I'm rather tired with all the bucklers in the game aswell.

Not alot of swashbuckling going on.

Personally, I find most of the shields in the game to be reasonably sized. Well, for a personal shield anyway. Historically speaking, large shields are mostly meant for formation fighting. The idea behind them being, that in addition to protecting yourself, you also provided cover for the bloke standing next to you. This is true for the Roman scutum, for the Greek hoplon, as well as the viking round shield, famously used in shieldwall formations.

With the advent of plate armor, the use of shields became less common, but they never went away completely, since they are such a simple and effective piece of protective gear. A key thing to keep in mind about a shield, is that it's a heavy and cumbersome, and not something that is comfortable to lug around. Smaller shields are much more user friendly, and as long as you are not supposed to be covering for the fellow next to you, generally do the trick just as well as a larger one.

Bucklers of various size were extremely popular for this reason. Some were teeny tiny things only 20cm across, and others were almost full size shields (like the one I have - it's about 40 cm across.) Obviously there was a lot of variation in shield sizes and designs, but if one were to simplify things considerable, then you could say that buckler types shields were about 30 cm wide, most personal shields (like Anglo-saxon round shields, Italian rotellas, or the various heater shields used by knights) were around 60 cm wide, and the big shields used in formation combat were 90cm wide. Any larger than that, it's no longer a shield but a pavise.

Even a 60 cm shield is heavy and cumbersome. It's difficult to carry and gets in the way of things. A 90 cm shield is generally not something you can carry on your arm for extended periods. You have to strap it onto your back, and no, you're not gonna swing it out into action like you do in the game.

Bucklers, on the other hand, were small, light, and relatively easy to carry and wouldn't get in the way of things. You could strap one on your belt and quickly grab it and get ready for action. The only real downside of a buckler was that it did not provided as much passive protection from arrows, but what they lacked in coverage, they made up in not getting in the way or obstructing your own battlefield awareness. And you can totally bash someone in the face with a buckler. In fact it is lot easier to bash someone with a buckler than one of those larger shields, since it weighs less and isn't as cumbersome to wield.

The thing is though, that the way shields are used and animated in this game, is pretty much bogus nonsense. Just as they are in pretty much every fantasy game. So there isn't much reason to worry about whether they are functionally sound or make any sense, and just go with whatever you find aesthetically pleasing. The game has well over a hundred different shield designs by now, so there is a lot to choose from. Including plenty of rather large designs.

And if you like the esthetics of a large imposing hefty looking shield, then go for it. But just keep in mind that tastes differ, and some of us, like myself, prefer smaller and more reasonable shaped and sized shields.

Tan9oSuccka wrote: »

I dislike the tiny buckler type shields.

Looks puny and out of place on a mighty Nord Shield maiden.

I like the Morag Tong and Ebonheart Pact shield. Perfect!

I used to think much like you. Found bucklers silly and way too small to be worth it. But after I finally got around getting one for myself and learning about how they are used, I changed my mind about them. There is an elegance of design and functionality, in the way you use them in combat, that I find intriguing. As a result, I've come to be quite the fan of the things, and can understand why they were so popular back in the day. They just work.

So many people dont really see the point of the buckler. It makes me sad, I am very happy about the realistic approach to shields this game takes. Bucklers are perfectly realistic because in real life you don't carry a HUGE and HEAVY shield all day around on your back. You can think of bucklers like sidearms. Their whole point is mobility.

we do need some great shield styles.

Bulwark of Azinoth anyone?

My problem with a lot of the bigger shields is that they clip into the character models a lot. It can be a pretty ugly with bulky armor, or the during animations for a few of the personalities (especially idle animations). So far the only shields that avoid this issue are some of the small round shields and medium-ish sized shields that are wide at the top and taper to a point at the bottom.

thatlaurachick wrote: »

WTH? I'm tired of shields being so big my female tank's head clipps through them constantly! There are PLENTY of big shields! Mercenary, Trinimac, Alliance, Militant Ordinator, Silken Ring, Dark Brotherhood. Those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I just want a medium-small sized sheld that doesn't clip a head in half! And the "flip shield around" at Blacksmithing station... is weird.

In before "but that's not realisitic". This is a fantasy RPG game. It's fine if you want to RP a dude who constantly carries a giant ass shield around, but I RP a woman who tanks in whatever clothing/outfit she feels like because MAGIC. If you can believe a staff offeres as much block mitigation as a shield, then stop asking for giant shields!

To be fair it is a magical ice staff. I'm assuming magical thingies are going on.

Yeah, make Annulment and Conjured Ward great again! Wait, what are we talking about?

Shields are too small and daggers are too big

Most of them are way too small. The daggerfall shield isn’t too bad, Trinimac is ok, I like the horned dragon shield (the one with the serpent on the front?) which is cool looking if still a bit small. ZOS seems to have a tendency in general for slim dinky armor, weird twisty blades and small shields. I’d love to see some more badass armor and weapons that favor a more classic look. I really like the new Stormlord axes and swords, but I’d like some more armor like the heavy imperial shoulders or skin changer chest which are just so old and outdated but are of the few that have a more imposing style.

I got excited about the size of the Silver Dawn shield....but when equipped it looks like a giant Milano cookie...and it clips badly...I'd love some larger shields, larger round ones for sure.

I see some fair points about bucklers and practicality, I can agree with bucklers being more fitting for an adventurer in a fantasy setting, but the thing is shields are the favored gear for tanks, and for a class that is all about defending and taking on big guys it seems odd that their off hand gear of choice is a tiny buckler, I understand it's purely cosmetic and the only thing that makes a good tank is the stats but it just bothers me that the majority of shields in this game are small instead of having a good balance between small, medium and big

I'm only saying that we could use a few more shields that aren't too small considering all the new ones look small