Better shields now block better. Every shield takes a flat chunk off each hit before anything else, then a share of what is left, and both grow with the shield's tier, its upgrades and your Guard level. Weak hits from creatures you have outgrown are stopped completely: no damage at all.
Shields have their own guard bar instead of costing stamina, so your stamina stays free for rolling. Holding the shield up and the hits it takes drain the bar, and it refills once you lower it. A parry gives some back. If it runs dry the shield drops for 2 seconds; if a hit is more than it can take, the shield breaks (you take the full hit and are stunned briefly) and you cannot raise it for a few seconds.
Your guard no longer tires the longer you hold it.
Keep fighting behind your shield. You can attack with your weapon while your shield is raised, at reduced damage, and the shield stays up. You also move faster behind a shield than before.
Raising a weapon guard (no shield) now cancels a swing that has not landed yet, the way a roll does, so the guard comes up at once. Attacking still lowers it.
Block is now right mouse only by default. You can still bind another key in the settings.
