Shield vs Runestaff

[groverevorg]

Ok from what i've read i understand shield gives quite a bit more ds than runestaff even if 8x+ magic skills/level. So i guess really my question is what the difference in ds would be between 1x'ing shield and .5x shield, thanks

[Bobmuhthol]

The difference isn't really noticeable until higher levels. Before you start getting a lot of ranks, most of your DS is coming from shield bonus, enchant, and stats.

[Fallen]

I would play until you had DS issues, then fixskill over to shield. I suggest cutting down on lores to free up TPs if needed.

[Insodus]

Generic DS isn't better with shield, its more of an overall thing.

Your physical DS is much higher with a runestaff build, until you get disarmed or go offensive, then you're screwed.

Thats really where a shield is better, overall better DS, and of course better Bolt DS as well.

[Fallen]

Don't forget enchant DS from the shield. Hard to ignore that +50 from a 10x shield.

[Shifted]

If you're going for a shield build, i would also suggest training in brawling, to get the extra open handed ds bonus.

[Drew]

If you're going for a shield build, i would also suggest training in brawling, to get the extra open handed ds bonus.

And your hand can't be disarmed. It can be dishanded, but that doesn't affect your DS.

[Rinualdo]

What is the difference at 50 and 100 from .5 shield vs 1x shield?

[Shifted]

if you really want to see that for your prospective build, try out Tsoran’s Trainer Spreadsheet. not sure where i found it, but it has quite a bit of good information, hopefully there's a newer release than the one i have, it's rather old, but still useful.

[Rinualdo]

The DS numbers on his spreadsheet never seem to match what I actually have, so I assumed it was out of date.

[Insodus]

Its tricky to find where to put in shield enchant and spells and all that.

Read the doc that comes with it. Latest version...

http://www.tsoran.com/trainerGS4.4.2.8.zip

[Shifted]

i guess i do have the latest version.

it will give you a good estimate, though. should include bonuses from all self cast spells, and since spells cast on you have a static bonus, all you have to do is add a bit.