Noob question on sword and shield req:

Do sword requirements make a difference in getting critical hits if points distributed in sword skills exceed the requirements? For example, if I have 14 points in swordmanship, does a req of 9 or 10 make any difference. I ask this because of the swing on sword pricing in terms of req. When I use swordskills, I would put atleast 13 points in. Is it better to go with a sword with req of 9 rather than 10, or is there no difference as long as the skill points cover it.
Concerning shields, supposed a shield (16) requires 9 tactics. With 0 points in tactics, do I still get any armor protection out of it?

After you've met the requirement, the only thing that affects weapon damage and critical hit percentage is your weapon mastery attribute - a higher weapon attribute means more damage and a greater chance to crit. Low req weapons are only valuable because people like collecting them.

If you don't meet the requirement for a max armor shield, you get 8 armor from it still.

wow, thanks for the quick helpful response.