- I have terrible range. It feels incredibly easy to miss versus using a 2hander.
- Blocking doesn't do [censored] early on (I had 2 in the early Block perk). I could probably drink an extra minor potion to mitigate whatever my shield seems to mitigate.
- 1H damage is really weak early on, which means enemies end up doing more damage.
- 2H wielding enemies seem to hit just as hard (it's still around 1/3rd of my HP, which means I die in 3 hits regardless of whether I blocked attacks or not, which clearly makes blocking pointless)
- Holding Block makes you incredibly vulnerable to NPC power attacks because you move even slower than attacking, plus enemies seemingly have unlimited stamina, not to mention multiple enemies have multiple stamina pools, plus the AI seems to favor power attacks while you're blocking. Being power attacked and staggered opens you up to multiple other attacks, which means you may have been better off juking attacks instead of trying to block. Enemies can also track with power attacks (while I seemingly can't), so trying to move left or right while an enemy does a forward charge is pointless.

Am I missing something (like, maybe, 30 perks invested in block and 1 handed? )

imo blocking is very effective, especially when you get the shield bash perk. on most henchman you can spam shield bash-n-slash for the win. then you have shield bash x5 damage. easy mode even on expert difficulty.

Yes you're missing something. Shield Bashing and the perks that come with it.

There's nothing like running up to a mage, shield bashing to daze them and beating them to death. 50% elemental protection when blocking is nice too. Oh and when you get the 6x block shield bash dmg and the power bash, it's awesome. The mitigation is reallllllly good.

Not everyone plays on the lower difficulties. On Adept or below it does not really matter what style you use, and you typically do not need to worry that much about how much damage you personally take. On Master difficulty however, sword and shield are the best option, switching to dual-wield mode when enemies are incapacitated. The "block" function of a two-handed weapon is utterly useless on Master.

I played 1h + shield on my first character. Its pretty fun most of the time, as you are very durable but you lack in the damage department. When you get the perk that slows down time when opponents power attack you can stagger them with shield bashes. Well if you dont like the style dont play it but its perfectly viable in my opinion. Only thing i have trouble with are casters, if you close the distance to them you can chain stun them with shield bash but closing the distance is very hard sometimes.

You do need some perks for it to be fun to play though so that might be the problem for you.

you got to be kidding me - 1h/shield is WAY easier very fast then 2h...you can block 85% (i think it was 85 or 90) with the shield, vs 30 with 2h but you dont block with 2h anyway so you will take a lot of damage which will get nasty when fighting 2 enemies at once that can kill you with 2-3 hits...2h is cool for the weapons (especially the orc warhammer which looks amazing), the sweep skill is certainly also nice in special situations... but the shield tree has SERIOUS perks like slow motion when you get power attacked which is the thing, or 50% elemental reduction...

Proper timing and shield bashes.

There. Now you can beat every oponent in the game.

Yeah, I do not think OP understands how to utilize the shield with the perks. It is a great style.

Shield charge rocks on every one except mages and big stuffs, but when you got high resists, sheild charge rocks on every one but big stuffs... dragons, giants, or mammoth... that's why i also learn to be an archer...

I think 1h and shield is the best way for a warrior to go.

I just started a Heavy Sword and Board character after playing a sneaky archer anda pure mage and it is BOSS. Oh you have a spell? How cute! BASH YOUR FACE WITH A SHIELD, BEAT THE BACK OF YOUR HEAD WITH MACE TILL YOU FLOP

Slowly forcing your way through a dragon's breath with your shield held high and flames dancing around you is quite awesome ... and far from worthless :flamethrower:

Once you have Block Runner blocking is really good. Blocking doesn't slow you down at all.

Shields are amazing, they mitigate a lot of damage and shield bashing is the most reliable and safest way to stagger opponents. They are especially useful against mages with the elemental perk and if you have a particular shield that generates an anti magic force field in front of you most spells, traps, and dragons won't be able to effect you at all.

Have to wonder though if the restoration perk that replenishes your magicka when wards are hit by spells will work with that shield.

There s something called dodge. I dodge a lot....learn to dance.
And yeah its a killer of weak in the beginning. But persistance pay.

Sword and Shield rocks! Getting power attacked? Get the Quick Reflexs perk! That is an awesome low level perk. It will allow you to sidesteep almost any power attack. Or bash him. Block runner rocks. And shield charge is amazing. Charge - knockdown, hit, hit. They stand back up - charge, knockdown, hit, hit. No stopping that.

I love my sword and shield.

You must be playing Modern Warfare 3 trying to use an iron shield. Blocking works perfectly fine in my game, what's wrong with yours?

Okay yeah, so I got the first 5 perks in the block tree and it's a world shattering difference even with the same gear. You can't blame me for being deceived at the start when a pack of enemies basically hits me like the shield isn't even there. Another way to say it is the power curve basically skyrocketed after those perks.



2H is easy, you can dance at the edge of your range and hit them with the very tip and still do full damage. 1 handed enemies basically can't hit you as long as you have room to dance and stay away. 2H enemies may actually hit you, but the trick with that is waiting until they attack first, then killing them. It's easy to see how good 2H can be when you do that to an entire group and not take a hit. Block with 2H is worthless, but you shouldn't be looking to take hits.



Why have a shield if you can just dodge everything?

The perk that puts the enemy into slow motion when blocking is loads of fun.

Sometimes the game gets stuck in slow-mo mode, and you run around 5 enemies slashing them in the back while they are moving in slow motion. Funny stuff.