Is there any reason to use Guardian's shield, or it is just useless?

[PalmTree]

The buffs seem nice, but the rank 4 requirement makes it useless. In that rank, literally all the MaA can do is scream at people, and use defender and bolster. Is there any reason to use it?

[Butt Goblin]

I never saw it as very valuable. Usually, I don't even bother with defense stats on a MaA. Base MaA is very tanky and so you almost never have a need for it. Dodge isn't very useful to a MaA outside of dodge parties (which don't mesh well with Guardian Shield), HP recovery is usually not a concern considering that most parties will have enough healing to sustain a beefy MA anyway, and the PROT boost is lower than alternatives.

When you do go for defense stats on MaA, it's usually PROT to capitalize on the PROT he gains from guarding--PROT gets more efficient the more of it you have, after all. So two of the stats attached aren't doing that much and the stat you actually care about can be gotten from other trinkets without messing up your targeting.

Not to mention, Rampart is a huge part of MaA's defensive kit as well and is sometimes better than guarding (guarding is best if enemies can't be stunned or if one hero is much squishier than the others, otherwise stunning is preferable). So you're going to get comparable defensive capabilities just from running frontline MaA with a beefier PROT trinket or a Rampart Shield.

The only strategy where I can see it being useful is if you're running a party with very low healing, so that you might actually want to use the shield to get super-efficient healing on the MaA... but the MaA still has to get hit to utilize it, so if he doesn't get hit the shield won't do anything. Meanwhile Rampart is much more reliable at protecting your party, so you could just use Rampart Shield + Recovery Charm instead... yeah, I don't see much value in the thing.

[Skinny Pete]

That's the reason to use it. That and to defend people. It's sort of fun and semi-workable, but doesn't really seem to be optimal in any particular situation, even ones like Vvulf where it would seem to be at its most useful.

Even in the Vvulf fight I still am going to want MAA to take the occasional swing at Vvulf/minions in between guarding.

[No One]

"Make the best of a bad situation."
If for some reason you're down to your last four guys and you have nowhere to put an MAA except the back, then it would be pretty handy.

You're not supposed to used fixed parties. (I do.) This means your XP can get out of whack. Say you have four people to level and it's a hellion, a leper, an MAA and an arbalest.

Alternatively, people are in the sanitarium. Or dead, and again you have some janky party until they get to level 5.

[nightshift]

WTF is this thread, Guardian Shield is a MUST on the MAA. Reason:

He's simply a million times better as a Support than a DD. It's a fact. He have some form of pathetic attacks yeah, maybe Riptose is his only ability that ever worths anything. However at Veteran and Champion dungeons he's FAR mor useful to just use Bolster, Command, then Bellow or Defender in the first 3 turns and frankly fight should be over by then. These buffs give you MUCH more advantage than that 2 miserable, low ACC melee hits with lame base damage.

And if you intend to seriously defend a teammate in those particular bossfights (you know which ones I'm talking about), that shield is MANDATORY with it's +50% heals and good PROT+ DODGE buffs. Pair it with the Tough Ring (it has a -15% debuff to you MAA's damage - no problem) or even better, a Heavy Boots and you'll have 60% PROT, even 70% with the Hard Skinned quirk. You can even camp buff for an additional 15% reaching maximum available Protection that is ever possible in the game, all in a SINGLE round. So you can just focus on buffing the f@ck out of the whole team from then on.

Because it's the buffs where it's at. Your team just benefits a million times more from them than using his lame attack skills, especially with his 2 overpowered party camp buffs already in effect.
Try the Guardian Shield next time if you would like to see the MAA's true potential and leave the damage dealing for the other classes. All fights will be on buttery-smooth-chill-mode with your team buffed to superhero levels always acting first, zero misses with everyone critting like crazy while the enemy's acting last and just miss everything.

NO JOKE: You can finally safely try what you always wanted: the second spot Vestal with the Profane Scroll and just use group heal to practically IMMORTALIZE your team. Forgot targeted heals, group heal with the +33% combined with the +50% bonus from the scroll and shield will be many times more than enough to out heal any damage your MAA might take, especially while guarding someone. Watch your melee Vestal becoming the ultimate undead grinder angel of destruction with her Hand of Light + MAA-buffed Mace Bash putting your Crusader to shame. 800+ hours gameplay guarantee, no lie, TRY IT.

[Skinny Pete]

Anywhere but rank 4, though, he can be support and deal damage, and only in rank 4 can he only be pure support. If you could easily activate riposte and get him back to 4 at the beginning of the fight, it would be worth using, but there's no non-awkward way of doing that. Most of the heroes to put in rank 4 that could knock him back there with an attack/move of their own are faster than he is.

I've done this by putting Quickdraw Charm on him, so he can use Retribution as his first move while someone like GR moves forward, knocking him back to 4, and he can then use his support moves, but that somewhat diminishes the use of them, as to get maximum advantage out of them, they should be activated at soon as possible.

It's worth keeping, I suppose, for weird situations where you have nowhere else to put him, sort of like you can play Flagellant as a purely support healing/stress healing guy in the bank ranks. At least if you don't need the gold, in which case sell it, because the opportunities to use it are few and far between.

[The Saddest Healer]

there is a odd rank for trick If you got the colors of maddness item...Because,he does have good proction skill and spamable buffs..So,with the shield he does a small bit of damage If he gets hit. You can also, rapant him to the front since the effect is auto If he is in the back.

[Skinny Pete]

Originally posted by Ican'tlasthit:

there is a odd rank for trick If you got the colors of maddness item...Because,he does have good proction skill and spamable buffs..So,with the shield he does a small bit of damage If he gets hit. You can also, rapant him to the front since the effect is auto If he is in the back.

Ironically, the Guardian's Shield (and your guard skill) reduces the incoming damage, so reduces the outgoing damage, too. I suppose it does solve the issue of staying in the back, issuing a buff on the first round, and still getting some minimal damage output.

As much as the Mirror Shield reflection ability seems like it should be good on paper, I've just never been that thrilled with it.

[PalmTree]

It's good to know that there are ways to utilize it, but none of them really appeal to me. MaA isn't exactly my favorite class, and I prefer the frontline build, but it's good to know he still has a purpose in the backline.