The new sheild block.

The new automated blocking is awesome. If anyones noticed, block rate went up given you have self preservation equipped, not down. I can't imagine anyone would dislike this. No more need to constantly press the guard button or use a shield blocking skill just to block attacks.

i havnt checked but are all the shields changed from block duration to block rate now

You are wrong. The old VKS and DIS had 100% block rate, given that you had enough STR or were not imperiled. To claim that block rates actually went UP is insane, when it so very clearly has not.

However, Gladiators are fine. We are less dependent on our shield and thicker overall. It's different, not better or worse. Get used to it, though it's still catering to idiots that can't watch their boon timers.

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Originally Posted by Stufoo

You are wrong. The old VKS and DIS had 100% block rate, given that you had enough STR or were not imperiled. To claim that block rates actually went UP is insane, when it so very clearly has not.

However, Gladiators are fine. We are less dependent on our shield and thicker overall. It's different, not better or worse. Get used to it, though it's still catering to idiots that can't watch their boon timers.


PS: You're an idiot who can't watch his boon timers.

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And you're /butthurt over something that's a drastic improvement over the old system.

I don't understand how anyone could think block rates actually went up in 1.19 unless they just didn't log in and fight anything. With any Scutum or Vintage Kite Shield you could have 100% uptime on guard/shield skills and fail 0 blocks provided you weren't imperiled pre-1.19.

Yeah, blockrate hasn't gone up. Blockrate on gear in general has been nerfed, from my observations generally cut in half. One of the better higher end shields post 1.19 have 75% blockrate, which is still low compared to 85-100% blockrate shields prepatch. They basically gave us autoblock at the cost of lowered blockrate. As Stufoo pointed out, they just changed kind of the way Gladiator operates. We're a bit thicker overall and less reliant on our blocking. I'm 50/50 on the change, but it is what it is.

Question: For mages with shields, is it required you be in Active Mode to get the shield to block?

Ok, I was wrong about block rate going up. When I looked at my Canopus shield, the block rate is listed as 94, with Self-Presurvation I assumed it would raise to 99. However, the block rates listed are either totally wrong, or some monsters (not including enemies using magical attacks) have some way of ignoring or lessening your block rate. Either way, I think SE should look into the block rates and make sure they're correct.

You can now block and counter without having your weapon/shield drawn >_> haha. Did it a lot on CNJ today.

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Originally Posted by Reika

Ok, I was wrong about block rate going up. When I looked at my Canopus shield, the block rate is listed as 94, with Self-Presurvation I assumed it would raise to 99. However, the block rates listed are either totally wrong, or some monsters (not including enemies using magical attacks) have some way of ignoring or lessening your block rate. Either way, I think SE should look into the block rates and make sure they're correct.

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if im not mistaken SE incorporated mobs having increased weapon and magic stats, making it possible for melee mobs to lower ur actual block rate and magic evasion only slightly (with the exception of debuff magic). now i could be wrong but the fact of the matter is they changed the shielding system to accommodate more casual gamers, and it is infact different BUT its not terible.... oh noe now u cant shield block 100% whats this u mean you actually have to take 10-20% damage..... what will we doooooooooo? but really it was a change to incorporate the use of other skills besides spamming shield boons...... i like it and im ok with that type of system change !

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Originally Posted by Reika

Ok, I was wrong about block rate going up. When I looked at my Canopus shield, the block rate is listed as 94, with Self-Presurvation I assumed it would raise to 99. However, the block rates listed are either totally wrong, or some monsters (not including enemies using magical attacks) have some way of ignoring or lessening your block rate. Either way, I think SE should look into the block rates and make sure they're correct.

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Block rates are no longer rough percentages, as you can tell. Now it's more of a rating, so that a lower level shield is less effective as you go higher, though they do fine against an appropriately leveled monster. Before, the blocking and wield rates were more of a shield size/class label.

Strength also plays a bigger part in the calculation now. At level 50 we have about 220 STR, and against a level 55 target that leads to a 10~% block rate (self-preservation included.) If you were to stack your strength up to about 280~300 with materia, old jewelry, traits, and gear changes, you'll start seeing about 25~30% block rate against that level 55 target. Take this same high strength test to a lower level monster (say, lv.37~40) and you'll see 65~% block rates, just because you have so much STR over the target level. I assume VIT is the same way with classes than can parry still, and DEX I guess for evasion.

The scariest part is when the patch came out, GLA has 10% block rate, is unable to parry, and still does fine in non-materia-melded gear.

Cool numbers, but 10% block rate is stupid at level 50. If you look at a level 4 or so shield, the block rate is 8. It should be 8% not 8 minus some kind of factors. as the shield levels/types change and increase the block rate goes up. If there were ridiculous factors that lowered block rate to 10%, or whatever number it may actually be, they can all stay around 90 on level 1 to level 50 shields. There would be no reason to change from that because there would be unseen factors that would reduce it. The only explanation of why we don't block at the block rate listed is that they %*#@ed it up and need to fix it. Same goes with the inability to parry with a shield equipped. Just as bugged as the block rate of shields.

Also, I have also fought monsters much lower than my own level. Even tho there are a great deal more misses invloved, when I do take a hit, it is often not a block. If there is some crazy algorithm that causes your character to block less on monsters higher level than your own, then you should never ever fail to block a monster much lower than your own. This means that the block rate on shields is just plain wrong, or the mechanic is not functioning properly and needs to be adjusted.

i wasn't using shield alot since i've decided to try to solo NMs.
in a single 5min fight with an 47 level NM (Old Six-Arms) i blocked twice!
this makes me think, that using skills like Aegis Boon useless, simply because the skill timer runs out before i was able to block.
idk, maybe on gladiator block rate is higher, but i saw my friend gladiator complaining, that after the patch he is struggling to stay alive tanking ogre in level 45 dungeon, when before the patch it was no problem to him.