I just started playing DR during the last few days and I've found this board to be a real wealth of useful and practical information, so thanks in advance for whatever opinions this thread generates. You guys rawk!

In any event, I've been playing around with different attribute builds and combinations of gear, including the use of a shield with a 1-handed weapon. However, from the threads I've read here, I get the sense that shields are not a popular gear choice. Instead, it seems like most people opt for either using a 2-handed weapon or dual wielding.

Is there some reason why shields are unpopular or have I drawn an incorrect conclusion that people don't generally use them?

Well, to say it right and quick, The defense that shields give can be covered with 1 more potion anyway. Dualwield also gets 20% speed bonus, and is faster in oevrall. Thats why msot poeple like to dualwield instead of using a shield. Still it can be a good choice to use one.

It all depends on your preference. But most of the high levels here will use dual wield or a good 2h weapon (a lot of argument over which is faster killing). General conclusion though is that killing faster outweighs the higher defense/block of a shield. Would be nice to see this change some in the future to balance a 1-h/shield build.