Blocking usually refers to the action of blocking an attack with a shield. All physical attacks and some magical ones can be blocked, and a shield is an essential item for many character builds in Diablo II.
Blocking is capped at 75% effectiveness. Any % above 75% is irrelevant. Dexterity raises a character's % chance to block. Some items and skills also increase blocking %.
Defense and blocking
Blocking can also refer to the benefits of your character's defense. Incoming physical attacks check a character's defense rating to see what % chance they have to hit. Ones that fall short of hitting (determined by your defense, the monster's attack rating, and possible magical effects) are in effect "blocked" by your armor.
When defense "blocks" an attack it has no animation and it will not interrupt your attack (or casting). This is different from the Shield block animation or the amazon D/A/E (which will interrupt your attacks even if you don't get the animation)
- See the Defense 101 article for more details.
Faster Block Rate
A character goes into block animation if its opponent succeeds in the hit check and the character succeeds in a blocking check. The character can do nothing else during the blocking animation. Blocking is only possible while engaged in melee combat, or while walking. (Not while running.) See the blocking article for more details.
Improvements to faster blocking are difficult to achieve since the bonuses to it are found almost exclusively on shields.
- In some cases the equipped weapon influences the blocking speed.
- The Assassin's Weapon Block skill is also affected by her Faster Block Rate, and the same values as for shield blocking apply.
- Act 3 mercenaries do not block even though they are capable of using a shield.
| Character | Weapon / Skill / Form | Block Frames | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Amazon | 1H swinging weapon (*) | 0 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 29 | 40 | 56 | 80 | 120 | 200 | 480 | ||||
| Other weapons | 0 | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | |||||||||||||
| Assassin | all | 0 | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | ||||||||||||
| Barbarian | all | 0 | 9 | 20 | 42 | 86 | 280 | |||||||||||
| Druid | Human form | 0 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | ||||||||
| Bear form | 0 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 27 | 40 | 65 | 109 | 223 | |||||||||
| Wolf form | 0 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | |||||||||||
| Necromancer | all | 0 | 6 | 13 | 20 | 32 | 52 | 86 | 174 | 600 | ||||||||
| Paladin | normal | 0 | 13 | 32 | 86 | 600 | ||||||||||||
| with Holy Shield | 0 | 86 | ||||||||||||||||
| Sorceress | all | 0 | 7 | 15 | 27 | 48 | 86 | 200 | ||||||||||
| Character | Weapon / Skill / Form | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Block Frames | ||||||||||||||||||
(*) 1-handed swinging weapons include 1-handed axes, clubs, 1-handed maces, orbs, scepters, 1-handed swords, 2-handed swords wielded in one hand, throwing axes, and wands.