PVP server, because I wanted to do the most damage I could. Unfortunately, I see one handed weapons with more DPS than my two hander, so it looks like shields win here.

[Uthrock]

I use 1h+shield and i seem to do fine, but i also spent a lil bit on my Mace i use, it seems to do fine in pvp also although i havent even used a 2h weapon yet.

[Alarion]

As a level 18 warrior, with decent gear for my level - I am a little eager to see the changes they are making to Warrior mitigation. I know you are 2 levels higher than myself, but you have almost 400 more AC, and I *use* a shield.

In all honesty, until you see differently, I would suggest you stick with the tried and true tanking methodology - and that is to use a shield if you are tanking, unless you just aren't taking much damage without it.

I don't have my 2h skills built up yet, but it is something I am working on. Thus, I have not used 2h weapons in a grouping environment.

That said, I have not done enough experimentation to determine if, while in defensive stance, there is much of a difference between using a shield and not. I know warriors have some reactionary abilities (and at least one normal ability) that requires a shield - not sure about DRKs.

Edit:After looking at my vgplayers.com page, I am questioning my recollection of my AC value. I will have to check this in game tonight.
Edit2:Man I'm blind, finally saw the AC listing on the page (was only seeing the "defense" at first) - yeah my AC is 640 but my defense is 2579 - with a shield.

[dirtymeat80]

just dinged 18 DK last night, and I have pretty much always used a shield. I normally like to keep two weapons handy - a good one handed so I can tank a little better, and a good two handed weapon that I sometimes use solo, as well as in group when I'm not the main tank.

Also, when I get low on HP, and the healer is a second or so behind, or lags, I can hit the shield spell that'll block all incoming attacks.......I even use this spell when I'm backup tank cause I can rescue, and keep blocking to not take damage till the main gets aggro back.

Might be nice to just setup a macro for this as well. When you come up to the 4dots and such, flip in your shield in to take some hits, and for 3dots and below, just use the two handed to kill quickly.

damn I ramble sometimes........sorry

[Nil]

I'm a warrior and not a DK, but I'll go ahead and chime in that I haven't seen much use for a shield so far - but I'm only level 15. Also, I have not yet come across a (edit: nice) shield.

Currently dual-wielding, I hold aggro better than with sword and board and I don't die much faster (especially considering that the critter dies faster as well). I do still use my defensive stance - not sure if you have something similar or not.

I had a DK in my party last weekend that tanked very, very well with a 2h axe (he was 2 levels higher than me, but the mobs were still red to him).

I'm sure this changes somewhat at high levels with very nice shields, but so far, they're pointless.

[Aegis]

Seems like ALOT of you underestimate how much your shield will help you, although Nil's ending statement is his post sums it up well. Level 25+, shield itemization is more rampant, and you have a plethora to choose from. Shields add TONS of melee evasion (block), and while I'd have to say up until level 20'ish, shields are uneccesary for tanks, when i throw on a shield, healers have to use 3 times less healing power. Based off of what I've seen though, dk's are gimp in the shield skill department. Only time I use a 2hander is if I'm pvp'ing against a spellcaster of the oppopsite faction (I play on a faction pvp server).