d2jsp
Log InRegister
d2jsp Forums > Diablo II > Diablo 2 Discussion > Strategy & Guides > Blocking > With Shield Data From Armor.txt
1235Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll
Views: 13040Replies: 49Track Topic
Member
Posts: 25,580
Joined: May 20 2006
Gold: 822.00
#1
May 13 2009 04:06am
Blocking





Contents
Frequently Asked Questions
Blocking Formula
Holy Shield
Max Block
Weapon Block
Speeding up Blocking
Sources of Faster Block Rate
Sources of Increased Chance of Blocking



Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have max block when my shield reads "Chance to Block: 75 %" ?
  • You cannot tell from the shield alone.
    Chance to Block on the shield (including the Paladin Holy Shield bonus) is capped at 75 % for display only, while it may be higher.
    For the true Chance to Block, which is in fact capped at 75 %, hover your cursor over the field labelled "Defense" in the character screen.
What is the difference between Faster Block Rate and Increased Chance of Blocking ?
  • Faster Block Rate (FBR) improves your blocking speed, provided you reach certain FBR breakpoints (transition values).
    Increased Chance of Blocking (ICB) improves your odds of successfully shield-blocking an attack.
    FBR has nothing to do with CtB. ICB has nothing to do with blocking speed.
How about FBR and ICB bonuses ?
  • FBR applies to claw-blocking (Assassin Weapon Block) and shield-blocking. ICB applies to shield-blocking only.
Blocking penalties while running/walking ?
  • Shield
    When running, CtB is divided by 3 after the 75 % cap and Defense is ignored in the hit check. The same applies to the Paladin Charge skill.
    When walking, there is no penalty.
  • Weapon Block
    When running/walking, CtB = 0. When running, Defense is ignored in the hit check.
What do shields block ?
  • Most physically delivered attacks, including kicks, missiles (arrows, bolts), and spells of physical nature (Barbarian War Cry, Druid Tornado).
    Tornado is blockable after the initial turn it makes on the ground.
    Smite cannot be shield-blocked.
What do claws block ?
  • All attacks and spells except so-called "ground spells" (AoE), e.g. Mind Blast, Firestorm, and Meteor (burning ground fire).

Blocking Formula

The following applies only to shield-blocking. As such, the true CtB ( T ) is calculated from a total ( B ) of your blocking bonuses, your Dexterity ( D ), and Character Level ( C ),

Code
T = [B * (D - 15) / (2 * C)] , true Chance to Block (%)

The game uses integers, so division truncates [ ], i.e. the final value is rounded down (and capped at 75).

Ref: Diablo II Strategy Compendium, Chance to Block

Blocking Bonus ( B )
A total of the value inherent to a particular class (Class Bonus), the shield-specific value (block in Armor.txt), and any other ICB bonuses from items (including on the shield).

Class Bonus
  • Paladin: +30 (%)
  • Amazon, Assassin, Barbarian: +25 (%)
  • Druid, Necromancer, Sorceress: +20 (%)
Code
                                  (Base Defense)                                        (qlvl)          (max Sockets)
name                   block      minac    maxac    durability    reqstr    levelreq    level    speed    gemsockets

Buckler                  0          4        6          12          12          0         1        0          1
Small Shield             5          8       10          16          22          0         5        0          2
Large Shield            12         12       14          24          34          0        11        5          3
Spiked Shield           10         15       25          40          30          0        11        0          2
Kite Shield              8         16       18          30          47          0        15        0          3
Bone Shield             20         10       30          40          25          0        19        0          2
Tower Shield            24         22       25          60          75          0        22       10          3
Gothic Shield           16         30       35          40          60          0        30        5          3

Defender                10         41       49          68          38         22        34        0          1
Round Shield            12         47       55          64          53         25        37        0          2
Scutum                  14         53       61          62          71         25        42        5          3
Barbed Shield           17         58       78          55          65         25        42        0          2
Dragon Shield           18         59       67          76          91         25        45        0          3
Grim Shield             20         50      150          70          58         25        48        0          2
Pavise                  24         68       78          72         133         25        50       10          3
Ancient Shield          16         80       93          80         110         25        56        5          3

Heater                  22         95      110          88          77         43        58        0          2
Luna                    20        108      123          84         100         45        61        0          2
Hyperion                24        119      135          82         127         48        64        5          3
Blade Barrier           20        147      163          83         118         51        68        0          3
Monarch                 22        133      148          86         156         54        72        0          4
Troll Nest              20        158      173          74         106         57        76        0          3
Aegis                   24        145      161          92         219         59        79       10          4
Ward                    24        153      170         100         185         63        84        5          4


Targe                   10          8       12          20          16          3         4        0          4
Rondache                15         10       18          30          26          6         8        0          4
Heraldic Shield         20         16       26          40          40         12        16        0          4
Aerin Shield            22         26       36          50          50         15        20        0          4
Crown Shield            25         30       40          60          65         18        24        0          4

Akaran Targe            10        101      125          20          44         26        35        0          4
Akaran Rondache         15        113      137          30          59         30        40        0          4
Protector Shield        20        129      153          40          69         34        46        0          4
Gilded Shield           22        144      168          50          89         38        51        0          4
Royal Shield            25        156      181          60         114         41        55        0          4

Sacred Targe            30        126      158          45          86         47        63        0          4
Sacred Rondache         28        138      164          68         109         52        70        0          4
Kurast Shield           25        154      172          55         124         55        74        0          4
Zakarum Shield          22        169      193          65         142         61        82        0          4
Vortex Shield           19        182      225          90         148         66        85        0          4


Preserved Head           3          2        5          20          12          3         4        0          2
Zombie Head              5          4        8          20          14          6         8        0          2
Unraveller Head          8          6       10          20          18         12        16        0          2
Gargoyle Head           10         10       16          20          20         15        20        0          2
Demon Head              12         15       20          20          25         18        24        0          2

Mummified Trophy         3         38       48          20          38         24        33        0          2
Fetish Trophy            5         41       52          20          41         29        39        0          2
Sexton Trophy            8         44       55          20          47         33        45        0          2
Cantor Trophy           10         50       64          20          50         36        49        0          2
Hierophant Trophy       12         58       70          20          58         40        54        0          2

Minion Skull             3         95      139          20          77         44        59        0          2
Hellspawn Skull          5         96      141          20          82         50        67        0          2
Overseer Skull           8         98      142          20          91         49        66        0          2
Succubus Skull          10        100      146          20          95         60        81        0          2
Bloodlord Skull         12        103      148          20         106         65        85        0          2

A Monarch (block=22), for instance, will display Chance to Block: 52 % (30 + 22) for Paladins, 47 % for Amazons, Assassins, and Barbarians, and 42 % for Druids, Necromancers, and Sorceresses.

ICB Bonus
(see the final section for a complete list of items with ICB).Sorceress, Spirit Monarch, D = 75, C = 80
Assuming no items provide ICB, we have B = 42 (Monarch, sor),

T = [42 * (75 - 15) / (2 * 80)] = 15 (%)

Spirit is not a great shield for max block. Sorceresses aiming for max block tend to use Moser's Blessed Circle Round Shield, Whitstan's Guard Round Shield, or Stormshield Monarch.

Paladin, GA, HoZ, level 20 HS, D = 114, C = 90
Herald of Zakarum Gilded Shield {upgrade: Zakarum Shield} has CtB: 82 % (30 + 22 + 30), Guardian Angel offers +20 % ICB, and a level 20 Holy Shield amounts to +35 % ICB. Thus, B = 82 + 20 + 35 = 137 and

T = [137 * (114 - 15) / (2 * 90)] = 75 (%)

Even if we were to replace the chest piece, we would still only need 131 Dexterity to reach max block. Notice how close this is to the required Dexterity (136) of a Phase Blade. Smiters using HoZ and a PB basically do not have to worry about max block and thus can save more points for Vitality. HoZ, level 27+ Holy Shield, and 140 Dexterity will ensure max block all the way to level 99.


Holy Shield

This skill has three crucial features making it invaluable,
  1. HS adds directly to the blocking variable, B, implying less Dexterity required for max block.
  2. HS significantly enhances Defense (not just the shield here, but the total).
  3. HS improves the block rate (see Speeding up Blocking).
The table below lists Holy Shield breakpoints; minimum levels of HS needed for an increase in the ICB bonus to B,

Code
                                           Holy Shield, Increased Chance of Blocking (+X %)

                  14   18   20   23   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40
slvl of HS         1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10   11   13   14   16   20   23   27   36   45   60

Smite +{Y,Z}       |          {1,4} + 2*slvl          |    | {17,20} + 3*(slvl - 8) |     {41,44} + 4*(slvl - 16)

+% ED                           10 + 15*slvl
Duration (s)                     5 + 25*slvl

Formulae for bonus to Smite Damage (note that these are different for skill levels 1-8, 9-16, 17+), +% Enhanced Defense, and Duration of Holy Shield are given in the table.

Internally, Holy Shield is known as one of the dmXY skills (diminishing returns), with parameters 10 and 40 assigned in Skills.txt, which means you can verify the above values of X using the following formula (graphed below),
  • X = [ (40 - 10) * [110 * slvl / (slvl + 6)] / 100 ] + 10
On a sidenote, the +% EIAS from Fanaticism follows the exact same formula, using the same parameters.




Max Block

In order to optimise our chance to block, we need to know the minimum Dexterity ( D_min ) required for max block ( T = 75 ) at a given level ( C ). There are at least three ways to do this,
  1. As mentioned earlier, check the "Defense" field. Add 1 Dexterity at a time until the chance to block reaches 75 %.
  2. Use a block calculator. Google: PPR Blocking Calculator (Peter Paul Ruben's Blocking Calculator).
  3. Invert the blocking formula, expressing D_min in terms of B and C to ensure T = 75. Since T is a truncated value, we get the following 'inverse' formula,
Code
D_min = {150 * C / B} + 15 , minimum Dexterity for max block

where { } indicates rounding up.

For reasons given above, different classes using the same shield may need different amounts of Dexterity to maintain max block. In particular, Paladins with HS will have a 'large' B and hence a 'small' D_min compared to other classes at equal levels. Check the graphs below for an example.


The Pal (HS20) graph is deliberately not extended to character levels 29-42; Holy Shield is a tier 5 skill (levelreq 24) which means you cannot have a level 20 HS before clvl 43 (unless you have some skill adders).

Deviations from straight lines are due to rounding in the formula for D_min.
Member
Posts: 25,580
Joined: May 20 2006
Gold: 822.00
#2
May 13 2009 04:07am
Weapon Block

There is a section on Weapon Block in Xepo's Assassin Handbook which you ought to read.
  • Pros
    WB is able to block a lot of attacks that ordinary shields cannot
    WB blocks as much as the skill says, regardless of Dexterity and Character Level
  • Cons
    WB cannot reach 75 % and is subject to diminishing returns, as we noted for HS
    WB does not work (0 block) while running or walking
How many points to invest in WB is a build-specific discussion beyond the scope of this guide. Some of the Assassin PvP experts recommend shooting for ~ 60 % claw block, including +skills. Choose as you see fit.

The following table presents Weapon Block breakpoints; minimum levels of WB needed to increase the CtB.

Code
                                                     Weapon Block, Chance to Block (%)

        26   32   36   39   42   44   46   47   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65
slvl     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   19   21   23   26   31   36   42   49   60

Diminishing returns formula for Weapon Block (graphed below),
  • Chance to Block (%) = [ (65 - 20) * [110 * slvl / (slvl + 6)] / 100 ] + 20
Verify the values in the table if you want.




Speeding up Blocking

(essentially based on information from TitanSeal's guide @ inDiablo, [FAQ] Bewegungs- und Animationsgeschwindigkeiten, ("Movement and Animation Speeds"). Credits to everyone who contributed to his FAQ)

Block Frames
Recall that D2 internally runs at 25 FPS (Frames Per Second) and that virtually everything having to do with animations is measured in frames (25 frames = 1 second). Since we are dealing with blocking here, the relevant number is the Block Frames, i.e. the frames required to block an attack. As such,

Code
Block Frames = { (256 * FramesPerDirection) / [(AnimationSpeed * (50 + EFBR) / 100)] } - 1

I have deliberately cut through most of the formal machinery. Those of you who cannot live without knowing the details, well, you know where to look. The well-known FBR breakpoints emerge from rounding in the above formula, as you can check once you have read the rest of this section.

FramesPerDirection and AnimationSpeed are animation specific values, fixed by class and form (Bone Fetish, Vampire, and the two Druid wereforms).

Code
                                   FramesPerDirection     AnimationSpeed

Amazon, 1h swinging weapon *)               3                   88
Amazon, other weapons **)                   3                  256
Assassin                                    3                  256
Barbarian                                   4                  256
Druid                                       6                  256
Necromancer                                 6                  256
Paladin                                     3                  256
Sorceress                                   5                  256

Werebear                                    5                  200
Werewolf                                    5                  256

Bone Fetish ("Delirium")                   10                  256
Vampire ("Trang-Oul's Avatar")              4                  136

*)  single-handed swinging weapons (1hs): swords, axes, clubs, maces, scepters, hammers, throwing axes
**) including javelins; they are known as thrusting weapons

EFBR, or the Effective Faster Block Rate, is subject to a diminishing returns formula,

Code
EFBR = [120 * FBR / (120 + FBR)] (+50)

The +50 bonus to EFBR applies to Holy Shield only. Looking at the Block Frames formula, this HS bonus lowers the required Block Frames. Even with 0 FBR, a Paladin using HS is at 2-frame blocking.

Morphing !
When your character morphs into a Bone Fetish ("Delirium") or a Vampire ("Trang-Oul's Avatar", Necromancer only), he/she no longer has a blocking animation. You can still block in either form, though. In the absence of a blocking animation, both forms use the hit recovery animation when blocking; consequently, you need FHR (not FBR) to speed up the animation. Since the FPD and AnimationSpeed values are borrowed from the hit recovery animation and there is a similar formula for EFHR (without the +50 HS bonus), the FBR breakpoints for these two forms are exactly the same as their FHR breakpoints.

Block Timer
Some 1.09 players might recall the awful "Block-Lock", a continuous blocking that completely immobilised your character, unable to perform any actions. To patch this, 1.10 introduced a 'block timer' (~ 10 frames = 0.4 seconds) during which your character can still block but without the blocking animation playing. This block timer may be slightly increased by FBR, even when morphed into a Bone Fetish or a Vampire.

FBR Breakpoints
The table below presents FBR breakpoints up to 200 %, for all classes and forms.

Code
                                              Block Frames (25 frames = 1 second)
                          19  18  17  16  15  14  13  12  11  10  09  08  07  06  05  04  03  02  01

Amazon, 1hs                        0   4   6  11  15  23  29  40  56  80 120 200
Amazon, other                                                                      0  13  32  86
Assassin                                                                           0  13  32  86
Barbarian                                                                  0   9  20  42  86
Druid                                                      0   6  13  20  32  52  86 174
Necromancer                                                0   6  13  20  32  52  86 174
Paladin                                                                            0  13  32  86
Paladin, HS                                                                                    0  86
Sorceress                                                          0   7  15  27  48  86 200

Bone Fetish                0   4   7  10  15  20  27  35  48  65  86 129 200
Vampire                                    0   2   6  10  16  24  34  48  72 117
Werebear                                               0   5  10  16  27  40  65 109
Werewolf                                                           0   7  15  27  48  86 200

The highest possible amount of FBR in the unmodded game is 155 % for a Paladin (Guardian Angel + Griswold's Honor socketed with 3 x Shael Rune) and 140 % otherwise.

Morphed Forms
Regardless of which class is morphed, the blocking animation in each of the morphed forms is determined by the values applying to that form.


Sources of Faster Block Rate

Legend: [R] rune, (S) suffix (magic, rare), [S] set item, [U] unique item, [W] rune word. Holy Shield is not a source of FBR, rather it modifies the Paladin FBR breakpoints, as we noted above.

+10 % FBR
  • [U] Stormchaser (Scutum)
+15 % FBR
  • (S) "of Blocking", shld
+20 % FBR
  • [R] Shael Rune, shld
  • [U] Radament's Sphere (Ancient Shield)
  • [U] Steelclash (Kite Shield)
  • [W] Sanctuary ('KoKoMal'), shld
  • [W] Splendor ('EthLum'), shld
+25 % FBR
  • [U] Spirit Ward (Ward)
+30 % FBR
  • (S) "of Deflecting", shld
  • [S] Taebaek's Glory (Ward)
  • [U] Guardian Angel (Templar Coat)
  • [U] Alma Negra (Sacred Rondache)
  • [U] Herald of Zakarum (Gilded Shield)
  • [U] Homunculus (Hierophant Trophy)
  • [U] Moser's Blessed Circle (Round Shield)
  • [U] Visceratuant (Defender)
  • [W] Exile ('VexOhmIstDol'), pala
+35 % FBR
  • [U] Stormshield (Monarch)
+40 % FBR
  • [S] Whitstan's Guard (Round Shield)
  • [U] Pelta Lunata (Buckler)
  • [W] Rhyme ('ShaelEth'), shld
+50 % FBR
  • [U] Blackoak Shield (Luna)
+65 % FBR
  • [S] Griswold's Honor (Vortex Shield)

Sources of Increased Chance of Blocking

Legend as in the previous section, [C] crafted item. Holy Shield is covered above and will not be listed, as it is not an item source.

+Y % ICB
  • [C] Safety Amulet: +1-10 %
  • [C] Hit Power Shield: +5-10 %, +15-20 %, +25-30 % *)
  • [C] Caster Shield: +5-10 %, +15-20 %, +25-30 % *)
  • [U] Spirit Ward (Ward): +20-30 %
*) +15-20 % or +25-30 % whenever the fixed property, +5-10 % stacks with either suffix, "of Blocking" or "of Deflecting" below.

+7 % ICB
  • [R] Eld Rune, shld
+10 % ICB
  • (S) "of Blocking", shld
  • [U] Bverrit Keep (Tower Shield)
  • [U] The Ward (Gothic Shield)
+15 % ICB
  • [S] Civerb's Ward (Large Shield)
+20 % ICB
  • (S) "of Deflecting", shld
  • [S] Sigon's Guard (Tower Shield)
  • [S] Griswold's Honor (Vortex Shield)
  • [U] Guardian Angel (Templar Coat)
  • [U] Alma Negra (Sacred Rondache)
  • [U] Pelta Lunata (Buckler)
  • [U] Radament's Sphere (Ancient Shield)
  • [U] Stormchaser (Scutum)
  • [U] Swordback Hold (Spiked Shield)
  • [W] Rhyme ('ShaelEth'), shld
  • [W] Sanctuary ('KoKoMal'), shld
+25 % ICB
  • [S] Taebaek's Glory (Ward)
  • [U] Twitchthroe (Studded Leather)
  • [U] Moser's Blessed Circle (Round Shield)
  • [U] Steelclash (Kite Shield)
  • [U] Stormshield (Monarch)
+30 % ICB
  • [S] Isenhart's Armory [Complete Set]
  • [S] Trang-Oul's Wing (Cantor Trophy)
  • [U] Gerke's Sanctuary (Pavise)
  • [U] Herald of Zakarum (Gilded Shield)
  • [U] Stormguild (Large Shield)
  • [U] Umbral Disk (Small Shield)
  • [U] Visceratuant (Defender)
+40 % ICB
  • [U] Homunculus (Hierophant Trophy)
+55 % ICB
  • [S] Whitstan's Guard (Round Shield)
Member
Posts: 127,924
Joined: Aug 28 2005
Gold: 3,012.71
#3
May 13 2009 04:16am
:thumbsup:
Member
Posts: 28,105
Joined: Jul 22 2006
Gold: 0.00
#4
May 13 2009 04:17am
:thumbsup:
Member
Posts: 26,110
Joined: Oct 15 2007
Gold: 129.17
#5
May 13 2009 04:17am
lorteblock
Member
Posts: 11,952
Joined: Sep 22 2005
Gold: 2,013.80
#6
May 13 2009 04:21am
How does this differ from blocking 4.0? (TL;DR obv)
Great job as usual nonetheless :cheers:
Member
Posts: 25,580
Joined: May 20 2006
Gold: 822.00
#7
May 13 2009 04:33am
Quote (FnK @ Wed, 13 May 2009, 12:17)
lorteblock

This.

Quote (Spurgu @ Wed, 13 May 2009, 12:21)
How does this differ from blocking 4.0? (TL;DR obv)
Great job as usual nonetheless :cheers:

No shield data and the two diminishing returns graphs weren't previously included.

The old version magically poofed.
Member
Posts: 28,105
Joined: Jul 22 2006
Gold: 0.00
#8
May 13 2009 04:34am
block guide:

stat dex untill 75% block ty
Member
Posts: 127,924
Joined: Aug 28 2005
Gold: 3,012.71
#9
May 13 2009 04:36am
Quote (Pari @ Wed, 13 May 2009, 13:34)
block guide:

stat dex untill 75% block ty

Nice. Sticky this. :D

Quote (Pari @ Wed, 13 May 2009, 13:37)
except c/c assa ofc

Put that on block guide v1.1 :P

This post was edited by RaBBit3x on May 13 2009 04:40am
Member
Posts: 28,105
Joined: Jul 22 2006
Gold: 0.00
#10
May 13 2009 04:37am
except c/c assa ofc
Go Back To Strategy & Guides Topic List
1235Next
Add Reply New Topic New Poll

© 2003-2024 d2jsp  Contact