so i have a 45AR Royal Shield with 35%fcr spirit and a Vortex 45AR Shield with 35%fcr spirit the vortex would be better to use on hdin cause of the defence right? it meets my strength require without adding alot of points into strength cause i use enigma ds was curious if there was a difference

Aim for sacred targe for the highest base block. Fewer dex = higher vita = higher life, and life > defense

The average smite damage on all elite pally shields is the same except for sacred rondache which gets 0.5 more damage. If you don’t plan to do Ubers with your hdin then you just want highest block chance.

Defense makes virtually no difference.

This post was edited by Doggyfood on Dec 13 2021 09:52am

I dont play Pala, but Royal Shield has a higher Chance of Blocking, which means your def will be lower with less points required in dex, but more hitpoints.

ok so its just about mid maxing on vita with the shields? cause i rock around 2.9k health at 180 dex invested i can mid max more vita with my royal shield tho! thanks<3 cause ur max block anyway with holy shield right? so max block on shield dont mean much right?

This post was edited by mrmorann on Dec 13 2021 09:55am

It means everything. Means you don't have to dump unnecessary points into dex.

If you're on anything besides zealer ST is hands down the best.

so its just mid maxing thats all? sheilds dont do anything else different besides mid maxing ur character cause u get max block with holy shield anyway right? yes i understand the part of putting more into dex or vita but thats mid maxing right?

If you’re strictly pvm then you’re right, it almost doesn’t matter at all and you can use whatever shield you want. You have the highest hp pool with ST.

i figured its all bout hp with the shields thanks and yeah im strictly pvm was just curious if shields did anything different other then more vita points instead more dex for different shields thanks

First of all, a Royal shield is lame for elite characters because it's the exceptional version.¹
Second, the Vortex shield is mainly for an Exile if the ethereal status shows. If not, you should make a Phoenix shield.²
At last, the top shield for hdin is a Herald of Zakarum, eth or non-eth, depending which rune is inside.³

For PVM the cookie cutter build uses spirit to hit 125 fcr.

Hoto + 35 spirit + mages + arach + 1x 10fcr ring (preferably with life, dex, and fire res)

Obviously we can argue about what is theoretically better for PVM, but at the end of the day it's just preference.