I have 100 block and love the skill. Shield charge is amazing and makes my paladin/cleric build lots of fun to play.

QFT. If block doesn't help you your gaming wrong or a mage

its not slow, you just think its slow because you never use it.

The arrow perk is apparently bugged to where it maxes your block values, so with 1/5 in Shield Wall and Deflect Arrows, you'll be blocking the maximum amount of damage currently.

For one thing, by hotkeying your shield, the 'spell in one hand' is quite easily achieved. And I don't understand what you mean by 'duplicates things you were gonna have anyway.' Like... resists? Wards? Stunning appopnents?

That said, I just wanted to make a point about builds. With this last build I have, I really had to force myself to stay away from the magic trees (because I had gotten so used to using them) - I made this build just to try out block. The one thing I learned is that it doesn't matter what you specialize in, be it magic, bash, or stealth archery, just as long as you DO specialize. Each playing style is fun, and each has its own way of avoiding damage while beating the other guy down. The only real use of arguing which is best is that specialists in other fields share their 'tricks' and I learn something.

Just cut and run? Purty damn difficult when decked out in a full metal jacket. Why would I wear all that metal when just a robe makes it so much easier to just cut and spew spells? Because I don't WANT to run away, I wanna get in there and crunch-blood-guts-RRRRUUAAARRRR!!!

(When I was a sneak archer, I thought the same thing. Active targets were an anathema to me and spells were only useful for keeping my targets inactive.)

I personally recommend any mage go to a straight shield-basher on your next build. One health-two stam and restrict your spells to healing and soul trapping. You will have more fun than you ever thought possible!

Block isn't something you're going to notice a lot at the start of the game, especially with anything but a shield, but if you put the effort (and perks) into it, it rewards your dedication in ways you, for asking this question, wouldn't even believe. Just yesterday, friend insisted that blocking's dumb, and that dual wielding was so much better. Same friend, at comparable level, has difficulty with Sabrecats and Bears, which, long as it's just one on one, I barely take damage while fighting.

Why don't you try the skill before commenting on it? I've got full armor, 50% magic resist, and a ton of elemental resist on top, and while I'm not taking much damage, I do take damage all the same. I can't let a dual-wielding briarheart go to work on me for all that long before I run low on health, despite the 85% damage reduction. I can block every single one of his swings, though. In fact, I did that to take block from mid seventies to 100. Took maybe ten minutes or so, while I was reading the news and simply holding down my right mouse button.

Also, you don't invest 9 perks in block solely for protection. To that effect you only need shield wall 1, deflect arrows, quick reflexes, elemental protection, and block runner. Five perks. Then you add shield charge, shield bash and maybe deadly bash and disarming bash for offense.

Finally, unless you're using a two-handed weapon then what else would you be carrying in that off hand? Anything that could even begin to match up against shield charge?

Shield charge, is all I'm saying. Just sprint around in a circle and all the mages will be on their asses. Then hit one of them a few times, run another sprint around the room, and so on. Works great unless there's a frost mage around, since the cold slows your sprint.

Contrast this with the alternatives. What could you do with that left hand that would be inherently more efficient than holding a shield with, say, +50% resistance to two elements, a further +50% resistance to fire, shock, frost when blocking, always staggers when used for bashing, sends targets flying when sprinting. That's a pretty solid list of features, isn't it?

I am just starting to use block, and it seems to level pretty slowly for me as well. Finally paid a companion to train me jsut so I could get to 30 and take the quick reflexes perk. That makes a huge difference in avoiding power attacks. I use two handed weapons, so Block for me is more about well timed bashes to interrupt attacks and stagger than avoiding damage. I have found it to be invaluable and fun, but it does seem to level pretty slowly.

Not useless at all, try bashing and getting behind the enemy and striking.

I have a question for you. If you have your armor maxed so you are already stopping 85% of damage, when you block does it stop most of that remaining 15%?

What spell are you talking about? A summoning spell? Cast it ahead of time and switch to a shield. Something from the illusion branch? Cast it before enemies close ground and then switch to a shield. A ward? Does what a shield does, except much less efficiently and requires magicka. A healing spell? You know what they say about a pound of cure and an ounce of prevention. A damage spell or an off-hand weapon? Both are possible and both are strictly offensive choices that sacrifice all notions of defense.

It's not slow to get to 70 block, and it is very safe as well. A bandit boss and a venison stew is all you really need to get it to 30-40. Takes maybe ten minutes of non-stop shield bashing (just the regular speedy bash, not the power bash). After that, it will level up fine on its own, but if you feel it's still not good enough, you simply let some NPC hammer away at your raised shield for another ten minutes or so. The higher level the enemy has, the better. Contrast this with getting your armor skill to 70. Takes a little while and you're forced to drag some rather heavy equipment around until it happens.

Block useless? WTF! It's very useful with the perks and as you level up it becomes a life saver in single weapon combat. Power bash is very useful.

Block is pretty bad ass, especially Shield Charge. Once you get Shield Charge, you're like the Juggernaut from X-Men (Once you get started, you can't be stopped). You run over people like a freight train.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kgRsVWWuQA

Spellbreaker too is just freaking godly. Nothing quite like not only completely blocking a Draugr Death Overlord's "Disarm" or "Unrelenting Force" shout, but also completely blocking an Ancient Dragon's breath.

What I believe happens is that block goes first. First you block the incoming damage with your shield and some percentage leaks through, depending on your block skill, the quality of your shield, and seemingly whether or not you've taken the deflect arrows perk (which is bugged and sets block damage resist to 85% against all weapons). That damage is then dealth with using your armor value. I could be wrong, of course, but that is how I suspect the damage is calculated.

Since armor is capped at 80% damage resistance and block at 85%, you'll potentially take a mere 3% of the incoming physical damage. If the mechanics work like I think they do, that is.

Not useless, but it levels up slowly at first. You'll level faster in it once you get a perk or two (and hence are blocking more damage). That seems like a catch-22 but after the first lag, it levels quite fast.

Power bash is beautiful on mages. "Do have any idea the power I wie-" *shield to face* *dead*

Just hotkey them? Or do you keep a healing spell in one hand all the time?

I think "Quick Reflexes" is bugged further in favor of the player - If two power attacks are initiated at once, time stands still, even when you lower the shield, until you're down to one power-attacking opponent.

Thanks. I read on the UESP that block xp is based on the amount of damage blocked, which probably explains why Block seems to level so slowly for me. I have been blocking with a two handed weapon, which does not block as much damage as with a shield. So, that would mean that Block would level slower for those blocking with a weapon than when blocking with a shield. Maybe I will use a shield more. Right now I have an elemental resist shield that I equip to charge dragons before switching to my battle axe for the actual battle.

Wait what? Blockperks work on twohanded weapons? I thought it was only for shields ...

Thanks for the laugh. And I totally agree. Block skill is amazing.

It depends on the player, I personally like block it is very effective

Blocking skill with elemental protection, peryite's spellbreaker and a great sword like dragonsbane or ebony sword equals god mode. Not to mention you can use elemental fury shout to rip opponents apart.

I've on occasion killed 3-4 enemies during that time stop. Rather unfair to the enemies but damned fun all the same.

Bashing can be done with both shields and weapons and consequently the bashing perks apply to both weapons and shields. Meaning all the right side perks in the block tree will affect bashing no matter with what weapon you're doing it. The remaining perks require a shield to do anything.

Looks like I will start using bash more with my 2 handed weapons.

Don't forget Shield Wall & Quick Reflexes, those perks work for weapons as well.

This is incorrect. I can't even come close to blocking 85% of all arrows.

But block is the best skill in the game, overall.