Back when defenders were first introduced they were a big deal because you could get attack bonuses by holding something in your other hand.

 

Today however literally every weapon has "off-hand" version meaning you can hold two weapons in one hand.

 

So is anything special about these defenders anymore?

They aren't useful because the stats just aren't competitive, as you've remarked.  I suppose they could be a nice cosmetic if you like that sort of thing but no, I can't think of any sort of utility for them.

Nope, not really useful anymore. I still have my dragon defenders though, perhaps a crystal defender will come out?

There is a discussion on the RSOF with a jmod about this:

 

http://[Use Quick Find Code]/[Please Use QuickFind Code]?379,380,988,65449021

 

By the looks of the proposed changes, it doesn't sound like defenders will see any more use than shields do now.

 

The dragon defender will only have the stats of a level 30 shield and a level 30 offhand weapon. And it will only have access to shield abilities, not dual wield abilities (WHY NOT BOTH?!)

 

They are possibly going to add more defenders, but even a level 90 defender would only be a tier 45 shield + 45 offhand weapon.

Keep the dragon defender in your bank just in case.

 

But as of now, they're in a pretty bad spot :l

I used to love my Dragon Defender. But EE is a much better option these days. I ended up throwing out my DDs. Pretty much useless after EoC. :/