Is it useful at high levels with things maxed out like the armour cap and 85% magic resistance?

Absolutely. Still use mine at level 61. Even with the AR cap it will still reduce damage (and if you have a Block enchantment its even better), and bashing is always useful.

Well you can smith your armor to the point of not needing a shield...

But yes a shield at higher levels is useful, the spell caster can and will hand you yer ass and I find a shield helps a lot with the spell casters. Put a little resist magic on your shield, the Atronach standing stone power and you are set for dealing with them pesky spell casters. This as well helps with dragons, their breath counts as magic so the better the shield and the magic resistance the better defense you have against dragons breath.

Anyway, nuf of the lessons. A shield at higher levels is most certainly useful, not necessary due to the ability to " super smith " but still useful

The bashing is my favorite part, the charging bash is my most favorite though, I love plowing into a group of NPC's while up high. Sending them plummeting to their deaths

On Legendary even while at the armour cap you can still get absolutely dunked by magic, so Spellbreaker is absolutely amazing at end-game. Also, shield bashing makes the game so much easier that it almost feels like cheating to me. Hell, even bashing with a 2H weapon makes it pathetically easy to steam roll everything.

Useful? It's arguably overpowered.

Especially when you get Shield Charge.

I would only use it to deflect arrows, if i actually used a shield. Being an archer myself i know that they can be very troublesome.

Hell yeah. My level 58 character used a shield (Spellbreaker) before I retired him. He only had like 40% Magic Resistance.

The 'Quick Reflexes' perk is a life saver.

Shield use only gets better with perks, and they are pretty much useful throughout the entire game.

Don't forget the Block perk which reduces magic by 30%

i use duel weild, but if i get low on health i swith to the shield.

Shields are great at any level.

The shield is like... the thinking man's super weapon. It doesn't even get the credit and recognition it deserves.

As an archer I don't use a shield and my maxed out armour protects me just fine.

Definitely, if you get the 100 perk you can sprint with it and knock most enemies over, it's almost like a paralysis buff in that the target cannot fight for a few seconds, allowing for a few essential blows, and then you can do it again and again

Yep, love shields, always entertaining watching scum get staggered...

50%

I used to love that perk but now I feel it makes combat too easy...

Spellbreaker....Mmmmm. Beautiful to look at, but better to bash with.

Those high-level Spell-Casters don't like it Sir. You can see the flair in their eyes as you close on them.

At least in my head-canon you can.

Yes.

I am level 301 on my main character. 1100/1100/1100 H/S/M. ~900 Armor Rating (Legendary Daedric set, Lord Stone). 75% Magic Resist (30% Alteration perk, 15% Agent of Mara, 25% Lord Stone). 30% Spell Absorption (Alteration perk).

I still use a Legendary Daedric Shield with dual Fire and Shock resist enchantments.

I picked those enchantments since I am already close to the block damage reduction cap, already close to the magic resist damage reduction cap, and have 50% frost resist from being a Nord.

inb4nolife

yes ! its actually very usefull!