Alright. So it's got something to do with a graphics setting, BUT, no telling which one it is. Turning up to "ultra" mode fixes the shield patterns but performance suffers. This seems kind of odd, as the shield pattern is just like a costume pattern/weapon customization, right?
known bug. Here's one thread on it -- I only skimmed it, but it looks like some players suggest adjusting your ultra mode graphics.
If we are to die, let us die like men. -- Patrick Cleburne
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The rule is that they must be loved. --Jayne Fynes-Clinton, Death of an Abandoned Dog
Here I was hoping this would be some kind of bug where the shield would dissapear completely and animations would revert to the standard ones. 
This is odd. I pick cavalier shield or round shield (non reinforced) and try to select a pattern, and there's like, 50+ options, but they do nothing. Have tried changing different colors and patterns and completing char customization and checked in play, and nothing.