Arcane Shield, useful or not?

[Ishtmeet]

Hey,
I created a new mage, recently capped it. I just want to hear some reviews about shield from other sorcerers, based on their experience. I have plats for re spawning, so dying at a boss in elite run isn't a big problem. Talking about PvE ofc (Elites).
I dont like shield at all. The reason: Long cool down, chance to break after absorbing specific amount of damage. Usually in wt4, the shield breaks very quickly in big pulls, maybe 6-7 secs? With a long cool down of 45 secs, we're 30-35 secs without the sheild, that's almost no shield at all and better to have 4th attack skill instead.
Yes , it gives us more surviving chances, but don't you think, using a 4th attack skills will make things faster? Like gale or lightning? For me, Fireball, Frost bolt, lightning and time shift suits my game play.
Just want an advice, 3attack skills with a Defensive skill(Shield) better or 4 attack skills?(Re spawning after dying at boss in elites isn't a problem).



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[Schnitzel]

Im lvl41 mage, and shield is really useful in my opinion

If you add the invincibility upgrade, you're invincible for about 5 seconds

when killing Helena, instead of her taking half my hp, she only takes 20% when i have shield

[keikali]

Fireball, Icebolt, Clock, Shield, Light for PvE.

Depends on party makeup. Sometimes I go all offensive and sometimes I switch out Light and use Shield.

Also don't pop shield right away. You can cycle your other skills first before popping on shield along with potting HP potions.

[Ishtmeet]

Im lvl41 mage, and shield is really useful in my opinion

If you add the invincibility upgrade, you're invincible for about 5 seconds

when killing Helena, instead of her taking half my hp, she only takes 20% when i have shield

Its 2 secs to be accurate, and yes it helps from powerful shots.
Thanks :)

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[Ishtmeet]

Fireball, Icebolt, Clock, Shield, Light for PvE.

Depends on party makeup. Sometimes I go all offensive and sometimes I switch out Light and use Shield.

Also don't pop shield right away. You can cycle your other skills first before popping on shield along with potting HP potions.

Yes, maybe depends on the type of map.
Like, if the mobs can be stunned( like the elite maps before jagged trail) we can use full offense?
And maps like alagran, caves, rock horn have mobs that are immune from stun. So use shield in those maps?

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[Picklee]

Yes arcane shield is useful in every build... Been mage for years and always needed it. Use it for both pvp and pve

[Assumptions]

If you got high health pool and doesn't mind using lots of potions, 4 attack skills should be better for you.
Though, IMO shield is useful to aid those hp-low mages or for those who doesn't want to spam that much potions. It depends on your play style. What sorc you want to be, full damage build / typical fireball/frost/time-shift/shield build.
But do keep shield in your skills set if you ever need the 2 sec invulnerability in certain situations

[Ishtmeet]

If you got high health pool and doesn't mind using lots of potions, 4 attack skills should be better for you.
Though, IMO shield is useful to aid those hp-low mages or for those who doesn't want to spam that much potions. It depends on your play style. What sorc you want to be, full damage build / typical fireball/frost/time-shift/shield build.
But do keep shield in your skills set if you ever need the 2 sec invulnerability in certain situations

Yes need it sometimes. If there is no tank, and no, potions are not a big real :) I spam more on tank, mages use less potions.

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[Bigboyblue]

I run 5 skills. Fire, Ice, Clock, Light, Shield. If you are running WT4 use 4 damage skills. Makes running a lot faster. For elites shield is a must. I use to run a 4 skill build that didn't use shield and I died a lot. A dead sorc is no help to their party. When you go in to drop your clock, shield will save you a lot of times. Without an active shield it is death to try to drop it anywhere near a group of mobs. It is definitely a must have skill for anyone who wants to run elites. That being said I have seen a few sorcs that run elites without a shield that hold their own. Although they always die more than the shielded mages.

[Dex Scene]

Obviously its one of the most important skill of a mage as mage have the lowest armor and HP. With 2 sec invulnerability upgrade, it will save you from dieing lots of time. Take a look at current event's queen Helena. With proper time of casting shield, it will save you from 1 hit dead :)
I always use this. Heals are only for easy maps where you don't wanna burn mana pots while farming

[drgrimmy]

In the past, I liked to do elite runs with a 4 attack skill build. Now that elite mobs in the new maps don't respond as well to the crowd control upgrades of our skills (komodo dragons etc) shield is much more of a necessity. You need to use the shield at the begining of big pulls to allow you to survive. I did try a four attack skill build with fire, frost, time and gale hoping that the 50% armor boost of gale would help (since it is on about 75% of the time), although I had mixed results. As always, it all depends on the parties that your run with and how much aggro you think you are going to get. With a good party, defensive skills suck as shield are not as important, yet with mediocre groups it is an absolute necessity (although sometimes nothing can help a bad party :().

[Ishtmeet]

Yes I agree shield saves a lot but that 45 sec cool down isnt a lot? And what about kiting mobs instead that have less range like komodos?

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[Milan Lame Man]

Cooldown is 30 sec I think.
Anyway the invulnerability upgrade is a must, use when trapped in a red zone. The damage absorption is good too but invulnerability is the reason why I use shield.
Obviously do not use the Displacement wave upgrade, it is counterproductive. I use and recommend all other upgrades

[Wutzgood]

It all depends of you can avoid red zones or not. Personally I use a 5 attack skill build (fire, ice, lightning, clock and wind). I've found switching wind for clock at boss fight more useful than having shield but I've become very used to avoiding red zones. With the speed boost from wind it's rare I die anymore. If I need a shield I use little bear or another shield AA pet.

If you can't avoid red zones or potion your way out then shield is a must. I don't find any use for it myself tho and prefer all attack skills.

[Bigboyblue]

The cooldown is 30 seconds and it last 15 seconds or until it absorbs its maximum damage. As a sorc in elites that lets you charge shield, drop clock, stand back and fire off skills and autos. Then charge and drop your second clock. You will be unshielded for your third clock drop which is the dangerous part. By the time your fourth clock is ready you can charge shield and repeat it all over again.

[Morholt]

The cooldown is 30 seconds and it last 15 seconds or until it absorbs its maximum damage. As a sorc in elites that lets you charge shield, drop clock, stand back and fire off skills and autos. Then charge and drop your second clock. You will be unshielded for your third clock drop which is the dangerous part. By the time your fourth clock is ready you can charge shield and repeat it all over again.Wooo, someone who knows how to use their skills!

Charged shield allows for a perfectly placed clock, without taking any damage. This means for your second clock, you have 5 seconds of shield to drop another. During this time, you have 45% damage reduction, around 3.5k life, and however much your shield can absorb (3k+?). To drop your third clock, you will be without shield. Throw a charged fireball and tap the AA of Slag, Orion, or Clyde. For your fourth clock (if needed), the process repeats.
If you have a fast killing group and can clear mobs within roughly two clock drops, use the first described clock drop & the third one, as that will keep you safest--one or two lingering mobs after two clocks can be handled by your rogues and your icebolt safely.

[Hectororius]

Not sure about you, but if you use Jugg as a warrior, the shield on a mage essentially grants you the same type of buffer and are pretty much equal in terms of cool down times.

You can use shield to tank a mob and drop your clock just right, or as a rescue skill to get you out of trouble and pot your way to safety and get out of danger.

mages have so many spare points now that going 5 skills is pretty common.

[glengon]

If you got high health pool and doesn't mind using lots of potions, 4 attack skills should be better for you.
Though, IMO shield is useful to aid those hp-low mages or for those who doesn't want to spam that much potions. It depends on your play style. What sorc you want to be, full damage build / typical fireball/frost/time-shift/shield build.
But do keep shield in your skills set if you ever need the 2 sec invulnerability in certain situations
Nope shield wont really help low hp smurfs cause the shield's strength also depends on the amount of STR the smurf has..It works best for high hp high STR smurfs

[Madnex]

It's easier to play with shield, it takes real skill to make good enough use of Gale to make the run more efficient. Also, no shield requires that you trust your teammates so shield seems applicable to more situations overall.