That’s fine, Forge Guard is awesome. It gets a significant amount of tankiness (Steel Aegis, Rallying Block, Flawless Defender, Shield Crafter) & health recovery (Regenerator) as well a damage (Retaliation). Though it does, obviously, miss out on the echoing mechanic (which is awesome).
At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’ve got a forge guard build here. Though it’s shield throw not warpath & may make your pc cry.