I've gone back and forth between 23/0/18 and 21/2/18. What i'm about to say ignores the utility of the CP build in pve as I'll only be comparing the two as pure pvp specs. With the Eliminator 4pc, 21/2/18 works as well as everyone on these forums says it does. It's a great pvp hybrid spec. It's solid, consistent damage for a tank/dps hybrid. Sometimes burst doesn't matter. If you're 1v1'ing a class who can't heal, slightly better sustained damage wins. But when you're trying to kill that pesky healer (or even a dps spec'd hybrid), on-demand burst will get the job done more often than slighlty better sustained damage. Where the 23/0/18 build shines is in it's burst potential. With the Combat Tech 4pc, i concede just a little sustained damage (compared to CP), but gain guaranteed burst. Rocket Punch has a ~100% crit chance with offensive cds popped. We all know burst is king in pvp. Being able to set up a kill because i have on-demand burst is what puts this build slightly ahead of the other one. The 2pc bonus is also more than just icing on the cake. Now, that said, the Combat Tech 2pc is broken. For that reason alone, i run 4pc Eliminator and a 21/2/18 build. 23/0/18 just isn't as viable without the ability to utilize the Combat Tech set. Both specs are fantastic imo and the difference between the two is pretty marginal, but a working Combat Tech set will push the 23/0/18 build slightly ahead of the 21/2/18 build for me personally.

You have 2 basic build options if you're looking to pvp as a shield tech. Search these forums for "Iron Fist" and "Carolina Parakeet." There's more than enough info on both builds that they don't need to be explained here.

If you're going to run that type of build, you should really have Hitman in it. The most common way people get those two points is by removing 1 in Shield Vents and 1 in Prototype Cylinders.

Just curious...what makes 2/3 Puncture better than 2/2 Flame Surge? Edit: Does the answer change depending on whether your pvp set grants 15% crit on RP or RS?