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Instead of tiered shields, make shields a part of a tier.

There have been posts about adding higher tiers of shields, and there have been suggestions about reintroducing sword blocking. I think that the two could be integrated into a cohesive whole, forming a core combat/equipment mechanic. My suggestion would be to reintroduce sword blocking along with another, smaller shield - A kind of middle ground between the sword block and the current large shield.

The current shield takes a few ticks before it's able to block damage, but when it blocks, it really blocks. It can tank creeper explosions under the right circumstances, and while many complain, I think that it makes some sense - It really is quite a massive shield after all, and it makes sense that it would provide a lot of coverage against projectiles, explosions, et cetera. With a few nerfs, I think it could fill a "tank" niche in the equipment ecosystem.

On the other end of the spectrum is the theoretical sword block. This would be the lowest on the tier in terms of coverage, but it would be effective against melee hits and take little or no time to raise.

Between these two, there could be a third, lightweight shield as a midpoint between the two - Like a "round" (read "square") shield. It would require less time to raise than a large shield, and provide a little more coverage than a sword block against arrows.

This way, instead the tier system working in one way across one equipment type, which tier you choose would be different depending on your play style.

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    Registered User commented
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    This idea is good except that I would implement the blocking tiers as possibilities, not a scale. This means the sword block has a 50% chance of blocking all melee damage instead of blocking 50% of the damage consistently.

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    Registered User commented
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    I do like the idea of each shield having a certain percentage to block all damage, rather than blocking a certain percentage of damage 100% of the time. Maybe when you first raise a shield, it will have a relatively low percentage to block, but as you hold it, it "charges" up to its max blocking capability (So the small shield might go from 25% to 50% after you hold it for a second or two.)

    Maybe axes, crits and/or fully-charged attacks would be able to make that percentage drop, so the more hits you you take, the less able your shield is able to defend you.