Shield bash just doesn't work into combos very well. Honestly I tend to even forget I've got it. You can use it to start a combo closing in on range blocking but think that's about it.
Two things brother, number one in order to increase the light melee attacks you want to take the Power sword perk that incrementally increases damage after each strike. Secondly, did you know that the banner Resurrection Park does not count towards the end of the mission Resurrection stats and it also does not stack with bonds of brotherhood?
I love shield bash. I consider the knockdown perk mandatory as that is what allows the shield bash to get gunstrikes on minoras. Next you have to know how to block cancel, this is what really makes shield bash valuable as it turns shield bash into a quick and sharp melee attack you can do safely. Without this I consider shield bash terrible due to it's base animation having this weird long lag at the end. (PVE only, was too op in PVP where they block cancel) If you're feeling overwhelmed, hold block. Take parries as you recognize them. Until then, pop out a shield bash and quickly block. Only about half the animation will play out and you're now protecting yourself and can move. Useful if you've got a lot of enemies shooting at you as you have a horde in your face. Great at holding a position as it doesn't move you as much as most melee attacks. Lastly, the 25% melee damage perk suffers from a flow issue and competition. The aoe on parry perk has the same effect but even better against both Majors/minoras and you don't have to think about it, it just works as you play normally granted it doesn't work for block weapons. The flow issue is even with block cancel you only effectively have about 3 swings worth of the buffs, assuming no interruptions of course. A simple change to 8-10 seconds would make it a lot easier to consider worth using but as is, no.
The only good shield bash perk that’s really worth taking with Bulwark is the Focused Strength perk. It gives you a free Gun strike armor against minoris enemies and can stun majoris enemies which can give you a free opening for a combo.
Not that you asked, but it seems (from observation of your gameplay), that your challenge with Powersword damage stems from using the wrong stance (and a lack of changing stances). Single target = quick stance // swarm targets = power stance AND in both you need to be using powerwhirl (like all the time). Not only will you see your time-to-kill decrease, BUT your melee damage and total kill count will also skyrocket (16-18K melee damage on a Lethal run is about where you will end up) assuming you're active in the match. Not to offend just one brother here wanting to see another brother succeed. The Emperor protects.
As a bulwark player I honestly dont use my shield bash. Unfortunately perfect parry is the best way to play the game. I will say this brother. You're better off using the power sword for parrying builds for 2 reasons: 1) the chainsword block sword is faster meaning you get to the power stomp much faster. A power sword has no special combo and it's extremely versatile at every point in its combo because you can swap modes mid dodge. That means you're not interrupting your combo with it, and running the perfect block chain sword lets you get to the moves you want much faster. 2) The speed mode makes up for the slower fencing swings, which is why we use it on majoris enemies. If you want to counter the constant range damage you take, there's a few perks i can suggest: Armour of contempt, and either armour reinforcement OR defensive advantage (in the same column mind you), with Armoured advance. Armoured advance might seem like a waste of time and i fully understand why you'd think that. But you know how a sniper shoots you, and you block it but get sent flying back? same with a zoanthrope ball? Yeah that stops that. It seems less useful than defensive master but defensive mastery has a long CD. Armoured Advance just requires some armor. It gets a lot more use, is a lot stronger defensively and it lets you stand firm against heavier hits that would otherwise leave you wide open in lethal, even blocking those shots like a heavy would for your teammates. Trust me on that, it's amazing. I made the swap literally a few days ago and i fell in love.
I've been working on a guide for Power Fist and have a section for block cancels and shield bash for bulwark. But thought you might enjoy just the little shield bash demonstration I made for it. Also thank you for always putting out videos. It's fun seeing someone who seems to be enjoying the game as much as I am. ua-cam.com/video/6UiiKhm54U8/v-deo.html
I like shield bash against swarms of minoris to create some space, but it would be nice if it was a little more effective against majoris or higher.
Shield bash just doesn't work into combos very well. Honestly I tend to even forget I've got it. You can use it to start a combo closing in on range blocking but think that's about it.
Two things brother, number one in order to increase the light melee attacks you want to take the Power sword perk that incrementally increases damage after each strike. Secondly, did you know that the banner Resurrection Park does not count towards the end of the mission Resurrection stats and it also does not stack with bonds of brotherhood?
I love shield bash. I consider the knockdown perk mandatory as that is what allows the shield bash to get gunstrikes on minoras. Next you have to know how to block cancel, this is what really makes shield bash valuable as it turns shield bash into a quick and sharp melee attack you can do safely. Without this I consider shield bash terrible due to it's base animation having this weird long lag at the end. (PVE only, was too op in PVP where they block cancel)
If you're feeling overwhelmed, hold block. Take parries as you recognize them. Until then, pop out a shield bash and quickly block. Only about half the animation will play out and you're now protecting yourself and can move. Useful if you've got a lot of enemies shooting at you as you have a horde in your face.
Great at holding a position as it doesn't move you as much as most melee attacks.
Lastly, the 25% melee damage perk suffers from a flow issue and competition. The aoe on parry perk has the same effect but even better against both Majors/minoras and you don't have to think about it, it just works as you play normally granted it doesn't work for block weapons. The flow issue is even with block cancel you only effectively have about 3 swings worth of the buffs, assuming no interruptions of course. A simple change to 8-10 seconds would make it a lot easier to consider worth using but as is, no.
Great notes, thank you!
Anyone else have a bug where sometimes when you activate your banner you just don't get the contested health and end up wasting the banner?
The only good shield bash perk that’s really worth taking with Bulwark is the Focused Strength perk. It gives you a free Gun strike armor against minoris enemies and can stun majoris enemies which can give you a free opening for a combo.
10:40 where are you gooooing?! Lol couldve been charging the lasers
Think I was just vibing lmao! Enjoying the Dark Angel skin!
Not that you asked, but it seems (from observation of your gameplay), that your challenge with Powersword damage stems from using the wrong stance (and a lack of changing stances). Single target = quick stance // swarm targets = power stance AND in both you need to be using powerwhirl (like all the time). Not only will you see your time-to-kill decrease, BUT your melee damage and total kill count will also skyrocket (16-18K melee damage on a Lethal run is about where you will end up) assuming you're active in the match.
Not to offend just one brother here wanting to see another brother succeed. The Emperor protects.
Ohye! Bulwarkaction!
Bulwark be bulwarking 🛡
The knife is unironically the best melee weapon
Against minoris just swap to power stance and spam rmb, u get a gunstrike every swing aswell
@@rusherretvrns True that slipped my mind.
As a bulwark player I honestly dont use my shield bash. Unfortunately perfect parry is the best way to play the game. I will say this brother. You're better off using the power sword for parrying builds for 2 reasons: 1) the chainsword block sword is faster meaning you get to the power stomp much faster. A power sword has no special combo and it's extremely versatile at every point in its combo because you can swap modes mid dodge. That means you're not interrupting your combo with it, and running the perfect block chain sword lets you get to the moves you want much faster. 2) The speed mode makes up for the slower fencing swings, which is why we use it on majoris enemies. If you want to counter the constant range damage you take, there's a few perks i can suggest: Armour of contempt, and either armour reinforcement OR defensive advantage (in the same column mind you), with Armoured advance. Armoured advance might seem like a waste of time and i fully understand why you'd think that. But you know how a sniper shoots you, and you block it but get sent flying back? same with a zoanthrope ball? Yeah that stops that. It seems less useful than defensive master but defensive mastery has a long CD. Armoured Advance just requires some armor. It gets a lot more use, is a lot stronger defensively and it lets you stand firm against heavier hits that would otherwise leave you wide open in lethal, even blocking those shots like a heavy would for your teammates. Trust me on that, it's amazing. I made the swap literally a few days ago and i fell in love.
I've been working on a guide for Power Fist and have a section for block cancels and shield bash for bulwark. But thought you might enjoy just the little shield bash demonstration I made for it. Also thank you for always putting out videos. It's fun seeing someone who seems to be enjoying the game as much as I am.
ua-cam.com/video/6UiiKhm54U8/v-deo.html
300 sec is exactly 5 mins.