Blessed Shield

Active Skill · Secondary · Crusader

5 Runes
From level 20

Effect

Cost: 20 Wrath

Hurl your shield, dealing 430% weapon damage as Holy plus 250% of shield Block Chance as Holy damage. The shield will ricochet to 3 nearby enemies.

Requires Shield

Runes

5 Runes

Staggering Shield

from level 24 · Lightning damage · Proc coefficient 0.333

The shield becomes charged with lightning and has a 25% chance to Stun the first enemy hit for 2 seconds. Each enemy hit after the first has a 5% reduced chance to be Stunned.
Combust

from level 29 · Fire damage · Proc coefficient 0.333

The shield erupts in flames and has a 33% chance to explode on impact, dealing 310% weapon damage as Fire to all enemies within 10 yards.
Divine Aegis

from level 38 · Physical damage · Proc coefficient 0.333

When the shield hits an enemy, your Armor is increased by 5% and Life regeneration is increased by 5% for 4 seconds.
Shattering Throw

from level 44 · Holy damage · Proc coefficient 0.1

When the shield hits an enemy, it splits into 3 small fragments that bounce between nearby enemies, dealing 170% weapon damage as Holy to all enemies hit.
Piercing Shield

from level 59 · Holy damage · Proc coefficient 0.333

The shield no longer bounces, but pierces through all enemies with a 50% chance to knock them aside.

The proc coefficient scales the chance of on-hit effects (e.g. legendary powers, gems, Life per Hit) for each hit of the skill. Game files, version 2.8.0.

Blessed Shield

Blessed Shield hurls your shield at enemies, dealing holy damage that also scales with your shield's block chance – so the skill rewards defensive gear with extra damage. The thrown shield ricochets between several foes, making it a strong option against groups. The condition is that you actually wield a shield.

If you want to hit even more targets, Shattering Throw breaks the shield into several fragments on impact that bounce between nearby enemies – ideal for clearing packs. For crowd control and burst against single targets, Staggering Shield is appealing, since the charged shield can stun the first enemy it strikes. Combust adds a fire explosion on impact for extra area damage.

What one throw delivers

Each throw costs 20 Wrath and hits for 430% weapon damage plus 250% of your shield's Block Chance as Holy damage, then ricochets to 3 more enemies. Combust (level 29) explodes within 10 yards with a 33% chance and is the most common pick in practice, followed by Shattering Throw (level 44). Divine Aegis (level 38) grants some Armor and Life regeneration per hit, and Piercing Shield (level 59) pierces enemies instead of bouncing.

Items built around the throw

Gyrfalcon's Foote (flail) removes the Wrath cost and raises the damage by 275–350%.
Jekangbord (shield) makes the shield ricochet to 6 more enemies and raises the damage by 300–400%.
Akkhan's Leniency (two-handed flail) increases the damage by 35–40% for every enemy hit, so more bounces mean more stacks.
Akkhan's Manacles raise the damage against the first enemy hit by 400–500%.

One-hander or two-hander?

Your weapon decides the passives here. Fervor raises attack speed and cuts cooldowns only while you wield a one-handed weapon, which suits the Gyrfalcon's Foote flail. If you go for the two-handed Akkhan's Leniency, you need Heavenly Strength to keep carrying a shield, because the skill does not work without one.

Provoke taunts enemies and supplies Wrath, Iron Skin and Akarat's Champion cover protection and damage, and Finery adds Strength.

by eRnstl