What is dual-wielding?
Dual-wielding refers to using a weapon in each hand in combat. This technique allows a character to attack with both hands simultaneously, potentially doubling their damage output. In video games, players can often equip a weapon or spell in each hand if the gameplay allows for dual-wielding.
Some key points about dual-wielding in games:
– Wielding two one-handed weapons, such as swords, daggers, or pistols. This allows for quick successive attacks.
– Wielding a one-handed weapon along with a spell or shield in the other hand. This provides a balance of offense and defense.
– Requires special skills/abilities/feats to be effective, as fighting with two weapons is more difficult.
– Attack speed may be increased compared to using a two-handed weapon.
– Often cannot utilize shields or two-handed weapons when dual-wielding.
– Makes it possible to combine different weapon/damage types for unique attack strategies.
The pros of dual-wielding
So what exactly are the advantages of dual-wielding in games? Here are some of the major pros:
– **Higher potential DPS (damage per second)** – With two weapons, you can strike more frequently and dish out more punishment. This can be especially useful against tough bosses or difficult encounters where you need to end the fight quickly.
– **Use two different weapon types** – Perhaps you want to use a sword and a dagger, or an axe and a mace. Dual-wielding allows you to mix and match weapon types to take advantage of their unique properties and abilities.
– **Stack abilities/effects** – Some weapon enchantments or combat abilities only activate on hits. With two weapons, you have more chances to trigger these extra effects.
– **Hit multiple targets** – Against groups of weaker enemies, dual-wielding may allow you to attack more targets at once with your flurries of swings.
– **Looks cool!** – Let’s be honest, running around whirling two weapons just looks awesome. It adds to that fantasy combat power trip.
Many players simply enjoy the heightened ferocity and kinetic action of striking foes with two blades or clubs at the same time. It feels more adrenaline-fueled and vicious than calmly swinging a two-handed greatsword.
DPS
When it comes to dishing out damage against tough foes, dual-wielding can definitely help ratchet up your DPS. You have twice as many opportunities to strike, keeping the heat on the enemy. This is especially useful against bosses with small windows of vulnerability or targets that have damaging area attacks you want to avoid. The more attacks you can cram in, the faster you can seize strategic openings to whittle down their health. Dual-wielding is all about furious flurries of harm.
Multi-target
While single two-handed weapons may strike in wide arcs that can hit multiple enemies, dual-wielding takes this concept to the next level. With a weapon thrashing independently in each hand, you can spread the love around even more to crowds of hostiles. Few things are as satisfying as becoming a whirlwind of steel, slicing and dicing through waves of foes unabated. It evokes the classic image of a warrior becoming a blur of dazzling slashes and lethal strikes.
The cons of dual-wielding
However, dual-wielding also comes with some distinct disadvantages and limitations compared to two-handed fighting styles:
– **No shield/off-hand benefits** – Tying up both hands in weapons means you lose the advantages of shields and other off-hand items. This can leave you more vulnerable.
– **Stat investment required** – You often need to spend points in specific skills or attributes to dual-wield effectively. This diverts resources from other areas.
– **Decreased damage per strike** – With lighter faster weapons, your individual attacks may not hit as hard as a solid two-handed weapon blow.
– **Lower accuracy/hit chance** – Trying to control two swinging weapons makes it harder to strike precisely. Whiffs and glancing blows occur more often.
– **Less flexibility** – Typically you cannot swap weapons or utilize two-handed weapons while dual-wielding. This limits your options in combat.
– **Higher stamina/mana drain** – All those extra attacks burn through your stamina/mana pools quicker, requiring more management.
While the damage numbers may seem very high on paper, in practice dual-wielding takes finesse and accepts certain drawbacks to achieve its maximum potential. Let’s look closer at some of the notable cons.
No shields/off-hands
One of the biggest sacrifices dual-wielding requires is losing access to shielded protection or useful off-hand items, such as magic wands. Without a shield absorbing blows or providing bonus stats, you may find yourself getting hit more often or missing out on buffs. Certain classes rely heavily on shields both for defense and even bashing enemies. Going dual-wield can leave these classes exposed.
You also lose access to the extended benefits granted by specialized off-hand objects. A glowing orb that debuffs enemies or a tome that boosts magic find cannot be used if both hands are occupied. These opportunity costs must be weighed carefully.
Accuracy and glancing blows
Trying to manage two independent weapons through all their arcs and angles of attack is naturally more challenging than controlling just one. This often leads to sacrificed accuracy and precision. Players may experience more missed swings, close calls barely grazing the target, orslices only lightly scratching instead of cutting deep. These glancing blows mean less damage and harm inflicted per strike on average.
What you gain in number of attacks, you may lose in tightly honed efficiency per strike. Missing with both weapons or having both barely connect feels far worse than one solid two-handed slam. This trade-off must be factored in when choosing a fighting style.
When is dual-wielding optimal?
So when should you actually consider dual-wielding for your character build and combat strategy? Here are some key scenarios where it shines:
– Your class kit revolves around dual-wielding with skills to augment it (e.g. Assassin, Bandit, Swashbuckler archetypes)
– Against bosses/enemies with short windows of vulnerability or immunity phases
– Fighting large groups of weak mobs that die quickly
– You need to stack various weapon proc effects or ability triggers
– High single target DPS is essential (and you have the stats to back it up)
– You want to attack with different damage or elemental types
– Your playstyle favors high-octane flurries of attacks over slow powerful hits
Specific class builds and skills
Some RPG classes like Thieves, Ninjas, and Swashbucklers are built from the ground up to enable dual-wielding with their class kits. They get bonuses to hit chance, off-hand damage,procs, critical strikes, and abilities to enhance the dual-wielding playstyle. If you really want to dual-wield effectively, choosing one of these specialised classes makes a huge difference compared to others lacking dual-wield mastery. Investing in their dual-wield talents turns you into a whirlwind of steel.
Need for speed
Fast hard-hitting enemies that are only open to damage at brief predetermined intervals are tailor-made for dual-wielding’s rapid barrage of blows. Against these adversaries, packing the most attacks possible into tiny vulnerable windows can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Two weapons striking multiple times in the blink of an eye can often out-damage a single slow two-handed swing. Timing your onslaught properly lets you capitalize on their brief weakness.
Dual-wielding tactics and strategies
If you decide to pick up two weapons and embrace dual-wielding, keep these tactics and strategies in mind to maximize your potential:
– Prioritize stats like Dexterity and Critical Hit Chance to improve accuracy/DPS
– Choose faster weapon types to really unleash frenzied flurries of attacks
– Take advantage of skills/talents that boost dual-wielding damage
– Use enchantments or poisons to make each connecting hit count more
– Don’t neglect Defense – you lose the protection of a shield
– Carry different weapon types to exploit enemy weaknesses
– Manage your stamina carefully – dual-wielding burns through it quickly
– Use mobility to your advantage and don’t get surrounded or cornered
– Look for openings to get in close and unleash both barrels
– Against groups, use sweeping circular attacks to hit multiple targets
Enchantments and poisons
Since each strike while dual-wielding does less damage individually compared to slow two-handed weapons, you need to supernaturally enhance your hits for maximum impact. Effects like flaming swords, icy frost brands, armor-piercing tips, and poisons all stack damage on top of your natural weapon damage.
Every extra point of damage gets multiplied by the number of times you can swing your two weapons in a short window. This compounds your DPS exponentially. Even small amounts of added elemental or poison damage sum to big totals. Enchanting and poisoning are highly recommended to boost dual-wielding’s already high damage ceiling even further against tough foes.
Mobility and defense
Dual blades may strike quick as a viper, but getting surrounded or cornered leaves you unable to dodge and vulnerable. Don’t let groups of enemies pin you down in one place. Keep moving and use hit-and-run tactics to your advantage. Duck, dip, dive, and dodge to deny foes their weight of numbers against you.
You can’t block hits as easily without a shield either, so prioritize not getting hit over mitigating hits. Light armor augmented bystats or enchantments keeps you nimble and harder to strike. Fighting smart is just as important as striking hard for dual-wield success.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, dual-wielding allows adrenaline-junkie players to unleash their inner whirling dervish, striking with a storm of steel. The playstyle rewards aggressive relentless assault, shredding enemies with a flurry of blows. However, it sacrifices some raw damage and defense compared to slower, sturdier two-handed weapons. Smart stat investment, choice of targets, and precise timing of attacks are required to truly dominate while dual-wielding.
In the right circumstances dual-wielding undoubtedly out-damages other options by wide margins. But it also comes with inherent trade-offs to balance out its furious offense. For players craving raw kinetic action and non-stop flurries of steel-on-steel, dual-wielding is a thrill ride. Just be ready to accept the risks and challenges that come with such lethal flash and perfectionist blade-work!