Shields are easy mode.

[meow]

Especially after the universal guard boost buff.

The barricade shield nerf did basically nothing because of this since in the end you're still getting approximately the same performance out of a barricade shield boosted shield as you did before the changes, with the added benefit of having better guard prior to using the skill in case you forget or run out of FP.

Blocking in this game is really potent. You can even block most non-physical damage without worrying too much unless you're using a wooden shield or something.

And the stamina drain for blocking is the lowest it's ever been in the souls series too. If you use the turtle talisman you can even regen stamina while blocking and be a semi-permanent wall if you want.

You don't have to time dodge rolls or wait for an attack opening, just use a spear or thrusting sword and shield poke to your heart's content.

[meow]

Originally posted by JaggSauce:

on a more serious note, they literally cut the duration of shield barricade in half, from 15 seconds to 7 seconds (which is actually more than half) stop crying that its OP. is borderline useless now.

it still comes out on the first frame and functions as a guard during the L2 press. You can guard attacks with parry timing by using what is normally the parry button.

[SOLOMON]

Originally posted by aMaze:

As a Bloodborne player, I was against using shields from the start.

ah, i see you are a man of culture as well

[gungadin22000]

Coming to this game from Nioh 2, I was very pleased to see that blocking is actually viable as a playstyle, particularly if you carry a greatshield. IIRC, this wasn't really the case in the older souls games. I run a heavy armour + heavy weapon + shield build and it's worked out just fine for me throughout the game. I particularly like how you can basically roleplay as a Greek hoplite and hide behind your shield while poking away with a pike. Can't remember seeing that in another action RPG.

Granted, blocking is nowhere near as great as in Nioh, but that game didn't have shields at all.

[meow]

Originally posted by gungadin22000:

Coming to this game from Nioh 2, I was very pleased to see that blocking is actually viable as a playstyle, particularly if you carry a greatshield. IIRC, this wasn't really the case in the older souls games. I run a heavy armour + heavy weapon + shield build and it's worked out just fine for me throughout the game. I particularly like how you can basically roleplay as a Greek hoplite and hide behind your shield while poking away with a pike. Can't remember seeing that in another action RPG.

Granted, blocking is nowhere near as great as in Nioh, but that game didn't have shields at all.

I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing that blocking is the way it is. I'm just pointing it out because it's unusual compared to the series trend of shields being kinda limp and useless unless you pump stamina and use a greatshield.

[ImHelping]

Over the years, I have become convinced half the people shouting at the top of their lungs that shields are "EZ mode" are trying to distract people from the fact they can barely lift their weapon with two hands and keep dying to dogs on stairs, ashamed that even a back pocket ♥♥♥♥♥♥ heater shield would make them fat roll.

Granted, it is a sliding scale of posturing anyways.

Beat artorias on the first try: Ugh, only babies use greatshields! real darksouls players learn 2 parry!

Drop down to hard leather armor, practice parry on darkwraiths, parry gwyn to death: Did I say parry is skill? Uh... I meant parry is for babies only naked two-handing a club runs are skil!

Return back to "pro tier two-hander players" dying to rats and getting so mad about it they cry about someone using a wooden plank shield wondering why there are so many bloodstains by rats.

Most people claiming to be mad about shields, are just actually mad they are not as pro tier they want to think they are... Or just mistaking inconvenience for challenge I guess, I'm sure a lot of poor bastards think "If I use the spider shield to block toxic darts, I didn't REALLY beat blight town!"

[urabe mikoto]

Originally posted by JaggSauce:

if you used a shield to beat a boss you did not beat the game

/thread

[cl656]

Easy mode would be being able to just sit behind your big ol' tower shield, and just stab at your enemies when an opening arises like the Romans did.. Bosses do too much damage for that play-style to be viable.

[Das Big Hippo]

Most shields are trash though.

[meow]

Originally posted by ImHelping:

Over the years, I have become convinced half the people shouting at the top of their lungs that shields are "EZ mode" are trying to distract people from the fact they can barely lift their weapon with two hands and keep dying to dogs on stairs, ashamed that even a back pocket ♥♥♥♥♥♥ heater shield would make them fat roll.

Granted, it is a sliding scale of posturing anyways.

Beat artorias on the first try: Ugh, only babies use greatshields! real darksouls players learn 2 parry!

Drop down to hard leather armor, practice parry on darkwraiths, parry gwyn to death: Did I say parry is skill? Uh... I meant parry is for babies only naked two-handing a club runs are skil!

Return back to "pro tier two-hander players" dying to rats and getting so mad about it they cry about someone using a wooden plank shield wondering why there are so many bloodstains by rats.

like with anything else the skill in this game comes from knowledge. Knowledge of the techniques and their efficacy, primarily. And as you gain this knowledge, it slowly becomes less and less interesting to use them because you're not getting any new information out of using them -- you've seen it a thousand times already, you KNOW how it works.

The most fun way to play the game is to use as many varying techniques as possible, exploring as many unique solutions to every situation as you possibly can. Make a non-optimal build, play using more than one weapon or spell, keep a backpack full of weird consumables that you can't even fathom the use for yet.

[Dank Sidious]

Barricade shield does turn a lot of encounters super easy.

[Dank Sidious]

Originally posted by cool-dude:

Easy mode would be being able to just sit behind your big ol' tower shield, and just stab at your enemies when an opening arises like the Romans did.. Bosses do too much damage for that play-style to be viable.

So exactly what Spears and thrusting swords can do?

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Pääpeelsepuuppi:

Originally posted by cool-dude:

Easy mode would be being able to just sit behind your big ol' tower shield, and just stab at your enemies when an opening arises like the Romans did.. Bosses do too much damage for that play-style to be viable.

So exactly what Spears and thrusting swords can do?

*launched into a rolling backflip for trying to block an attack with a greatshield even against a non-boss enemy*
"Right, I'll get right on 'infinite ez poking'-oh wait"

On a lighter/sad PVE hitbox note. When I dust off the pike instead of my usual faves "Regular greatsword with bastard sword movest" or "large club". it is not for guard pokes, and not for the horizontal length.

it is because the model will scrape the ground and aim upwawrds enough that the strong attack will not ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ miss rats or crawling centipede priests on the floor, and can stab high enough to swat singing bat people out of the sky.

[Larry]

I mean all the Barricade nerf did was keep it from being 100% up time and cost a bit more. Of course it's still going to be good, lol.

Also, I welcome you and this bad thread to 2009.

[Maru]

i dont get why people are so butthurt about certain aspects of the game, especially build types. Like playing an easier build somehow justfies you being toxic. Does it really hurt your fragile ego that bad? People can play however the hell they want to play.

[ImHelping]

Originally posted by Maru:

i dont get why people are so butthurt about certain aspects of the game, especially build types. Like playing an easier build somehow justfies you being toxic and hurts your big ego. People can play however the hell they want to play.

It is easier to cry about people beating the game "wrong" to feel special, than it is to make yourself one of the true masters of a game that beats a game so hard the devs feel it.

Hell, you can't even report game breaking or save corrupting bugs in a beta test without that shallow mindset. or even jank in the lowest stakes possible.

"You just can't handle realistic planning! I for one love a challenge and think the game should be harder!"
"What? This is a theme park designer game! I was reporting ferris wheels teleporting all the customers off as a meat cube of 100-200 people that grey-goo out of bounds and block sidewalks for five minutes while they wiggle back into position! This isn't darksouls!"
"... I beat all the challenge levels so therefore I know what I'm talking about. Sounds like you just want things handed to you on a silver platter"

And I wish to got that example was made up hyperbole. but nooo.