Do you guys enjoy Shields as a weapon?

[TagIsBad.1350]

I adore Guild Wars 2's diversity in builds, from professions to specializations, to elite specializations, to weapons. However, one thing that I have been unable to enjoy is how Shields play. Now I don't just ALWAYS go full dps, I can enjoy some support/buff oriented gameplay every now and then, but playing shields has been a consistently underwhelming experience, even as a Chronomancer or Herald.

 

Now I understand you don't HAVE to play them just because the Elite Specs make you able to, but when most of the Elite weapon sets are so satisfyingly designed, it feels bad for the shield ones to just be "block attacks and grant allies protection" - granted, Chrono does have Tides of Time which is in my opinion probably the most interesting shield skill there is.

 

I won't really touch on Core Build shields, but I will say that they also fall into the same issue of feeling much too passive in a game where combat is so quick and mobile. Core Engineer > Guardian or Warrior shield (again, this is my opinion), but even so it never really feels like a compelling option over dual wielding a different weapon to me. This also branches to the fact that there are no new Elite Specializations in End of Dragons that add Shields to a prof - maybe it's because anet can't find a satisfying or fun way to implement them into another profession?

 

Anyways, the main point of this post was just to see what you guys think of shields - do you enjoy playing them yourselves? Have a different critique of them? Personally I'd love some kind of rework or even flat-out change that could maybe push shields into a more viable position in 80+ content, as I do like them thematically (and there are some killer shield skins). This isn't a post trying to call shields garbage, or insult those who like them, just me putting my thoughts out and wanting to hear from the community. Cheers.

Edited November 16, 2021 by TagIsBad.1350
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[AgentMoore.9453]

Heads up, but this post is virtually invisible on dark mode.

I like using shields and outside of combat I consider them a free cosmetic back item. As implemented, they serve my needs, but I don't feel strongly one way or another about how they function, so if people have ideas for improvements, I wouldn't be opposed.

[The Fear.3865]

Shields are required in almost every build of every profession where it's available on a pvp/wvw environment. For most of the specs, it is well designed and brings lots of possibilities during a fight. 

If you limit your gaming experience to exclusive pve, it's more optional.

[Danikat.8537]

I use shields occasionally, mainly on guardian and engineer, I wouldn't say they're my favourite weapon but they're ok.

Weirdly I started using them less a year and a half ago because I finally got a Switch and was playing a lot of Breath of the Wild where basically your only choices are sword + shield or two-handed sword, which is fine, it's a Zelda game so that's expected but it felt like a missed opportunity to have more off-hand weapons so when I was playing GW2 it made me want to experiment with the whole variety of other options (then rant to anyone who would listen about how they could have been used in BotW).

Along similar lines I think the shield skills in GW2 are fine if you bear in mind that a shield is primarily defensive, like how focus skills are primarily support themed, torches are almost exclusively condi (burning) and so on. If you want pure offense you're more likely to choose something else (although you can of course kill things with a shield) and defensive skills do tend to be a bit less exciting.

I'd like to see shield skills for other professions because I think some of them could do some interesting things with it, including possibly some more offensive skills.

 

22 minutes ago, AgentMoore.9453 said:

Heads up, but this post is virtually invisible on dark mode.

It's also got a smaller font than normal for some reason, which makes it a bit harder to read on a PC screen.

[Ashantara.8731]

Surrrrre... only Chronomancer or Herald use Shield as a weapon. 

I guess my Firebrand must have been doing something wrong then.

1 hour ago, Antycypator.9874 said:

What about Engi shield?

Oh, right! And my Holosmith, too!

Edited November 16, 2021 by Ashantara.8731

[Antycypator.9874]

What about Engi shield? There are only 2 off-hand weapons: pistol and shield — this is really good CC weapon if you know how to use it.

[EpicName.4523]

Shields are fine. They are a defensive tool and grant defensive options. You are not supposed to slaughter tons of enemies by throwing a Captain America shield or something, there are weapons for that.

 

I like shield on Chrono and really like it on Guardian, since I can protect allies close by from missiles. Works as intended. 

[kharmin.7683]

This almost feels like another veiled request for dual-wielding shields.

[Dadnir.5038]

Shield are nice but for sure there are some that have skills that could afford to be looked at like Herald's.

[Gibson.4036]

I use shield on Holosmith, so I couldn’t answer your poll.

Also, couldn’t read your OP because you formatted it dark. It’s invisible on forum dark mode.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Gibson.4036

[Doctor Hide.6345]

I voted for the last option on both mainly because the choice of I don't like shields in general is not there. I have never been a fan of shields in games because I think it ruins aesthetics, and for GW2 case it adds too many blocks ruining ranged game-play. So overall, shields for me are more a nuisance than anything else. Yes, I know my take on that is not common, so take it as you will. lolz

[Naxos.2503]

Shield does it's job adequatly on every class to be honest. It adds some extra defense, and provides blocks and CC. Probably the only thing I'd like is for the hitbox of the player to be temporarily -slightly- bigger when using the Block skills, to have an easier time body blocking projectiles for allies. It's doable as is, it's just a bit finicky with some projectiles. They are otherwise workable.

[Randulf.7614]

My spellbreaker mains mace/shield as does my core guardian. Warrior shield is in a great place.

Also your main post is blank on dark mode

Edited November 16, 2021 by Randulf.7614

[Borked.6824]

I do like me some shield/dagger Spellbreaker.  Honestly one of the most synergistic solo builds I've come across in the game.

[ASP.8093]

5 hours ago, TagIsBad.1350 said:

Core Engineer > Guardian or Warrior shield (again, this is my opinion), but even so it never really feels like a compelling option over dual wielding a different weapon to me.

You don't like Guardian shield? Big knockback + projectile reflect is pretty superb all in all. (Try it on a Dragonhunter in WvW roaming?) And Aegis+Prot is the kind of stuff that's heavily in demand on Guardian.

[BobbyT.7192]

Engineer shield is probably my favorite shield spec out there. Blocks, lots of CCs, bit of range. Only thing that held it back was that core engineer was limited to main hand pistol. 

LIke it does see use in holosmith and will see use in the mechanist. Just wish core engineer had more main had options. (Mace should have been core, and you could have use something like scepter as a bonk stick/ "mech controlling device"

[Ashgar.3024]

TL:DR OP doesn't PvP.

 

For what's worth on Sword Holo i use Shield most of the time even in PvE since Engi doesn't have a good Power Off-hand. 

[Khisanth.2948]

Warrior and chrono yes, everyone else ... meh

offtopic: why did you feel the need to shrink the size of the text for your post? O_o

Edited November 16, 2021 by Khisanth.2948

[TagIsBad.1350]

1 hour ago, Khisanth.2948 said:

Warrior and chrono yes, everyone else ... meh

offtopic: why did you feel the need to shrink the size of the text for your post? O_o

 

8 hours ago, Randulf.7614 said:

My spellbreaker mains mace/shield as does my core guardian. Warrior shield is in a great place.

Also your main post is blank on dark mode

 

8 hours ago, Gibson.4036 said:

I use shield on Holosmith, so I couldn’t answer your poll.

Also, couldn’t read your OP because you formatted it dark. It’s invisible on forum dark mode.

 

11 hours ago, AgentMoore.9453 said:

Heads up, but this post is virtually invisible on dark mode.

I like using shields and outside of combat I consider them a free cosmetic back item. As implemented, they serve my needs, but I don't feel strongly one way or another about how they function, so if people have ideas for improvements, I wouldn't be opposed.

Sorry, I copy pasted this from another forum and I think the formatting got a bit funked up. I bolded it to try and make more readable but there's no options for direct text formatting, haha

 

I really appreciate everyone offering their thoughts - I will admit my viewpoint may be as it is because I don't play much PvP or WvW myself, and after talking to a few of my friends who do enjoy shield in these modes it seems they serve as an important defensive tool. Sorry to all the Holosmith fans I neglected with this post 🙂

 

9 hours ago, kharmin.7683 said:

This almost feels like another veiled request for dual-wielding shields.

I would not be opposed to that! DPSing with a shield is a really cool concept that I think could work well, especially when we already have weapons that differ on which hand they can be wielded in. Let me be Captain America dammit!

[Sleepwalker.1398]

6 hours ago, ASP.8093 said:

You don't like Guardian shield? Big knockback + projectile reflect is pretty superb all in all. (Try it on a Dragonhunter in WvW roaming?) And Aegis+Prot is the kind of stuff that's heavily in demand on Guardian.

I don't remember it having reflect.

[ASP.8093]

3 hours ago, Sleepwalker.1398 said:

I don't remember it having reflect.

Sorry, right, it just absorbs projectiles.

The knockback is great for everything from stopping stomps, to killing people with Test of Faith, to knocking people to their deaths off ledges.

[Tiilimon.6094]

I just wanna dual wield shields.

[Blude.6812]

On 11/16/2021 at 6:17 AM, EpicName.4523 said:

throwing a Captain America shield

 

Yes!!!!!!! I would be all over that ability

[draxynnic.3719]

There are a couple that could probably afford some improvements, but shields as a weapon class are fine as long as you don't expect them to be primarily DPS options. Warrior offers a long block and a gapcloser stun. Guardian offers some nice clutch skills for protecting your group, Aegis trait synergies, a knockback, and a heal. Engineer offers CC and self-defence. If anything, it's probably the chronomancer and herald shields that need more of a touchup (chronomancer shield having lost Alacrity, and herald shield 4 is a bit lacklustre), but both are still fairly solid overall with the right build.

 

So no, I don't think there's a problem with shields as a weapon group. They are weapons more oriented to defence and CC than DPS... as you should expect. They're shields.

[Linken.6345]

On 11/16/2021 at 10:13 PM, TagIsBad.1350 said:

 

 

 

Sorry, I copy pasted this from another forum and I think the formatting got a bit funked up. I bolded it to try and make more readable but there's no options for direct text formatting, haha

 

I really appreciate everyone offering their thoughts - I will admit my viewpoint may be as it is because I don't play much PvP or WvW myself, and after talking to a few of my friends who do enjoy shield in these modes it seems they serve as an important defensive tool. Sorry to all the Holosmith fans I neglected with this post 🙂

 

I would not be opposed to that! DPSing with a shield is a really cool concept that I think could work well, especially when we already have weapons that differ on which hand they can be wielded in. Let me be Captain America dammit!

If you can just copy paste the text again and click the text that come abit below sayingg.

Post this as plain text instead?

that will make it readable on both light and dark forum.