What is the best way to deal with them?
Or alternatively, I suppose it comes down to Parry v Combat Roll v Warhorn? Which is best?
I have seen a couple builds without any of the three above, but I would imagine those mainly involve not fighting those asshats at all.
What is the best way to deal with them?
Or alternatively, I suppose it comes down to Parry v Combat Roll v Warhorn? Which is best?
I have seen a couple builds without any of the three above, but I would imagine those mainly involve not fighting those asshats at all.
Depends, if you don't have a PI amulet I would recommend combat roll no matter what. Shield dudes are just annoying. I usually just face my back to them, wait for them to swing, then use throwing blades or hidden blades. Hope for panic from Terrifying Fury. If you face your back to them, you only take one damage...sneaky tactic.
Nothing wrong with War Horn until you master Parry
The builds you probably see are with high promotions and PI amulet. I don't use any of the above anymore as I go all offensive.
I guess 3 different answers not really helping you.
If you take anything from this it's try out all 3 and just use whatever suits your own playstyle.
My first two points go into Bulwark and Upgraded Throwing Blades. Then I beeline for Flow of Battle and Upgraded Hidden blades. After that I head straight down towards Terrifying Fury. You end up using Warhorn for at least a game or two.
Combat Roll becomes more of a priority if you don't have a PI amulet and are primarily playing NM or higher.
I thought the throwing blades upgrade didn't do anything.
I don't know if it is all about shield guys, but they are hugely annoying. More like trying to figure out what I want to get with throwing blades, hidden blades, and spinning blades.
I messed around vs Venatori without any of the three, and wave 1 took a while and was annoying. It was "let me go around in a big circle and try to hit a shield guy with HB when he tries to take a swing" and then repeat a bunch of times.
I have used Parry and CR in the past. Maybe I will go back to CR since I don't have that amulet.
I thought the throwing blades upgrade didn't do anything.
It was changed with 1.10. It is actually broken still, but in a good way. It does ABSURD damage...
Check this out around the 16:00 mark:
I thought the throwing blades upgrade didn't do anything.
ROFL I would stop playing SS right away if the throwing blade upgrade don't work any more. You would never consider anything else once you realise her damage potential. The damage bonus applies to all damage sources for a brief duration following a throwing blade hit. And instead of giving 25% dmg bonus per hit, it actually increases the damage in a weird exponential way. It pumps the damage up from 2k to 5k to 12k to 20k per hit... Seriously she is a ******* monster.
You can pretty much insta kill any boss even on HB (if they would stand still for a moment). You can pump your damage to 20k + per hit on NM dragons (did this when I had just over 80 willpower. Killed the dragon before it took off). Pair up with another SS and alternate throwing blades between each other and you will 1 shot any mob on NM with a single skill, using each other's throwing blade effect.
The most OP skill in game combined with flow of battle. It's like a super buffed version of Mark of Death.
It's so sad people still assume the upgrade remain bugged and just don't invest a point on the upgrade 
So much wasted potential.
Before I got the PI amulet, I just use the "Avoid" ability for the shield guys. It means I just run way around them and let my teammates take the shields. 
I guess you can't do that if you are soloing
Returning to the original question, if you don't yet have CR, Parry (why would you get this on the SS anyway...), or PI, a useful tactic that will allow you to get some Throwing Blades hits in is to run a clockwise circle around an isolated shield enemy (ie, toward the enemy's weapon hand side). If you are within a certain range (I'll say 3 meters, but there's no real way to measure the ranges in this game), the enemy will keep swinging his weapon at you and not charging. You'll be out of range of the swing and within a range that prevents the knockdown charge from happening. Every time the enemy swings the weapon, his defenses are open for a ranged attack. Hidden Blades is better for this because it doesn't stop you in place as long as Throwing Blades (thus opening you up to knockdown), but TB will work too.
Returning to the original question, if you don't yet have CR, Parry (why would you get this on the SS anyway...), or PI, a useful tactic that will allow you to get some Throwing Blades hits in is to run a clockwise circle around an isolated shield enemy (ie, toward the enemy's weapon hand side). If you are within a certain range (I'll say 3 meters, but there's no real way to measure the ranges in this game), the enemy will keep swinging his weapon at you and not charging. You'll be out of range of the swing and within a range that prevents the knockdown charge from happening. Every time the enemy swings the weapon, his defenses are open for a ranged attack. Hidden Blades is better for this because it doesn't stop you in place as long as Throwing Blades (thus opening you up to knockdown), but TB will work too.
Another tip is use Hidden blade first then follow by throwing blade. Your first HB hit won't get the damage buff but all the consecutive hits will (so is the throwing blade hits).
Another tip is use Hidden blade first then follow by throwing blade. Your first HB hit won't get the damage buff but all the consecutive hits will (so is the throwing blade hits).
Reverse that order - TB first, HB second.
Reverse that order - TB first, HB second.
No, because HB will keep the shield guys staggered for its duration so all the TB hits can land. A little bit less damage buff of course, but still enough damage combined to 1 shot NM shield guys.
If you do TB first then quite likely the shield guy can block some of the hits and it's just simply not necessary to risk it. (Unless your HB just happens to be in CD. Then I would charge / parry the shield guy before throwing blade.)
I wait for the swing then just throw either one I feel like. With my Willpower (309) I will kill them lolNo, because HB will keep the shield guys staggered for its duration so all the TB hits can land. A little bit less damage buff of course, but still enough damage combined to 1 shot NM shield guys.
If you do TB first then quite likely the shield guy can block some of the hits and it's just simply not necessary to risk it. (Unless your HB just happens to be in CD. Then I would charge / parry the shield guy before throwing blade.)
I wait for the swing then just throw either one I feel like. With my Willpower (309) I will kill them lol
LOL the Titans get to do whatever they like. Why don't you get your Willpower a bit higher and come back say you 1 shot them with basic attacks? Or just ignore the shield and face charge towards them. Or stab them right on the shield until they die. Us humble mortals will step back and watch in awe, killing everything else while you spend some "quality times" with that shield dude. 
What is the best way to deal with them?
Or alternatively, I suppose it comes down to Parry v Combat Roll v Warhorn? Which is best?
I have seen a couple builds without any of the three above, but I would imagine those mainly involve not fighting those asshats at all.
Seriously though, to me the best strategy is to just ignore them and charge ahead. I tend to ignore foot soldiers as well because they can block your TB. That's what team mates are for.
It's much more time efficient to just move on to other mobs instead of wasting your time on those shield guys. There will be plenty of brutes and RT Knights and archers and mages etc.
I wait for the swing then just throw either one I feel like. With my Willpower (309) I will kill them lol
Trying to make me destroy you? I will get it higher if you wantI'm 315 scrub
Trying to make me destroy you? I will get it higher if you want
I'm still waiting to see what happens when someone reaches 4-digit figures on a stat...
Before I got the PI amulet, I just use the "Avoid" ability for the shield guys. It means I just run way around them and let my teammates take the shields.
Seriously though, to me the best strategy is to just ignore them and charge ahead. I tend to ignore foot soldiers as well because they can block your TB. That's what team mates are for.
It's much more time efficient to just move on to other mobs instead of wasting your time on those shield guys. There will be plenty of brutes and RT Knights and archers and mages etc.
GMTA 
Trying to make me destroy you? I will get it higher if you want
Says the guy who still hasn't posted a HB solo.
"Promotion Scrub" - Drasca
I'm still waiting to see what happens when someone reaches 4-digit figures on a stat...
Y2K resets at 0 instead of 10.
I ain't got time manSays the guy who still hasn't posted a HB solo.
"Promotion Scrub" - Drasca
Y2K resets at 0 instead of 10.
Retour en haut