Violet Tall Shield vs Violet Tower Shield...?

I good discussion here could probably be applied to other items of conflict.

I have a violet Tall Shield of Armor 10 (requires 3 Tactics which I have), Health +21 (with no conditions), and a value of 20 gold...vs...a violet Tall Shield of Armor 11 (requires 7 strength which I have), Received physical damage -2 (while in a Stance), and a value of 26 gold.

The differences seem very minor but are the consequences minor? Help a newbie learn more about these factors so she can choose better with confidence.

Thank you.

You want info for choosing shields? Or how much stuff is worth?

Well worth doesn't really have much to do with what the item lists as its gp value. It depends on if the item is useful for anything. The -50 hp cesta for example, an ascalon city quest reward. I can't remember what its listed worth is, but I'd be surprised if it was more than 30gp. On the other hand, for someone who wanted to 55, or any form of hp reduction, its worth 5-6k.

As for the shield stats, that depends on what you are. Since you say you have 7 strength, that must mean you're a W/x. That means you can use both str and tac shields. A tactics shield is more versatile since a secondary warrior can use it, while they can't use a str shield. A str shield is only worth something to a warrior. It also depends on the warrior. Do they like dolyaks? Then str. Do they like riposte and d.riposte? Tactics. Either way, the lower the req, the better. And the more you can sell it to other players. Not may people will pay much for a req 13 shield, and you may be awhile selling it unless its some really rare skin and you're willing to sell fairly cheap.

A secondary warrior (mainly casters) may be willing to have armour 10-12 shields for a really low req, but any melee class will want armour 16 for their shields.

As for the mods, most people like to have unconditional +hp. A +30 always is worth a bit. If you run enchants, you'd be better off with a +45 while enchanted though. Likewise if you run speed buffs, blocking stances or IAS you'd be better off with a +45 stanced. If you solo, or are going into hex heavy areas, a +60 while hexed is very nice. Likewise with damage reduction. If you are always going to be enchanted/stanced, the -2 is good. The -3 while hexed is also useful. Most seem to prefer the -5 (20%) but I wouldn't really use that on anything but a warrior, not if you actually want to count on damage reduction. Damage reduction is also more useful for a warrior, whose heavy armour already reduces the base damage down to about a third, while a caster would be better off with a +10 armour mod. A warrior can also get alot out of a +10 armour mod if they know what they are facing (a +10 vs fire for SF spammers). Anyway, just something to think about.

Quote: Originally Posted by Ratsneve

in PVE the bonus to armor is usually better. of course there is no simple answer in guild wars because everything is situational. if you are fighting creatures with degen then the hps are better to have. A good warrior will build a set of equipment to cover as many situations as possible. (and eventually you will find or buy a shield that has hps AND armor bonus)