Question re: Damage reduction from blocking and shields

WhyMustItBe · December 2018

So I read that damage shields like Hardened Ward, Harness Magicka, etc. now inherit your character's physical & spell resist, which is awesome.

What I would like to know is, how does this work with the damage reduction provided by blocking? Does holding block with an active damage shield apply the damage reduction from blocking to the damage taken by the shield? Also, does damage to the shield while blocking still count as blocked damage for sets that proc off blocking?

Thanks!

idk · December 2018

https://forums.elderscrollsonline.com/en/discussion/279426/damage-mitigation-explanation-updated-for-morrowind-new-calculator/p1

That thread has your specific answer and more about damage reduction.

Edit: Bookmark it to reference with future changes Zos makes to damage reduction

WhyMustItBe · December 2018

Thanks, bookmarked! So, in a nutshell it looks like my first answer is that blocking does not reduce damage taken by shields. This would seem to indicate that it is generally pointless to block while a shield is active, unless you wanted to 'catch' the remainder of a big hit you expected to completely wipe out your shield and have block damage mitigation applied to the overflow.

As for sets that proc off blocking, I am still unclear whether you have to actually take the damage or if hits to your shield while blocking would count.

kringled_1 · December 2018

The other reason that comes to mind to block even if a damage shield is up is when an attack is incoming that would apply a blockable CC (knockback/stun).

josiahva · December 2018

WhyMustItBe wrote: »

Thanks, bookmarked! So, in a nutshell it looks like my first answer is that blocking does not reduce damage taken by shields. This would seem to indicate that it is generally pointless to block while a shield is active, unless you wanted to 'catch' the remainder of a big hit you expected to completely wipe out your shield and have block damage mitigation applied to the overflow.

As for sets that proc off blocking, I am still unclear whether you have to actually take the damage or if hits to your shield while blocking would count.

Not true...there are some enemies that can and will still one-shot you as a tank through a damage shield(or multiple damage shields). However, it is true that perma blocking is worthless if you run a shield build(except for a few certain fights) I let my shields and resistances soak up most of the damage and only block when actually needed, I would rather be heavy attacking to regen stamina(and magicka with an ice staff back bar) to be able to cast more shields/buffs/debuffs/heals than perma-blocking. Maybe not viable on a non-shield build, but works just fine on a shield build and health very rarely dips below 75%(also this applies more to vet DLC dungeon content and lower, not to trials, where perma-blocking is required more often.