I've always found it a tad unrealistic that when your character has a shield equipped, they carry it around on their arms EVERYWHERE and never put it away, even when everything is meant to be sheathed.

In my opinion, http://www.ageofthering.com/atthemovies/cast/boromir.jpg when it is sheathed away (on the back of the character).

I agree and hopefully there will be a mod that fixes this.

There's a thread about this in the mod forums, and I think there is a link to a mod in the steam workshop that does this.

Maybe have protection from rear attacks as well? I mean, it wouldn't be impossible to do.

But what about for those of us that play on console?

It's very practical to get your shield ready and imagine the cliping!!!

Unfortunately we're stuck with all the...

And that will be the day pigs fly while playing the banjo.

I play in 1st person pretty much all of the time, so this really isn't an issue for me... but for 3rd person players, I agree. Shields should go on the back. Even if it means some slight clipping issues.

Mount & Blade actually had this, if you switched from shield to bow or lance it put shields on back and they was an extra armor against arrows from behind. Nice if you got an horse archer after you.

I agree with you completely. It's one of the reasons I almost never use shields: because it bothers me so much. I'll have to look on the Steam Workshop for this mod. Btw, hope you get a PC soon that can play it. I was fortunate to get an $800 laptop for Christmas (for college, but it also came with a good graphics card and high RAM).

Okay - a number of posts have been deleted. The topic of this thread is not "should I get a PC?" Also remember that any gratuitous bashing of any platform or console is grounds for an official warning.

Nearly any suggestion for a Bethesda game can be answered with "find/make a mod for it," but there's generally also room for discussion of changes that Bethesda itself might be willing to make via DLC or patching. I believe that is what the OP was looking to discuss.

So please to remain on-topic.

Thanks.

Protection from the back...imagine that. That's practically fighting in the shade lol. You could just crouch and a whole cloud of arrows wouldn't be able to touch you

I actually saw a real shield in real life and Beth got it correct.

In real life, shields has a little strap-thing that suppose to wrap around your arm.. At least most do. You wont have to carry it and it is always on your arm for quick blocking, if someone is to surprise attack you.

Makes complete sense to me.

Carrying a shield on your arm is nice when you expect combat, but I can assure you that your shield-arm will become very tired if you were to carry your shield on the arm all day. Even a small wooden shield weighs more than what you would be able to hold in your hand over an extended period of time, even with an armstrap. If it didn't weight anything, it means it doesn't provide enough protection from a strong blade, or even worse, axe.

For as long as warriors have used shields for protection, they've carried them on their back whenever they weren't expecting combat, so why Beth haven't put this as a feature in the game I can only guess. Carrying a shield on your back is not only alot less fatiguing than holding it in your hand, but it frees up your shield arm and provides your rear with protection from arrows. That makes sense to me.

I play in 1st person so I genuinely do not care where my shield is.

As much as I don't care about realism in games where you can shout fire, this feature is purely cosmetic (and would make no sense). Yes, you would carry a shield on your back when you aren't expecting combat. But if you did get into combat, you'd be screwed, because your shield is on your freaking back. If you want it to be more "realistic" by putting the shield on your back out of combat, then you should be in favor of your character having to stop, perform some fun contortions trying to get the shield off, strap it on their arm, and then draw their weapon every time they get in a fight.

I also play in first person 99% of the time, so this doesn't bother me.

It must be easier (for the developer) to just keep the shield on the arm. Also, with arrows and a two-handed weapon, the back would get crowded if a shield was back there too. People have already complained from the clipping from arrows and two-handed weapons being on the back. The shield had to go somewhere, and so it stayed on the arm.

Perhaps Bethesda could have had the arrows only visible when a bow was equipped, and a shield otherwise?

Since this is merely a graphical "issue" and one that you only notice when playing in 3rd person, it's not anything that would keep me from enjoying the game.

That is like saying that you should walk around with your sword/axe/hammer in your hand because if you encounter combat, you're screwed because your weapon is sheathed or, in the case of the two handed weapons, carried on your back. A shield slung in a strap over your shoulder is, for a trained shield-wearer, just as quick to equip as a heavy hammer, axe or sword. As for graphics, it would look much the same as your character equipping that two-handed weapon slung across your back.

So I'm afraid your argument is invalid.

This is the tricky part, in my opinion. How would you define "not expecting combat." You can be attacked almost anywhere, including in towns. And without distinct zones and hit detection, carrying it on your back, as it stands now, wouldn't provide any additional protection to attacks from behind than if you were wielding it.

EDIT: For the record, I play in first person, and I am almost always dual wielding. I have used Spellbreaker on occasion, though.

I'm afraid that sheaths and holsters (or whatever you call the things you hold axes and maces in) were deliberately made to allow for easy drawing of said weapon in a combat situation. Shields were strapped across the back quite securely, and they would not be so easy to get off. Seriously, just think of how you secure a shield to your back.

I've noticed the same exact thing, and apparently so have the artists.

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2011/02/skyconcept.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/11/bethesda-releases-fresh-skyrim-concept-art/&h=378&w=530&sz=66&tbnid=RqojLnulfh9hPM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=126&zoom=1&docid=cBF5XpBOP-Gn4M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=TnJST6edNeT40gGfw8zBDQ&sqi=2&ved=0CDsQ9QEwAQ&dur=278

I actually had this shield on for a good amount of the time, it isn't that heavy when you are using a strap. Lol. Now, without the strap, oh yeah. Your hand will get tired after a while but the strap fixes that and you can easily wear a shield all day long.

It's a pretty easy fix if you ask me - if you equip a bow, arrows are slung on your back (or by your side in the belt, like some archers prefer). If you equip a two-handed weapon, no shield or arrow quiver is displayed. If you equip a one-handed weapon (or magic) and shield, the shield is swung across your back when you sheath your weapon, except when in dungeons where you'd keep your shield at a more ready state.
As for the whole shield issue being bothering, it doesn't bother me at all gameplaywise, but since the thread is about carrying shields on your back, I gave my opinion.


Carrying a shield across your back is no more complicated than carrying a bow across your back, and wouldn't take longer to equip. A shield can be carried in a single strap worn diagonally from one shoulder, across your chest to the other side underneath your arm. Very much like how you carry a bow by using the string as a carrying strap across your chest.


I would define "not expecting combat" basically almost anywhere you would sheathe your weapon, perhaps except when in a dungeon. Mostly, a shield was carried on your back when traveling, so it would make sense for a shield to be carried on your back whenever you're in a town or traveling with a sheathed weapon above ground.

You are right, but that was for cavary so they could hold the reins to their horse while protecting themselves at the same time. Also infantry would be able to keep hold of their shield to avoid enemy pulling it from their hands. But it would look better slung on back when not in use.