What is the best sword and shield combination in Dragon Age Origins?

What is the best sword and the best shield you can equip to your character for a great sword and shield combo?What is the best sword and shield combination in Dragon Age Origins?
There isn't necessarily a "best" sword or shield, as some have effects that work better in certain circumstances than others. However, my favorite sword is BLIGHTBLOOD, which you acquire after completing the Darkspawn Chronicles (downloadable content). The sword has these stats: 11.20 damage, 1.0 str modifier, 3.20% crit, 4.00 armor pen., 3 runes; specials: +3% melee critical chance, +2 attack, +10% backstab/critical damage, poison: venom. The damage is already high. Coupled with +6.2% critical chance and 3 rune slots adds for one nasty sword. Other swords you might want to consider are Maric's Blade, Topsider's Honor, and Starfang (longsword). For a shield, Fade wall is pretty kick butt. 6 defense, 9 missile deflection, 1.00 str. modifier, 5.63 fatigue; specials: +3 defense, +20% healing effects!, +1/+2 stamina regen in combat, +25 stamina. The shield is awesome, but I hear there is a bug that makes the healing effect not work. I'm not sure if this has been corrected. Nevertheless its still a nice shield. In any case, if you want this shield, it occasionally drops from Gaxkang's body at the end of Unbound side quest.