Templar PVP

[GenericUser24884]

So I'm new to the game, new to being 80 and pvp, all that jazz.

I have a few questions and would like some tips if possible

First off, does shield defense (blocking) not work in pvp? I was practicing with a friend for a few fights. Shield Counter and Avenging Shield Blow never proc'd.

Also any tips to improve fighting would great. My friend is a Gladiator and I only came close to beating him one out of four fights.

[Amiteahx-KT]

Use the Provoking Roar skill, it triggers an auto block for you.

[Pikachu-KT]

you also need to swap between using Greatsword versus sword & shield as a templar. Knowing when to do so is crucial to being a good templar, and even more important now that they took away a few skills for both (stances? not sure what to call that). 

If all things equal (gear/skill), a templar should win 7-8 times out of 10 versus a glad. You are too tanky for a physical attacking dps to break through. I would recommend, as there is never a cookie cutter build to follow, to look at what stigmas you are using (an example is Holy Shield, which guarantees 10 blocks I believe). 

To tie in specifically into the matchup between you and your friend. If I were to summarize it into one basic idea, is that your damage is more bursty than his on a glad > therefore you need to time your bursts to basically offset his better dps over time. You can easily outlast him so all that it really is is getting used to the class and not giving up on it.