armor for pvp…
for pve, depends what you do and in what region- want bigger/ more sustainable tank with better drone tracking/ speed? -armor. Or if npc’s do mainly em-thermal dmg. Would need to waste slots plugging the shield em hole while armor base value is already 50%
Want more raw dps? shield
It has a very high native kinetic (and medium thermal/ explosive) shield resists so depending on incoming dmg type you might not need a resist mod at all, saving mid slots and negating the “armor-focus fitting layout”
Shield thorax, shield talos are a thing.
best to ignore the warning messages in fitting window and ccp’s “intended use”…, if something works (or not, but you have fun flying it) it doesn’t matter if, and what type of tank it has