As an animal form dps/caster hybrid Javabot relies on a shield unlike most of my other builds. For example for Samius I use the EE Skyvault primarily for its really solid slotting, red, purple and a blue or 114 force/healing/more PRR, so to fill out key spell power amounts. Samyus my tank, who is chilling, still is using the EE Bastion. Which may or may not be the right shield for a tanky build. It mostly comes down to what do you want to do? I will not be sidetracked! Today is about my druid and his shield.
Java has been using a lvl 15 Wall of Wood, aka the Wow. It is really good at level but has been out classed for a while now. Already having a 30% heal Amp from a claw set, he has been looking for something other then the EE WoW to track down.
And I have been looking for a lvl 22 Wow, 20% vs 30% if a little less devotion then a larger version but Shield bashing and +5 nat armor is not really needed in this build…
So what did I need in a shield for Java?
MORE DPS and MORE HEALS!
With a little reading/asking around I learned that if you make a LoB shield crystal the metal type does change and allows a druid to use it with out breaking oath. So what to do… How to do it?
Two important questions “So what to do… How to do it?” as I didn’t get into the House C raids when they first came out as I was on my TR Train with Samius at the time.
So looking at the list both Stunning/Seeker 10 are possible options for a non-bashing melee shield. And then for the second tear Doublestrike is a standout again with the idea that bashing is not going to be happening.
If you could mix and match Martial and Mystical effects between tears I could make something like a seeker 10 (F-Mar)/ Sup Lighting Lore (A – Mys)/ Greater Evocation (F – Mys) shield and have a fairly tight shield. A little dps and a little casting.
But you can’t (or at least I have been told you can’t) so I have mad a all Martial shield as the Seeker/Dstrike/red slot is too good to pass up.
On Sunday our channel group got me the last binding shards I needed to finish my tear 2. Other then loosing 10% amp I am super pleased. I think next weekend (if I am lucky) I will gather all the mats I need to make it tear 3 when I am ready I can take it to tear 3. Although I am not in a hurry as I think I will be doing a few TRs on Java real soon so having it at level 18 is not the worse place for it. The potency on my belt is currently out doing the shield devotion anyway so win win.
If you have an animal fighting druid, what is your weapon setup?
<3s
Samius Gurobo 
I’m just rocking the EN version of wall of wood, since it was relatively easy to farm on one of my alts, has a decent amount of devotion, some DR & being only 20% healing amp it’ll stack with the trusty PDK gloves. A crystal alchemical tower shield would probably be the ideal though but the sheer amount of grinding necessary for it plus my altaholism will put that rather firmly out of reach for me though.
Thankfully i have a good group of people that i can ask for help from and get it. We have made 4ish Lob runs and a few MAs and i have my shield at tear 2 and in a good place. Think all i need is a few binding shards and i can go to the top tear and a red slot.