Quote:The reasoning behind the shield block is this. The shield block talent adds 75% to your block rate. I saw one screenshot of a guy who had taken 1800 blows and not got a single crushing blow or crit. I then saw a log in which another guy got crushed while shield block was running. The theory then is if your shield block rate plus 75% equals 100%, crushing blow is pushed off the table. Probably there is a level difference factor here that slightly adjusts it (need 15 def to compensate for a 63 I suppose.
Can you provide a reference for this? I'm skeptical of this theory. To be perfectly honest, it sounds sloppy to code this way so I'd like to see some evidence and maybe some more explanation. Two little anecdotes do not a theory make.
Quote: Shield is also important against all those 2h MS builds, since I can shield block from defensive stance and starve them of rage and deny them crits. The +rage per block is helps too. My damage does go down a bit, but you get no honor when you are dead.
How does your shield deny them crits? Simply by having some extra +defense on your shield? Or is there some other interaction with a shield and crits that I am not aware of? Is it impossible to have a crit on a blocked hit?
I'd probably know that if I didn't play a priest mostly, please forgive my ignorance:P