The once and future shield

I really don’t feel like writing a same old, same old raid recap (long story short: no Titanguard again, couldn’t kill Thorim again–but at least we know the new strategy works when dps is split right) so let’s talk about something else …

Well, I picked up the Northern Barrier last night intending it to be mainly a threat-set shield, but with the changes to avoidance in the next patch it had me thinking how NB would compare to my current shield of choice, the Wall of Terror.

As it stands right now, the two shields break down as:

WoT

1072 hp
1.63% avoidance
2.23% mitigation chance

NB

1072 hp
1.53% avoidance
.51% mitigation chance

So clearly WoT is the superior choice for a shield right now. What about in 3.2? Well, avoidance in WoT slips to 1.55% due to the sock in the gut that dodge rating is getting. This makes WoT only better by .02% avoidance chance. Assuming one is not block capped then WoT is the shield of choice, but if that block is a wasted stat then NB isn’t a terrible option come 3.2.

Personally my defense rating is a little tight right now so I don’t have the luxury of being able to enchant my shield or chest for stamina. However, that extra 22 defense rating on NB would give me enough breathing room to slap the +18 stamina enchant on the shield. The extra EH would definitely make the Barrier my favored bulwark.