Shadow damage is one of four damage types, while Freeze is a status condition, not damage type.
Defense protects you from taking damage.
Resistance decrease probablity and/or duration of Status Condition. Status Condition are not type of damage.
If item has Freeze resistance it will not protect you from any damage dealt by Frozen Shambler (Freeze Zombie) - you will just have lower chance of being freezed.
BTW, Dread Skelly Shield has both: Shadow Defense and Freeze Resistance.
So you're telling me that a shield with a stun resistance is worthless?
From many sources, I've been told that status resistances decrease the damage done to SHIELDS. (Not armor or helmet)
The thing about lower change of being freezed (or stunned, or electrified etc) shouldn't affect to SHIELDS, as it already protects from every damage or status condition source.
but yea w/e
These guys somehow do not get what you are saying. Don't worry, i get it. Yes, resistance against a status will make a shield stronger against the attack. I'm not sure which would be more helpful, but i assume shadow would. A shield with stun resistance would not be worthless at all. In fact, it would be pretty useful against vanaduke depending on the UV level.
Shields don't protect you from status condition. You can be set on fire/freeze etc... from an attack you shielded. And that happens pretty often if you shield a lot instead of dodging. From what I understand, the resistance on shield reduce the probability to suffer from the condition while shielding.
I really doubt your shield suffer more damage from an attack with status effect, because freeze/fire attack don't exist. There are shadow/elemental/piercing/normal attacks with a probability of status effect attached, just like your weapons.
So who's right? Dilbert or Fradow? :D
@fradow I believe you can only be inflicted with a status when you're shield breaks. I have never had a status set on me if I shielded. From what I understand, the status resistance helps with an attack that inflicts a status. I guess you could be right, but I've never really seen that happen.
@Dilbert77 if you think you can only get status inflicted when the shield breaks, clearly you've never fought T2 Greavers. They can inflict you through your fully happy shield. It's a wonderful gift they have, one of the many reasons they are so hated.
Huh. Never had a T2 greaver do that to me. Is that true with every monster?
@Aquajag, it's not the hit from the grievers that inflicts a status through your shield, but the fact that you stand in the griever's mist (which, AFAIK, cannot be shielded)...
From my experience a shield with resistance to a status effect will last longer against attacks that can inflict that status effect than a shield without the resistance and the same defenses.
So yeah, when using my Dread Skelly Shield (which for the record has no fire resistance) I was able to shield some attacks in T3 Flame Lash Arena but would get set on fire anyway. And I didn't get the shield broken at that time, and didn't take any damage from the attack (but took damage from the fire).
Greavers (The fiend birds) can inflict status THROUGH the shield. I know, it's BS. I rage too.
If I had to guess, I'd say they'd be about equivalent. But I don't know. My experience is that status resistances and damage type resistances both make a huge difference. Obviously, a shield with both shadow resistance and freeze resistance would be better.
Some of the replies were people thinking of armors or helmets, or not understanding how shields work.
If it's a question of which shield to bring, then I'd say go for the freeze resistance if it's a freeze stratum, and shadow resistance if it's a fiend or undead stratum. Boss strata are special cases, of course.
@HeatSurge, plz read my previous comment, it's not their hit, it's their mist, it can even reach you through a block!!! So it doesn't tell us anything about shields...
I don't think I was blocking a greaver at that time. Maybe it's a polyp projectile... :D
Shields will break easier if you do not have the type of status resist. If I equip my stun resistant armor and take a shot from a timber with my Crest of Almire, it will not break, if I take the stun resist off it will break when hit.
@Codemister13 yeah, that's what I thought
Ok ok, lets start:
Shield have Types and Resistances. A shield will take less dmg if Shadow def from Shadow attacks like zombies or mewcats. It also takes less damage if damaged by freeze/shadow attacks from for example freezed zombies or frostikat, if it has freeze resistance. The resistances on the shield don't protect anything, they just decrease the damage of incoming attacks. Also if you have for example Fire resist on your shield, you arent affected, means you still burn as long as you would without that shield, if you get fire stat. it's not a resistance like on your armor. Press TAB and move your cursor on the "helmet" symbol at the bottom left corner, there you see your actual defense and resistance. Also if your shield has elementary defense, YOU won't have. The Shield's defense and resistances works only if it is in use.
If you shield you CAN NOT GET ANY statuseffects that come from an attack or a bullet (zombie hit, devilites (firebrander), etc). This is true aslong the shield is not broken. Greavers: The shield will NEVER protect you from greavers moth dust/spores unless if you got resistances on it. Greavers are the only mob (atm) that can deal "bomb like" damage and status effects. In PvP you will not be able to shield a bomb (freeze, fire, shock, poison) (if this ever will come).
Shields are still able to knock back targets if broken.
Any other questions :D Feel free to ask!
Greavers are the only mob (atm) that can deal "bomb like" damage and status effects.
I'd add the frost mist left when a frozen jelly dies...
@ Tipiak - true also the very rare BIG poison jelly ;) Everything that looks like a bomb.
Shields which have a status resist last longer to attacks that deals that kind of status. I personally tested this in Training Hall with my Wise Owlite Shield which have shock and fire resist.
When I stood on the fire and shock plates on the bottom right corner of the training hall, my shield lasted for 7 seconds. But when I stood on the poison and freeze plates, my shield lasted for only 4 seconds. I know this is training hall and the results may not be very accurate but that's the general idea, shields with status resist last longer to attacks that inflict the status.
It will receive shadow damage, as it implies.