http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/4e3c6b88-9ea4-442d-bcc9-435aebc70f4a

http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/ceda607d-5076-48ff-9d07-57c6bdaac906

Just looking for opinions here, if you had a choice between 54.1 Force Damage and 20% Shield Chance(35% Dark Ward active) which would you choose?

http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/4e3c6b88-9ea4-442d-bcc9-435aebc70f4a

 

http://swtor.askmrrobot.com/character/ceda607d-5076-48ff-9d07-57c6bdaac906

 

Just looking for opinions here, if you had a choice between 54.1 Force Damage and 20% Shield Chance(35% Dark Ward active) which would you choose?

For what spec? 23/1/17? Meh, doesn't matter. You should use a focus. Shield generators have minimal usefulness outside of full time ball carrying or full tank play while guarding.

The math on the base items (no mods enhancements or armorings) is this:

Dark ward: increases shield chance by 15% until the timer or charges expire

WH Shield offhand with no mods: 5% shield chance, 20% absorb, 449 force power

WH Generator offhand with no mods: 649 force power

Tank gear with shield and dark ward (assuming the gear gives you 30% shield and 50% absorb):

45% shield chance x 50% absorb = 22.5% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

DPS gear with shield and dark ward:

20%shield chance x 20% absorb = 4% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

DPS gear with shield and no dark ward:

5% shield chance x 20% absorb = 1% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

I'm inclined to think that with DPS gear, 200 extra force power will increase your force damage way more than the 4% mitigation will reduce white damage, and that you'll also be using force abilities way more than you'll be taking white damage hits (meaning generator would be infinitely better) but it's just a guess.

In tank gear you almost obviously want the shield.

The math on the base items (no mods enhancements or armorings) is this:

Dark ward: increases shield chance by 15% until the timer or charges expire

WH Shield offhand with no mods: 5% shield chance, 20% absorb, 449 force power

WH Generator offhand with no mods: 649 force power

 

Tank gear with shield and dark ward (assuming the gear gives you 30% shield and 50% absorb):

45% shield chance x 50% absorb = 22.5% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

DPS gear with shield and dark ward:

20%shield chance x 20% absorb = 4% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

DPS gear with shield and no dark ward:

5% shield chance x 20% absorb = 1% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

I'm inclined to think that with DPS gear, 200 extra force power will increase your force damage way more than the 4% mitigation will reduce white damage, and that you'll also be using force abilities way more than you'll be taking white damage hits (meaning generator would be infinitely better) but it's just a guess.

In tank gear you almost obviously want the shield.

I know that we have had our differences in the past, but you're spot on with this. The problem with shield gens in PvP comes with the ineptitude of tank design in PvP in SWTOR. There is rarely ever a situation in PvP where wearing a shield is beneficial. Even in a full tank spec, while wearing full tank gear. I really wish that BW would adopt the PvP tank design that they used in WAR. That being incredible mitigation, mediocre damage, emphasis on taunts, protecting healers, and control through knockbacks and CC. As of right now, it almost seems like the dev team is at a loss as to how a tank should function in PvP. Tanks do have some of the capabilities that I described, but without the added survivability. In all honesty, I hardly see any defensive increase from running a full tank spec over, say, a 0/27/14 spec. That, IMO, is a problem.

The math on the base items (no mods enhancements or armorings) is this:

Dark ward: increases shield chance by 15% until the timer or charges expire

WH Shield offhand with no mods: 5% shield chance, 20% absorb, 449 force power

WH Generator offhand with no mods: 649 force power

 

Tank gear with shield and dark ward (assuming the gear gives you 30% shield and 50% absorb):

45% shield chance x 50% absorb = 22.5% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

DPS gear with shield and dark ward:

20%shield chance x 20% absorb = 4% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

DPS gear with shield and no dark ward:

5% shield chance x 20% absorb = 1% mitigation on average from white damage attacks

 

I'm inclined to think that with DPS gear, 200 extra force power will increase your force damage way more than the 4% mitigation will reduce white damage, and that you'll also be using force abilities way more than you'll be taking white damage hits (meaning generator would be infinitely better) but it's just a guess.

In tank gear you almost obviously want the shield.

In a spec like the tank or tank hybrid, 23/1/17, wouldn't you have the following abilities that benefit from a shield?:

Lightning Reflexes + Lightning Recovery: this gives you back 4% of your total force AND reduces the cooldown of Force Shroud by 1.0 sec every time you shield an attack. (Considering the low amount of attacks that will proc your shield, are these even really noticeably beneficial at all?)

Dark Charge: this gives you +15% to your shield chance.

Dark Ward: this gives you another +15% to your shield chance.

Hollow: this increases your shield absorption by 4%.

So the math would probably look more like this assuming you have Dark Charge AND Dark Ward up:

35% shield chance x 24% absorb = 8.4% mitigation of white damage attacks.

That's not too shabby, but not too great either. I think it mostly depends on your style of play. Are you the type who throws guard around a lot? Use a shield. Run the Huttball often? Shield. Re-modded all your gear to maximize power and like to dps? Forget the shield and continue to max power with a focus.

I currently wear a shield in pvp with the 24/1/17 spec. I have tried both. There isn't much of a difference really. A bit more damage mitigation versus a bit more damage output. Neither will make or break your pvp experience as far as I can tell.

In a spec like the tank or tank hybrid, 23/1/17, wouldn't you have the following abilities that benefit from a shield?:

 

Lightning Reflexes + Lightning Recovery: this gives you back 4% of your total force AND reduces the cooldown of Force Shroud by 1.0 sec every time you shield an attack. (Considering the low amount of attacks that will proc your shield, are these even really noticeably beneficial at all?)

Dark Charge: this gives you +15% to your shield chance.

Dark Ward: this gives you another +15% to your shield chance.

Hollow: this increases your shield absorption by 4%.

 

So the math would probably look more like this assuming you have Dark Charge AND Dark Ward up:

35% shield chance x 24% absorb = 8.4% mitigation of white damage attacks.

 

That's not too shabby, but not too great either. I think it mostly depends on your style of play. Are you the type who throws guard around a lot? Use a shield. Run the Huttball often? Shield. Re-modded all your gear to maximize power and like to dps? Forget the shield and continue to max power with a focus.

 

I currently wear a shield in pvp with the 24/1/17 spec. I have tried both. There isn't much of a difference really. A bit more damage mitigation versus a bit more damage output. Neither will make or break your pvp experience as far as I can tell.

Read the tooltip again. Shield, block or parry. So even without a Shield equip you still get benefits from the talent.