Main-hand / One-hand

[Rhyth]

Can I still use a shield with a main hand weapon as supposed to a one-handed one? sorry if I'm being a numptey here

[LWA]

Not really sure what you are asking here?

Possibilites are:

One handed weapon and a shield
Two Handed weapon (no shield)
2 x One handed weapons (no shield)

[Rhyth]

Some weapons are one-handed and some come under the main-hand category, I just wondered if there was a difference. I haven’t had a main hand weapon yet so I've been unable to try a shield with one. Presumably as long as it's not two-handed you should be able to wield a shield?

[Dooms]

yes

[Paul Adams]

The difference is a one-handed weapon can be used in either hand, and a main-hand weapon can only be used in the primary hand.

This comes into play when dual-wielding melee weapons.
You can wield 2 one-hand weapons, or a main-hand weapon and a one-hand weapon - but not 2 main-hand weapons.

The hand that a weapon is in can make a difference for rogues too (not sure about other classes) - you can't backstab or ambush with a dagger in your secondary hand and another type of weapon in your main hand, for example.

I use a dagger (primary) and sword (secondary) when sneaking and ambushing targets, then switch to dual-wield swords (both one-hand) for higher DPS during combat.

[ERU]

Whilst on the topic what peoples thought on duel wielding? I've heard a few people say there is no point to it. But as i'm a rogue i am VERY tempted by it. What the the pro/cons of it?

[Dooms]

in DAOC dual weilding was said to be pointless however i havnt heard the same from wow? I may be wrong but hell, my rouge is using it!

[Mblaster]

Whilst on the topic what peoples thought on duel wielding? I've heard a few people say there is no point to it. But as i'm a rogue i am VERY tempted by it. What the the pro/cons of it?

As a rogue dual wield is a definate yes, but as a warrior a one handed weapon/shield or two-handed weapon is a better option.

Pros: Theoretical double DPS (overall DPS is higher but not double)
Faster weapon speed (as you have two of them)

Cons:Higher miss rate (reason for 'theoretical')

[Butcher]

DPS of dual wield should be about the same as a two-hander, or roughly 120% of one-handed DPS according to blizzard. That's why you see the huge missrate of dual wield - to stop the DPS being over the top.

[Paul Adams]

"It depends" - good answer, eh?

I look at it like this - if your class is capable of dual-wielding fast, light weapons or handling a heavy, slow 2-handed weapon, or a 1-handed weapon plus a shield - use them to their advantage depending on your enemy.

If you are fighting things with low health and armour that need to or can be droppeed quickly, then dual-wield is best - a good example of this is magic casters.
Your fast attack means that even if they miss often and do little damage, you still get to take them down a little quicker than a slower, heavier weapon because the misses are less vital - plus you get to interrupt the caster more often and take less damage.

If you are fighting an enemy with lots of health or heavy armour, but you can evade/deflet/parry them often then you can lumberjack away with an axe the size of a small house - but this might not be as useful if you have multiple enemies on you.

If your enemy has a high attack power, then you may need the extra blocking power of a shield, if your class can use one - then you become the famous "tank" and you soak up the damage.


For a rogue, we don't get the option of shields, plus some specials rely on daggers, and we get to apply different poisons to different blades - so to use anything other than dual-wield is silly.

My girlfriend plays a paladin and never comes out from behind her shield, she tanks and heals.

Not played a warrior class yet to know how they play.

[Geist]

iv bn using a 1h+s for most of the time switching out to 2h to keep the skills up mainly. If im not being targeted tho i'll switch to the 2h for the extra dam. im doing about 20dps with the 1h atm and about 25dps with the 2h. both need to be upgraded anyway but I think i'll miss the armour from the shield to much to use dw or 2h more often.

What you have to remember is that the off hand weapon wil deal %50 off its tooltip dps.

[ERU]

Now i'm totaly at odds whether to use DW
I think i'll try my Rogue with a sword (when i get the ability) in his main hand and a dagger in his secondary for a bit tho.

[Mblaster]

With a rogue dual wield is pretty much the only sensible option, as you can't use shields, or any two-handed weapons (i think).