From the way the shield spell has been mentioned by Bethesda, I could be wrong but it sounds as if it's been drastically changed - for the better, in my opinion.

In Oblivion, it was a Buff that reduced damage. The new implementation sounds more like a Force Field type effect - Bethesda mentioned that this spell would probably play a heavy role in mage duels, if I recall correctly.

If this is true, it would add a great complement to a mage's abilities - swatting away an arrow with a well-timed shield, intercepting a burst of lightning from an enemy mage, blunting the fire as it streams from a dragon.

What do you think? Would this be a change for the better, or would you prefer the old, Oblivion version?

While a physical shield sounds very fun, I wouldn't be surprised if magic shields work more or less the same way they did in oblivion, providing resist _element_ and resist damage. I'd like to see shield become multipurpose and give resist damage and resist magic. Summoning an invisible wall might be a tad imbalanced (but very awesome!).

I would like at high levels a spell that absorbs incoming destruction magic and channels that into health or magicka, similar to absorb health and absorb magicka from Oblivion, but instead absorbing individual attacks, something that would indicate a very high level understanding/mastery of magic.

Well the GI article allured to the idea the "ward" spell acts like a magical block. Shield, in the other hand, maybe the same. I like to keep the way "shield" was done in the previous games, but I love the idea of a magical block spell.

My hope
New spell Ward= magical block
New spell Aegis(old shield spell)= passive magic armor

I thought of something like this too. It shouldn't be something that you put down on the ground though, it should follow your character, and it would only block hits when you actually cast the spell. It could be used as a magical... well, shield.
In fantasy movies, you tend to see people holding these magical shields, unable to do anything else in the meanwhile.

And I think both uses could be possible if magic spells will have multiple uses. First use would be a one-time shield deflecting everything for a cost of magicka, the second would be a weaker, Oblivion style shield spell that remains longer.

It should simply make a magical shield appear in your hand, as long as you hold down the spell button. Basically, the spell would act like a normal shield

I believe they mentioned the Magic Shield spell from daggerfall, which acted like the shield spell but against other spells. Personally, I would rather it be more like a barrier that blocks hits at the cost of mana. Ex: a Mana Shield, all hits coming out of your magicka pool instead of health.

I would've voted for the first one but I wasn't too sure about blocking ALL projectiles, so I voted other. Maybe the strength of the spell determines what percentage is blocked. So a 100% shield spell would block 100% of them, but a 5% shield spell would only block 5% of them.

This.

Its not a shield vs weaponry its vs spells. The idea is a mage is a very high offense very low defense playstyle. And thats also why you cant block while having a spell readied.

Full agreement. That's how I always envisioned it.

I'd like a shield spell to act like an actual shield and block attacks.

this is what I thought the shield spell would be afterall we know there are defensive warding spells that can be wielded by magic users in lieu of a shield

Initially, I voted, "like Oblivion", because I don't mind the way it is, but then changed to "Force Field" because I always envisioned a mage being able to create a magickal barrier like "bubble" that follows him everywhere.

It would have various strengths- weaker ones can be overcome by sheer force(weight and speed of object), and it could have various durations in time(better ones last longer).

That having been said, I also envision mages being able to learn ONE particular spell(in this case, shield) and being able to cast it better and control its strength and duration as they develop their skill and knowledge of the arcane. Gameplay would be much simpler for mages because you wouldn't have to juggle dozens of spells for each school.

Peace, +Petrose

There needs to be a few types of shield spells. There needs to be a physical shield spell, that blocks all projectiles (or some) and people for a small time, and various elemental shields.

That's where http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Fire_Shield, http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Frost_Shield, and http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Morrowind:Lightning_Shield come in.

You know, based off of what has been said about the fireball spell, it could be that is both acts as a buff and creates a physical barrier.... it could be if you cast it normally it creates the buff, where as if you cast it while looking at the floor it creates a barrier, or maybe separated in some other form.

I wouldn't be surprised actually if there was a shield trap where you could leave the trap, attack somebody, run through the trap and activates a shield wall so you could trap people in alley ways and then bombard them with spells or arrows with your nice shield wall protection.

Force field sounds cool but it would be so rediculously over powered, even if you balanced it out by making its duration short and expensive magicka wise because it would then become very unaffective because it would only stop a few attacks.

the shield spell used in OB was fine the way it was. I would rather they come up with a new kind of useful spells rather than make an already existing one into some kind of god power.

Voted that it should be like in Oblivion. Why not have both spells? One is a sort of magic armor ("Iron Flesh" - one of the few spells that are officially confirmed) and the other is a force field for projectiles?

I would like to vote for all of them: You should start with a weak shield and then level it up how you want through Perks.

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?app=forums&module=post§ion=post&do=reply_post&f=118&t=1173417
Well according to GI article Skyrim: Building Better Combat

There will be some sort of Magic Ward spell
So actually

All of this types can work in game if dynamic magic system works
for example dynamic ward protection when player need cast spell at time of enemy cast to nullify incoming danger thats like timed block with shield or parry with weapon but for spells, thats Magic Ward will be modular and composite from different spell effects for example
overtime protection can be achieved by Skillful mages thats have great reserves of Magicka to maintain such spells while apprentices will use more adrenaline action counterspells shield wards
Spellshields
http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=21629
http://tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/780-duke-patricks-combat-magic-ii-duke-patricks-incursion-into-fortress-of-fear/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTOynB6Z-Rw