Dragonknight- 2H or dual wield?

Thesiren · March 2014

I rolled a Nord Dragonknight so I know she levels up a 2H weapon 15% faster because of her racial trait, but is the damage from dual wielding much higher than a single 2H weapon? Should I level dual wielding instead?

Or are dual wielding and 2H about the same damage with equal-quality weapons (is there a big penalty for dual wield on the off-hand or something that makes it about the same as one 2H weapon anyway)?

Or can you parry with the 2H and you can't when you dual wield, making the 2H better for defense or something?

Azrael_Aedifex · March 2014

The fact that nords level up their 2H skill faster will in short mean that the 2H will at some point become stronger simply because its higher leveled
--Azrael

Darkstorn42 · March 2014

I do not know about the exact damage numbers, but I believe they do approximately the same damage, it its really flavor. Personally I like 2-H more.

Azrael_Aedifex wrote: »

The fact that nords level up their 2H skill faster will in short mean that the 2H will at some point become stronger simply because its higher leveled
--Azrael

This isn't true, the damage you deal with a weapon is based off the weapon, not your level of skill in the weapon line. Even if it was, they all max out at level 50, and the 15% isn't that significant of an increase to really design your character around.

Thesiren · March 2014

Thanks everybody! So you can unlock more skills for a weapon (say 2H if you use that) just by using it then, even though the dps itself is limited by the weapon?

jamielarzb14_ESO · March 2014

I think it all varies. I mean I have a dark elf dragonknight and I get bonus for duel wielding for a racial trait. So you might be a bit higher with the 2H and I might get mine from duel wield..its all about how you place your points as well.

poltida · March 2014

2H deals less damage but AOE splash damage, dual wield is better for single target damage

poltida · March 2014

Thesiren wrote: »

Thanks everybody! So you can unlock more skills for a weapon (say 2H if you use that) just by using it then, even though the dps itself is limited by the weapon?

in the end you will have the same skills for a weapon even if you didn't have the racial bonus, you will only get there faster with the racial bonus. you will not get more damage out of it by the racial bonus itself

Navhkrin · March 2014

Dual wield = Heavy 1 target damage, Low AoE
2H = Heavy AoE , Low 1 target

Danarchist · March 2014

Funny how I kept switching between the two in Skyrim as well...
From what I have seen looking over enchanting and itemization in later game, I think dual wield will end up being better as you can have 2 sets of stat bonuses and enchants in hand at same time. There are no separate more powerful "2 hand weapon" enchants, so a say 20 fire damage enchant will be the same on both 1h and 2h weapons. What I don't know is if the "Proc" cool down is on a per weapon timer or separate. If separate dual wield is much better.

yogarogue · March 2014

Navhkrin wrote: »

Dual wield = Heavy 1 target damage, Low AoE
2H = Heavy AoE , Low 1 target

actually, Dual wielding has more AoE than 2 hander in whirlwind and hidden blade has a morph that turns it into an aoe dmg / snare..

2 handers are all about cleave damage and don't even have an AoE attk

That being said, its becoming very difficult to choose which weapon I will be equipping. Seeing as I am rolling Dark Elf I will be focusing primarily on my magicka skills for dps / CC. While choosing a weapon primarily for the passive bonuses and utility. So for tanking my obvious choice would be 1 hand and shield for the purposes of obtaining the passives from the skill line. but for soloing/questing/dps/pvp it becomes a much harder choice.

Danarchist wrote: »

Funny how I kept switching between the two in Skyrim as well...
From what I have seen looking over enchanting and itemization in later game, I think dual wield will end up being better as you can have 2 sets of stat bonuses and enchants in hand at same time. .

2 hander has a passive that allows your enchantments to proc 100 % more at rank 2.. Dual wield does not. This may be the balancing act here.

I find Dual wield to be very quick to kill with not much utility and no real intriguing passive bonuses. It is fast and flurry hits very very hard.

2 hander offers a bit more utility in the way of charge/stuns/snares I could see it being much more appropriate for a PVP build. If you are considering using the dragonknight skill lines as your primary skills, I would almost be certain that 2 hander may be good to use due to its heavy utility. What we really want to focus on is passive skill lines in the weapon trees, are dragonknight abilities are far superior to weapon skill lines and what we really want to be taking from weapon skills is to see how the passives are balancing out our general dragonknight build..

RustyBlades · March 2014

You could also roll a stave dragon knight and go for cc.

Stautmeister · April 2014

The 2 hander execute is pretty massive though

Personally i love critical charge on my templar because it opens up my mana for class spells.

valkaneer2b14_ESO · April 2014

I am wondering where people are getting that DW does more damage than 2h? If this was true all the PvPers would not be using 2h. 2h has better burst, ranged closer back slash for massive damage. I read a pretty pretty long post on reddit and they pretty much agreed 2h is the best dps.

cazlonb16_ESO · April 2014

Burst and dps are two entirely different animals.

2h clearly has more burst, so if you're looking for a melee dps weapon in pvp it would be the default choice.

DW supposedly does better sustained damage, i.e. dps in fights lasting longer than a few seconds. I didn't do the maths, si I can't say for sure if it actually works out that way.

strelnikov · April 2014

The key are the passives.. 15% greater damage from Off -hand attacks in dual wield vs what ever the passives are for 2H weapons. They all have advantages.

You want to use dual wield with a dunmer nightblade, just as much as you want to use 2H weapon with a Nord dragonknight or sword and shield with a Redguard Templar.

I am sure with in a few weeks the Min-Max people will have the guides all drawn up and for sale.

Kyubi_3002b16_ESO · April 2014

Just a reminder that Dual wield user can heal via bloodcraze while 2h weapon user cannot heal at all unless from other source. If your a dragon knight i subjest getting the draconic magic Healing spell

CriusXD · April 2014

I'm now a Redguard Dragonknight DW.
I picked Redguard for his Stamine racials, because for the dodging and blocking.

But I don't know if I'm going to take the Ardent Flame or the Earthen Heart?
AF for the AOE damage and DOT, but the EH for the CC and Group.

thomas.manzellaub17_ESO · April 2014

I like the charge from using 2h. I don't like not having a gap closer that brings me to them. The chains are nice but doesn't feel the same.

yogarogue · April 2014

Between the two I find that 2hander is above all else in single target damage. WHAT WE WANT AS DKS IS SYNERGY BETWEEN OUR WEAPON AND CLASS SKILLS..

That being said there is absolutely no synergy within the dual wield. Look for synergy in all of your choices. Charge + lava whip does more dmg cause the opponent is stunned. This is what were looking for.

Yes Flurry does A LOT of dmg. probably hardest hitting in the weapon trees. But remember that it is a channeled attk and its morphs are practically useless with no utility.

As dragonknights we will be mostly using our magicka, the weapon trees are there as I said for synergies and also for their passives. The greatest benefit of which comes from 2hander for its utility and attractive bonuses, of which dual wield has none in my opinion. Even increased offhand wpn dmg.. Offhand weapon dmg only effects light and heavy attks which are such a small fraction of our total dmg.

So always consider synergy and passive bonuses, because we are dragonknights.. Dragon comes first. then knight. were fire breathing swordsman not swordsman who can breathe fire

JumpmanLane · May 2019

Dual wield has 2 traits say main nirn off hand sharp vs nirn 2H. 2H has a guild strength glyph. Depending on what you’re doing and whether you’re stam or mag and actually going to use the weapon skills is the real question.

However, if you’re just leveling up skill lines level them both up to 50. Who knows when ZOS will nerf or buff something.

Davadin · May 2019

Christ, u necro'd something from April 2014. somebody's excited for Elswyr!

spacebandit · May 2019

Wow a 5 year old necroed thread

Cortimi · May 2019

yogarogue wrote: »

2 handers are all about cleave damage and don't even have an AoE attk

Uhhh.... Brawler. Best melee aoe spammable in game.

Davadin · May 2019

Cortimi wrote: »

yogarogue wrote: »

2 handers are all about cleave damage and don't even have an AoE attk

Uhhh.... Brawler. Best melee aoe spammable in game.

1. that was posted March 2014.
2. Carve will be uber comes Elswyr.

Strider__Roshin · May 2019

What year is it?!

Banana · May 2019

Im feeling old

HonestGabe · May 2019

And the necro-at was never to be heard from again.....

...Until Elsweyr.