Originally Posted by
Teraniku
Weathering Shield, while a poor man's Aegis, is ok. I just don't like the -10 to all elements tacked on it. If you're willing to do some GoV pages in Fei'Yin, the Dagda's Shield drops from locked chests there. It also appears on the AH quite often. Majorelle's Shield is also a good one as well and appears quite often on the AH (Though it's obtainable by doing a Boneyard Gully BCNM) These are probably the 3 best non Aegis, Ochain shields in the game. Argos shield is a decent one as well while doesn't have as high as defense as the others I've listed, with it's +25 all Elemental Defense on it, It's a viable option as well.
Sword on the AH, Pick one that you feel is the best fit for you, until you get a trial sword done.
Sword wise, work your way through the trials and make either, or both a Fire path sword with the +STR +Attack on it or an Earth path sword with the +VIT +PDT trait on it. You should be happy with either one, but if you go Fire path, be prepared to farm flame geodes for a while, because they can be quite expensive.
Main thing is, Find out what works best for you and your playstyle.