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> **Possible Duplicate:**  
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> [Can I be an effective tanking Monk without a Shield at higher difficulty levels?](https://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/68519/can-i-be-an-effective-tanking-monk-without-a-shield-at-higher-difficulty-levels) 
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Currently I am a [level 39 Monk](http://us.battle.net/d3/en/calculator/monk#beXVih!cXd!bZbaZa) in the middle of Act II on Nightmare. My items and build right now are fine, but I'm starting to notice enemies getting more difficult. As of right now I run with two one-handed weapons (to proc The Guardian's Path passive skill) and the Mantra of Evasion to boost my dodge chance up to around 45%.

My dilemma is this; a friend of mine that has been playing since launch advised that I pick up a shield instead of the second weapon. This would free up a passive slot (to replace The Guardian's Path), give me more armor, and give me a chance to block...but at the cost of DPS (loss of a weapon) and dodge% (loss of The Guardian's Path proc). Dodge blocks **all** oncoming damage for that attack whereas blocking only removes X amount of damage. When I brought this up, he just told me to 'Do it and see what happens'. 

So. As I move towards the Hell and Inferno difficulties, would it be worth dropping a weapon for a shield?