So with the Winter Event came a bunch of new themed items which look pretty dope IMO. But among them are the sword and the shields which are very special.
Both the sword and the shield come with +25 to their stats, sword +25 STR and shield +25 CON for all types. This makes a huge difference in the viability of S&S in PvE content as now it is possible to hit certain thresholds without having to compromise in other areas or lose out on damage when using your second weapon. It also allows the use of sword without a shield if you want to go that route.
AGS needs to change alll swords and shields to be like this as it honestly makes S&S feel so much better throughtout PvE content.