What's the point of shields when there's autoblock? It makes them totally irrelevant.
I agree entirely. I'm a veteran of warband -- played a ton, mediocre skill at best. I'm happy the autoblock crutch is gone, it really adds value to shields.
I've been playing a lot with two handers in bannerlords -- you feel vulnerable without the shield. I've been relying on dodge as my primary defense, but I have landed single correct parries and then countered, its very rewarding when you get it right.
I don't like people that argue about making single player games more difficult to keep it challenging for the elite players without an option to keep it normal for everyone else. I don't think that's the case here though: I think no auto-block is the best way to balance the value of a shield, and it feels like the right kind of intuitive balance.