Shield Usage skill

Shield usage skill is used in determining the effectiveness of an arm-worn or held shield in blocking attacks.

Shield Usage

To use a shield set your Stance to use shield and hold a shield in your left hand. Alternately shields may be worn on the arm. To wear a shield on your arm Adjust <shield>. At fourth cirlce primary guilds may arm wear large sized shields on the arm, armor secondary may arm wear medium sized shields at fourth circle, small shields may be arm worn by anyone.

Note: An arm worn shield's protection may be capped based on size. Small shields protection caps at good protection, medium at great, and large shields at impressive.

Training Strategies

Before about 50 ranks, shield is not a terribly effective defense. However, shield coupled with evasion is the most effective means of defending against ranged attacks. At low ranks in skill small unhindering shields are your best bet. Target shields from the goblins west of the Crossing make a good starter shield. You will be unable to effectively use larger shields higher protection values until your ranks in Shield usage increase.

At 50 ranks you gain the ability to load ranged weapons while wearing a shield. An arm worn shield will penalize shots fired by a longbow, short bow, or composite bow. Arm worn shields will not protect you while holding a loaded longbow, short bow, or composite bow.

As skill approaches 100 ranks, moving to medium sized shields will begin to pay off. Larger shields are generally more hindering but with more skill in shield you will improve defense at an increased rate to the shields maximum appraised protection. Shield defense will increase at a slower rate after the maximum appraised protection has been reached.

Special Note

With the recent change to make reflexes less effective in giving evasion bonus, this has made shield and parry an even more important skill to learn. Sloged regrets ignoring this skill after he made 10th circle requirement.

Also note only paladins and wear large shields on the arm. only armor secondary guilds may use medium shield ont he arm. and armor tert guilds can wear only small shields.