General Information
Shields are an excellent way to improve your defense. Shields increase your defense rating and provides heroes a chance to block attacks.
Diablo/Hellfire
Shields in Diablo and Hellfire function at their most basic levels. Unless you have a shield but no melee weapon equipped, you cannot use a shield to damage your enemies. They are best in the hands of a Warrior, who not only possesses the natural strength to equip the higher end shields, but also because they naturally possess Fast Block. A hero's Chance to Block is not limited by a hard cap, so one could bring their Dexterity high enough to guarantee blocks against melee and ranged attacks.
Diablo II/Lord of Destruction
Shields in Diablo II/Lord of Destruction have some new tricks onto them, compared to Diablo/Hellfire. To name one, there are certain totems only usable by the Necromancer, and there are certain shields that only the Paladin can equip. Another example is the Paladin's Smite skill, which allows him to stun and knockback his foes by bashing them with his shield. Chance to Block has a hard cap of 75% when immobile, walking, or attacking, and 25% when running. Having an increase in Dexterity will contribute to a higher block chance, as well as the Paladin's Holy Shield skill.
Diablo III
Shields return in Diablo III, but their functions are nerfed down from that of Diablo II/Lord of Destruction. A successful Chance to Block is a bit more difficult to attain, due to the fact that Shields cannot roll higher than 20% Chance to Block without affixes that increase said chance. They also do not block all damage when they do block an attack. Instead, each shield carries a Block Amount, seen under its Chance to Block. They do, however, contribute the most Armor out of any equipment type, being the only piece able to achieve 1,000 Armor without affixes that increase that Armor or Strength.
Normal Shields — Buckler • Small Shield • Large Shield • Kite Shield • Spiked Shield • Tower Shield • Bone Shield • Gothic Shield
Exceptional Shields — Defender • Round Shield • Scutum • Dragon Shield • Barbed Shield • Pavise • Grim Shield • Ancient Shield
Elite Shields — Heater • Luna • Hyperion • Monarch • Blade Barrier • Aegis • Troll Nest • Ward
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