It's funny because I look at it in the opposite way. I don't see shields as being particularly amazing, for me warriors tend to do very well against physical attacks as it is, it's elemental attacks that are a problem for a significant part of the game. The only reason I'm using shields is because I have to use single-handed weapons due to how tight the attribute spread is for a battle mage and it doesn't cost you anything to equip a shields at that point. There is also the added benefit of the shield being another enchanted item too, which can help when you're spread so thin on attributes.
I'm tempted to play around with spears too, as they also seem to have low'ish strength requirements. For kicks next playthrough I'm leaning towards a water elemental sword and board, a fire spearmen, a lightning rogue and an earth archer.
