Ok, I am wearing full Mad Bomber set,
all status resistances are at negative in the middle of the bar.
I am also wearing Dragon Scale Shield, which has what looks like max Fire/Poison resistances.
And my status resists for those two still show up as negative on the character menu, when looking at total gear resists/stats.
Can anyone explain this?
Shield resists means that your shield will be able to get more hits before it breaks from a monster causing given status. In case of Dragon Scale Shield, it will withstand more beating form monsters that can cause Fire and Poison.
You can test it yourself in Advanced Training Hall in lower right corner - shield up and check how many "hits" it will survive on floor grates that cause fire/poison and then wait till your shield regenerate and check how many "hits" it will survive on floor grates that cause freeze/shock.
Shields are by far the most confusing part of equipment in Spiral Knights. Novices have no idea how shields work. Maybe Three Rings should add a mission --- you know, one of those talking missions, not fighting missions --- explaining how shields work.
Thanks for the replies.
And yes, it is confusing.. I initially made the shield to help my chances in FSC. lol.
"the damage resistances of a shield only apply when the shield is in active use."
http://wiki.spiralknights.com/Shield