Quick question about Claw Block

[TheMad0nion]

I've been reading over the forums and have seen two different takes on Claw Block. People have said either:

A) When anything but stationary Claw Block is reduced to zero

or

B) Claw Block suffers no movement penalty whatsoever, whether running or walking or stationary

Obviously I would like this clarified, as it will be a very important skill for my MA Assassin. Any help is appreciated in advance, thanks. :)

[Duncan Idaho]

No penalty whatever you're doing

[Speederländer]

No penalty whatever you're doing

Wrong.

It suffers a penalty when moving, not including WW. Common wisdom is that it drops to zero but there is some argument about whether it's actually some fractional value. People DO get block sounds/animation when running but it's not sure if actual attack blocking is going on or if it's some glitch.

There IS apparently a penalty though and any detailed search of these forums will turn up the discussions that have been had where it's been hashed out in great detail.

[Duncan Idaho]

With WB i've always read that there was no penalty

[BIGeyedBUG]

Up until a few months ago, that was the case with me as well. It's been extensively tested and proven to be otherwise however.

To sum up:

--WB works at its stated percentage when standing, attacking, or WWing.

--WB is reduced to zero, or very close to zero in regards to most attacks when walking or running.

I suspect that the 2nd is simply, "WB does not function when walking or running", but that's in dispute.

[Speederländer]

With WB i've always read that there was no penalty

No longer the case. The FAQ also states that it drops to zero, IFRC. The only open question, as I understand it, is with respect to whether it drops to zero or something like 1/3 of original. There may also be an issue with certain attacks getting blocking while moving while others aren't blocked at all.

One possibility I have seen floated:
Physical blocking drops to 1/3 original while running and magic/elemental blocking drops to zero while running.

I don't know the current status of the debate.

[TheMad0nion]

That is highly unfortunate... I do not understand why it would suffer a further movement penalty when it is already lower than shield blocking and requires skill point investment.

At any rate, I guess this means that, for an assassin going with PS as her main attack I should probably forget Claw Block altogether and go C/S, correct?

[phlegmatic]

I had my PS-asn going with C/C last season with no major problems. Amp.dmg hurts a big deal, yes, but besides from that she did not have many problems.

I can hardly remember the blocking sound when attacking or running so I guess it's true it's set to 0 or something in that range when moving or attacking.
My WB was set to 1, rest with +skills if that's to any use :)

[ilkori]

IIRC you get a passive blocking (no sound) when attacking, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

[Speederländer]

IIRC you get a passive blocking (no sound) when attacking, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

I think that's the case.

[BIGeyedBUG]

I can hardly remember the blocking sound when attacking or running so I guess it's true it's set to 0 or something in that range when moving or attacking.

WB certainly does work when attacking.

[BIGeyedBUG]

That is highly unfortunate... I do not understand why it would suffer a further movement penalty when it is already lower than shield blocking and requires skill point investment.

At any rate, I guess this means that, for an assassin going with PS as her main attack I should probably forget Claw Block altogether and go C/S, correct?

WB still has one big thing going for it: the ability to block magical attacks. Whether this is better or worse than the easy resists of a shield in PvM is debatable.

In practice, I find that the lack of mobile blocking doesn't make that much of a difference. The vast majority of hits my martial artists take are when standing still, i.e. attacking. When moving, ranged attackers can only hit me when I'm moving straight at them. Also, CoS and MB do a lot to minimize the opportunities monsters get to make attacks in the first place.

[-[$]tea|th-]

So to sum it up:
WB Blocks Properly WHile Standing/Attacking/WWing(I think that is just too cool)
And Loses a lot of Block while moving, but shields do too?

[BIGeyedBUG]

No idea how to make tables, so this is what you get.

Percentages of stated bock%:

................Shield........WB
Standing.....100%.......100%
Attacking....100%.......100%
Walking.......100%.........0*
Running.......33.33%......0*
Whirling.......100%.......100%

*If WB works at all walking or running (which I doubt), it's either a tiny fraction of the stated block%, only against a few specific attacks, or both.

[Speederländer]

No idea how to make tables, so this is what you get.

Percentages of stated bock%:

................Shield........WB
Standing.....100%.......100%
Attacking....100%.......100%
Walking.......100%.........0*
Running.......33.33%......0*
Whirling.......100%.......100%

*If WB works at all walking or running (which I doubt), it's either a tiny fraction of the stated block%, only against a few specific attacks, or both.

I know what you mean, but keep in mind that some people may confuse the paired 100% numbers to be that both block at the same max level.

It would have been better, for comparative purposes, to show the actual block levels for typical max block:

Percentages of stated bock%:

................Shield........WB
Standing....75%..........60%
Attacking...75%..........60%
Walking......75%..........0*
Running......25%..........0*
Whirling......75%.........60%

It's minor, I know, but it seems more complete and informative, IMO.

[BIGeyedBUG]

Given that not everybody has max block, that's debatable. Easier for people who just want to compare maximums, and don't care about the nuances of actually getting that block% though. Title it "Maximum Attainable Block" and put in a note about 60% WB being a sort of generally recognized practical max and you're in business.

[-[$]tea|th-]

Given that not everybody has max block, that's debatable. Easier for people who just want to compare maximums, and don't care about the nuances of actually getting that block% though. Title it "Maximum Attainable Block" and put in a note about 60% WB being a sort of generally recognized practical max and you're in business.
99% of all PvPers have max block

[Speederländer]

Given that not everybody has max block, that's debatable. Easier for people who just want to compare maximums, and don't care about the nuances of actually getting that block% though. Title it "Maximum Attainable Block" and put in a note about 60% WB being a sort of generally recognized practical max and you're in business.

For duelers, almost everyone has 60% weapon block, perhaps as low as 59% for a few. Since WB blocks so much, the extra % is just too much to pass up until heavy diminishing returns after lvl 26. And anyone in their right mind with a shield has 75% block.

[BIGeyedBUG]

I'm already aware of what PvPers do with blocking, but thanks anyway.