This has actually given me a good idea for my next character. It be a while before that will be. However block will play a big part in it. The youtube videos of people flying all over the place is so entertaining.

What happens if you take the level 100 perk via the right-hand tree, without taking Block Runner?

Block Runner is the level 100 perk And when perks can be reached via multiple branches, it never matters how you come about being able to select it--it will always behave the same.

Ok, I did. I was sent by the companions to clear a "house" of a resident which turned out to be a cave with Ice Wolves in it. So, I want in naked, just wearing my shield and axe. I tested block and it worked just fine, it doesn't seem to rely on your total armor skill at all. I then did some power shield bashs, and killed one of the Ice wolves, and bashed the other one till it ran, then later it came back and didn't attack me anymore, I ran around a bit and it just followed me doing nothing. Apparantly you can bash them into submission haha. Screenshot: http://www.vinterdimma.se/skyrim/images/2011-12-14_00002.jpg

I think you're overestimating heavy, it's not that much better than light protection wise.

Early on, most of your armor rating is going to come from simply wearing any armor, since you get 100 just for wearing helm+armor+gauntlets+boots, another+25 for shield. For some reason shields give armor though it doesn't make sense to me, anyone's guess why they think it should. Armor is also, in the end % based, another odd design decision. But for some reason they display meaningless numbers instead of your actual mitigation. Anyway, mid game, heavy will start to make a bit more difference protection wise, but is also a drain on stamina until quite late. By the time you can get rid of heavy's penalties, which requires 70 skill and three perks two of which are useless for most players. Light armor isn't significantly worse protection enough to make heavy attractive.


Let's just take an early-ish character for comparison-

Full Elven w/Shield, 25 armor skill, 1 perk for 20% increase = 102+125(base) = 27% physical damage reduction
Full Dwarven w/Shield with equivalent = 134+125(base) = 31% physical damage reduction

4% more mitigation, really worth the extra weight and higher sprinting cost?

The gap will widen more mid-game, sure, but then it'll close again. The real deciding factor is which has better perks/costs fewer perks. The answer is light armor in both cases, due to conditioning's svcky placement in the heavy armor tree.
Reflect also doesn't work like the effect in Oblivion, you still take the damage that gets reflected.

Shield Charge is the level 100 perk I'm wondering what happens when you can bash people around by sprinting into them with your shield raised without first being able to move quickly with your shield raised.

Hmm this discovery changes everything. I got blocking at 52 now. I got the shield bash bonus that does 5x the damage. I went in naked, killed the whole cave of Ice wolves just using my shield bash. I stood a long while just blocking them as good as I could. If they attack from an angle your shield doesn't cover they will still hit you. But, naked, armed with only my shield, I killed them all with my shield. I was never in any danger at all. Now I don't see why I should be using armor at all.

Cool! I didn't know you could do that. I'm going to have to try to earn myself the respect of a wolf


As I've said, and as you've shown many times in your post, YMMV. You're arguing over something that is not quantifiable.



Sorry! I confused the two and thought you were wrong

I have no idea whether block runner will work with a substitute for a shield. If you're investing in block with shield usage, just pick up a warhammer or something and give it a shot. But my second point stands: it doesn't matter how you come about to picking a perk, it will behave as expected to, always.

What's the biggest thing you can rag doll?

Then again, you can have light movility with heavy and the appropiate perk/stone, which I don't really like.

sounds awesome!

Armor does protect you besides the block. If you try with a really dangerous enemy (a draugr deadlord for example, been there) you will end up killed pretty fast. enemies that didn't really damage you aren't good for such a test.

Besides, despite many potions and many magic opject descriptions, your block skill has nothing to do with the amount of damage your shield soaks. It's allways 85% (50% in the case of two handed weapons and around a 33% in the case of one handed weapons and torches). Your block skill only increase the damage of your power bash.

I'm not entirely sure if this is a glitch, but with patch 1.1 and several points in the block perk tree, I can actually sneak much faster than normal (probably due to Block Runner). I just crouch, hold a dagger out, hold the block button and move forward, which should noticeable increase your speed. I'm not sure if this is a result of having the Block Runner perk, but that info might be useful for some of you. It has definitely helped me out, but I'm unsure if this works with the latest patch.

Some modder needs to add in bowling pin sound effects to the shield charge. Do eet!~

Until you reach block 60 or so (5x damage) it is a pain in the a** though...