The quick switching seems to have not been the intended use of the perk. That makes sense and it’s an appropriate nerf then. It doesn’t seem to add much to your adaptability now, though. Although I could be overlooking something. How do you guys use it?
Taunt I can see having some use that we haven’t seen yet, like it is with Fortified Mind. I’m cautious about recommending a buff, since it has the potential to be very powerful for a tier 1 perk.
Shield Bash I’m having trouble picturing as gaining a niche. The slight damage increase is simple not worth a perk point. The damage would only matter if the enemy is close to dying, in which case you might as well just hit them. Stun is still the most fitting thematically, but as noted before that might make it too powerful and infringe on other means of stunning. It would probably make it a must-have for shield users.
Some ideas:
– Give it stun. Make it a defence tier 2 perk that replaces of Nine Lives. Make Nine Lives an utility tier 1 perk. Important to note that I’ve personally never had Nine Lives make a difference when it actually triggered, so I’m not sure if it’s too powerful for tier 1.
– Give it an accuracy bonus so that you can use shield bash more reliably. Have it do a bit more damage.
– Replace it with another perk
