Shield stat bonuses only apply when the shield is unsheathed because we don’t want non-sword & shield players wearing shields just to get the bonuses.
However, we recognize that the current implementation isn’t very intuitive and does create an imbalance compared to players who use other weapon combinations. The team responsible for this work is currently looking into solutions that would resolve both issues.
As mentioned before this is by design. We are talking about this, but an added response or any changes to what we currently have won’t be super fast. No need to keep tagging me into this unless you just need my love and attention. Which in that case, you have it. 
That screenshot is from before the November release went live I believe? If that’s the case it looks like the note was worded incorrectly, as this isn’t a bug but a design choice - we did have a bug at that time where the shield attributes didn’t work even with sword equipped, which was quickly addressed. I think that’s what the note was referencing but I’m not entirely sure.
As mentioned before, we are discussing changes to this design but there are no immediate plans to make those adjustments just yet.
I have collected, and continue to collect, the suggestions made in this post. There is a lot to consider here, but we agree something needs to change - just want to make sure we are making the right call given future changes we already have in the pipeline.
Keep the conversation going, I’ll be lurking.
Hey all, wanted to provide an update on this since it’s been a minute from my last reply. The team is actively working on this design.
While I can’t provide specific details on what is changing, I can confirm that your concerns, and suggestions, have been heard and we are working on the next iteration of this design, with changes/adjustments in progress and on the near horizon (full transparency that this will not make it into the February update).
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