Shields are generally considered armor, even though they are equipped in the off-hand weapon slot. (As of March 2010, only *#redirect [[Barbarian]]s and [[Monk]]s can dual wield in Diablo 3.) Shields are found in Diablo 3, and can be used by four of the five character classes. Monks can not use shields, for reasons expressed by [[Bashiok]] in a pair of forum posts in early March 2010. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzard-on-diablo-3-class-specific-weapons/] [http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/blizzard-on-diablo-3-class-specific-weapons/] ::Bruce Lee would not use a shield, and neither would the monk. ::We have shields. Everyone but monk can wield them. ::Of course that’s subject to change. [[File:Shield-barb1.jpg|frame|Barbarian with shield.]]For whatever reason, shields are extremely rare in screenshots. [http://diablo.incgamers.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=820&title=barbarian-battles&cat=560 Only one screenshot] thus far released shows a Barbarian using a shield, and there are no pieces of concept art that show characters using shields. It seems that shields will not be a very popular item in Diablo 3, unlike Diablo 2 where they were very commonly equipped for their huge defensive and blocking bonuses. Barbarians seem to prefer dual wielding or two-handed weapons, Monks can not use shields at all, and [[Wizard]]s can use a special item type, the [[orb]] in their off-hand, along with a [[wand]] or [[short staff]]. Orbs provide offensive bonuses, and may be more popular for the glass cannon style character. It's not known if [[Witch Doctor]]s have an off-hand item that they'll prefer to shields; something like the class-specific totems favored by [[Necromancer]]s in Diablo 2. And finally, the [[fifth character]] is unknown as of March 2010, but is widely assumed to be an archer/ranged attack specialist, who would have little use for shields either. Also note that the lack of a [[weapon switch hotkey]] in Diablo 3 makes hybrid builds non-viable, and that characters will thus find little use in collecting two different weapon sets, to utilize in different situations. [[category:items]][[category:armor]]
