Paladin's BiS Shield in 3.2

I'm going to take a look at our six top shield choices in terms of physical effective health granted. Of course there are other mitigating factors such as block value, avoidance, and threat that may push one piece over another. For now, I'm going to ignore everything except for armor and stamina.

The Boreal Guard (232)
7960 armor
92 STA
60 STA from gems
Socket bonus inactive
18 STA enchant

Bulwark of Algalon (239)
8130 armor
96 STA
30 STA from gems
Socket bonus active (+4 defense rating)
18 STA enchant

Forlorn Barrier (258)
8695 armor
108 STA
30 STA from gems
Socket bonus inactive
18 STA enchant

Forlorn Barrier (245)
8309 armor
108 STA
Socket bonus inactive
18 STA enchant

Bulwark of the Royal Guard (245)

8309 armor
114 Stamina
30 STA from gems
Socket bonus active (+6 STA)
18 STA enchant

Bulwark of the Royal Guard (232)
7960 Armor
100 Stamina
30 STA from gems
Socket bonus active (+6 STA)
18 STA enchant

Physical EH ranking:
#1 Forlorn (258): 53688
#2 Royal Guard (245): 52265
#3 Boreal (232): 50490
#4 Algalon (239): 49991
#5 Forlorn (245): 49967
#6 Royal Guard (232): 49624


It doesn't seem quite right that a T8 era 10 man hard mode shield is superior to an Algalon 25 shield and a Northrend Beasts 25 shield in terms of physical effective health.

Plus it's still gonna be one of the cheapest places to get that block cap. Although the strength sacrificed hurts my eyes .

Can you explain how you derived these numbers? I feel pretty confident that 705 armor is going to be superior to 14 stamina.

And you've neglected several items, such as: Bulwark of the Royal Guard, which has only 2 stamina less than a fully gemmed Boreal and of course much more armor.

Modal wrote:Can you explain how you derived these numbers? I feel pretty confident that 705 armor is going to be superior to 14 stamina.

And you've neglected several items, such as: Bulwark of the Royal Guard, which has only 2 stamina less than a fully gemmed Boreal and of course much more armor.

152 stam vs 108 stam on the Boreal Guard vs Forlorn Barrier (245)

44 stam difference.

Yes, I feel like the 258 version of Forlorn Barrier is the best choice, followed by Boreal Guard for the sheer health granted by double sockets. The 245 version of Forlorn has.... unfortunate stat allocation. It's well-itemized, but needs a lot more stamina OR a socket to keep up with Boreal Guard (and the 258 version has that).

Modal wrote:Can you explain how you derived these numbers? I feel pretty confident that 705 armor is going to be superior to 14 stamina.

And you've neglected several items, such as: Bulwark of the Royal Guard, which has only 2 stamina less than a fully gemmed Boreal and of course much more armor.

Ah! Didn't see that shield. I'll add it to the list. The ilvl 245 Royal Guard is now the new #2 in terms of physical EH. The ilvl 232 Royal Guard is #6.

I used a personal spreadsheet, and subtracted the physical EH of a fully raid buffed T8 era BiS character without a shield from the physical EH of that same character with each of the test shields.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key= ... 2Zmc&hl=en

I haven't done much math wise. However just looking at it I thought Forlorn Barrier would of been better due to the BV. To me that's why it lacks the str that Boreal has and also I've always counted BV as welfare stamina in the sense that if you're block capped it's pretty much added to your HP. With that in mind would you still consider Boreal better than the 245 version of Forlorn? If so glad it didn't drop this week I was gonna bid DKP on it.

As usual, very surprisingly, picking the highest item level available works out. While the need for the illusion of choice is strong, the game simply doesn't provide. Pick the highest level item in each slot that you can buy or roll, and you're guaranteed to perform well. It's as simple as that. Sadly.

Veilan wrote:As usual, very surprisingly, picking the highest item level available works out. While the need for the illusion of choice is strong, the game simply doesn't provide. Pick the highest level item in each slot that you can buy or roll, and you're guaranteed to perform well. It's as simple as that. Sadly.

Which is why a 232 shield is better for your EH than a 245 shield in his list?

Veilan wrote:As usual, very surprisingly, picking the highest item level available works out. While the need for the illusion of choice is strong, the game simply doesn't provide. Pick the highest level item in each slot that you can buy or roll, and you're guaranteed to perform well. It's as simple as that. Sadly.

ilvl does not consistently reveal the top physical EH shield for the middle of the pack choices. Case in point, Boreal (232) provides more physical effective health than the higher ilvl Bulwark of Algalon (239) and Forlorn Barrier (245).

This drop in ilvl does come at the cost of threat. Although, I'd argue that Paladins can safely place more value on survivability at this stage of the game.

For those of us who can't get people to Uld10 with them, Crystal Plated Vanguard is a great up from Hero's Surrender. Block Rating is wasted on me.

Idk, sometimes it's just nice to see tps spikes above 10k regularly.

My calculations show a difference of 1541.05 EH and and .19 TDR in favor of Crystal Plated Vanguard over Boreal Guard

(This is with current gear/buffs. IE: Not in a vacuum)

Amaliel wrote:My calculations show a difference of 1541.05 EH and and .19 TDR in favor of Crystal Plated Vanguard over Boreal Guard

(This is with current gear/buffs. IE: Not in a vacuum)

I assume you mean the ilvl 258 Crystal Plated Gaguard. My tests weren't in a vacuum either. The base line for each shield is what I personally consider to be T9 era ilvl 245/258/272 best in slot and full raid buffs.

Does the absolute worth of additional armor in terms of physical effective health shift upwards as you gain more of it? Another reason for the observed differences in physical EH may be powerful buffs like Ardent Defender (+15% EH), Inspiration (-10% damage) and the fact/bug that allows Stoneskin Totems/Devo and Renewed Hope/Sanctuary to stack.

Ardent Defender and inspiration not included
This is straight paladin talents/spells (not including SS) with fort/GotW/Kings/Flask/Food

ilvl245 version
boreal guard is assumed to have 2x 30s and 18 stam enchant

the worth of armor increases as your health does and vice versa. The more health you have, the more signficant armor is. The more armor you have, the more significant your health is.