Skyrim: Blocking and you, or This is why you keep dying.

[VanityGirl]

It really depends, but I'm a magic user and I'm able to render any melee useless with my spells.

Also, any magic users, I tend to just get out of LoS or stand on a corner and they seem to phone it in on the AI.

^This.
And even if I do get hit I just pop up some healing in my left hand and Ahh.. full health.

 

[Torrasque]

Please dont be a fool and ignore block, it will save your ass many times over.

Very true... I started the game focusing on destruction magic but around level 25 or so destruction starts to fall behind the levelling curve, so I'm pouring points into Block now as it seems far more useful.

Which is why I rerolled a tried-and-true pally class specializing in heavy armor, block, and restoration.
I'll try pure magic on my second play through when I know when and where to get spells, and how to get 1-25 without dying many many times.

 

[TheAmokz]

No need to block when my enemies are burning alive.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

If for some reason my soul stealing exquisite elven bow with dwarven arrows doesn't murder something immediately, I've got an elven axe of paralyzation that renders the need for shields kind of moot. Don't really need to block something that can't move. Also, I roll with a talking, immortal daedric dog, an elven sellsword, a horse, and usually, a fire atrinoch. A shield would infer that something ever actually gets a chance to get close to me.

 

[omicron1]

There is one wrong way to play:
Play a crafting build.

By the time you've levelled Smithing and Enchanting to 100 or thereabouts, you're at a high enough level that the fancy dragon armor you just made is pretty much useless. Bandits can one-shot you with iron arrows, for crying out loud.

Oh, well. I can think of worse fates than starting over with a different build.

 

[HeallunRumblebelly]

Conjuration and You: How two Dremora Lords could beat the shit out of Dovakhiin if they ever wised up and turned on me. It's kinda boring, but it absolutely decimates master difficulty.

2 dremora lords, shield user (usually an equipped lydia) merc, and i've got the assassin summon power and the sovngarde hero shout if it's ever really required.

Also, if the dragon won't come down and you don't have dragonrend yet, you can usually just use 2 storm atronach thralls who will blast the bastard outta the sky <_<

edit: Oh, and sometimes with blocking there would be a bug with the slow-time perk...it'd slow the game down (not you, just everything else) and you could literally just walk through a dungeon slapping everything in the back, nothing fighting back. Interesting but boring bug in the end. I guess Skyrim's like the other TES, though, you gotta find your own challenge and using game mechanics -too- well will invariably make the game boring. MMO min-maxing is tough to stop

 

[godofallu]

Blocking isn't bad it's just comparatively bad.

You take damage even when you block, you move slower while blocking, you must give up one of your hands, you must give up a lot of perk points, you must trade other levels for block levels.

Frankly having a 2 handed weapon, or two one handed weapons, or a weapon + spell (like fast healing/destruction) is much better.

It's much easier to sidestep in this game avoiding all damage, then to put up the shield in order to resist some damage.

Speccing block makes you run faster, gives you great dodge skills with Quick Reflexes, makes the shield into a viable weapon capable of killing things all on its own, so.... yep

It doesn't make you run faster, it makes you less slow while holding block. As to the lethality of a shield, it will never be as good as a legendary double enchanted weapon.

You lose absolutely no running speed when you spec it, and with the 100 perk, you can sprint with a shield up, and yes, yes it will be as good, because it can be a legendary double enchanted shield, combine that with the ludicrously overpowered shield enchants, shields are very very good for all sorts of combat.

It isn't as lethal, shields can't have combat enchantments. Defense wise, a weapon with Absorb stamina + Absorb Health will do more for you also. Plus two handed only has 3 total perks. Block has a lot more involved.

 

[Vicarious Reality]

I use my shield quite often in Oblivion, not sure how it's different from Skyrim though

 

[Galite]

Unfortunately when I die it's when generally from an unseen arrow coming for my lightly armored mage-y arse. Fortunately however I don't need a shield as I can't remember the last time something got close enough to matter my destruction spells only costing 2% of their original magicka and the perk "impact" quite literally makes trying to get close to me a death wish for enemies. Or trying to stay at range for that matter. I'm also nearly immune to every element so as I had said before arrows are the only thing I've died from in ages.

 

[Garethp]

There is one wrong way to play:
Play a crafting build.

By the time you've levelled Smithing and Enchanting to 100 or thereabouts, you're at a high enough level that the fancy dragon armor you just made is pretty much useless. Bandits can one-shot you with iron arrows, for crying out loud.

Oh, well. I can think of worse fates than starting over with a different build.

My enchanting is only 40, but my smithing is 100, and frankly I can't be stopped. Seriously, a bandit is a one hit kill from my Legendary Ebony Sword, two if it's an Outlaw or Thug, A chief is two double power attacks (Ebony Sword and Skyforge Steel Sword both Legendary), and I can literally just sit in the middle of three bandits and soak up their stupid arrows for an hour with my Legendary Dragon Scaleplate Amor and necklace of health regen.

Just levelling Smithing and Enchanting doesn't make you weak

 

[wurrble182]

glad that you like block bro, but the game doesnt require you to master any one skill to succeed. A good player can progress with/without any skill being heavily invested in. Such is the awesomeness of le Skyrim.

 

[Stammer]

Dude very easy is called very easy for a reason. I don't know if it's exactly like Oblivion's very easy setting but if it is that means that enemies are doing 1/6 of the damage they would be doing to you on normal and you do 6 times the damage you would on normal.
This is why your fire balls one hit everything...

I know that. That's why I mentioned it in the first place. I'm just saying that I'm not really worried about defense since my only real threats are bosses and traps.

I plan on bumping the difficulty up by 1 or 2 for every successive playthrough.

 

[Dark1Elder]

the thing is some people who use two handed weapons don't think they need to train block, cause they don't have a shield, even though, any weapon you can block with, uses the block skill.

 

[Sir Thomas Sean Connery]

Look at me.

Now look at your shield.

Now back at me. I'm gone.

Now look back at your shield.

Unfortunately, your shield will never be me.

I just slit your throat.

 

[RedDeadFred]

Dude very easy is called very easy for a reason. I don't know if it's exactly like Oblivion's very easy setting but if it is that means that enemies are doing 1/6 of the damage they would be doing to you on normal and you do 6 times the damage you would on normal.
This is why your fire balls one hit everything...

I know that. That's why I mentioned it in the first place. I'm just saying that I'm not really worried about defense since my only real threats are bosses and traps.

I plan on bumping the difficulty up by 1 or 2 for every successive playthrough.

Oh ok. I think I just read that funny then...
My bad.

 

[Catalyst6]

Who needs block when you have a time-pausing inventory and health potions?

The only excuses anyone has for dying in Skyrim are, "I didn't hit the inventory button fast enough" and, "I ran out of health potions."

Or you can just grab a bow and take advantage of the fact that you're the only being on the planet who can jump. One tall rock and you're all set.

Or use the "stealth" mechanic to effectively become invisible and get one-hit kills on almost anything.

Given the alternatives, I conclude that blocking is for boring people.

Indeed, especially since you can just leg it when things get hairy and cast the heal spell til your mana runs dry, the return to the bow.

And besides, my shield works perfectly fine without having to level anything. Her name is Lydia, and she never dies yet has a remarkable ability to draw ridiculous amounts of aggro.

 

[tofulove]

yes, you could block, or you can one shot people like a champ with 2 handers,

 

[Blobpie]

My two characters are a full on mage, and a sneaky character that uses two weapons.... neither can block.

Although my mage does have ward spells.... which unfortunately use too much mana too fast (this is why i got stoneflesh)

Yes i have mana potions, but i want to save them for when I really need them. Since you know, i have a mana regeneration of 91%