Bow is needed only to hit light and hvy attacks for range.

With duel weild, you get a full strength nirn+ either 3.5% crit or 1376 pen from sharpened, not to mention the extra 5% crit from at least one dagger, which is the meta, dagger/ax. That is why dual wield.

Swapped to 2h and haven’t looked back. Have had 90k crits from executioner in last few %. Pretty much the same dps, minus 1-2k on 3mil. I think swapping from sharpened to precise axe will help, but still farming transmutes.

Pretty sure 2H and DW are pretty much even in terms of single target dps depending on the class and setup I've seen with DPS parses this patch.

For simplicity sake, compare Wrecking Blow to Rapid Strikes and Executioner/Reverse Slice to Whirling Blades with the assumption that the end result is close to the same dps. What you find is 2H offers greater sustain and more splash damage.

Wrecking Blow:

• 2700 Cost
• Cast Time
• Buffs Light attack damage, synergy with 2H passive "Forceful" aka even more splash damage.

Forceful passive: Your Light and Heavy Attacks damage up to 3 other nearby enemies for 50% of the damage inflicted to the primary target.

Battle Rush passive: Increases your Stamina Recovery by 30% for 10 seconds after killing a target.

Rapid Strikes:

• 2700 Cost
• Channel (damage over time, litte more reliable)
• No aoe interaction.

Executioner/Reverse Slice:

• 2160 Cost
• Instant
• Even if you choose executioner, light attacks still provide some splash dmg. Reverse Slice is not too far behind in execute damage for the additional splash, but it will put your dps slightly behind the Whirling Blade + Rapid Strikes for single target.
• Reverse Slice aoe 5m radius
• 455 dmg * 4 = 1820
• 455 dmg * 5 = 2275

Whirling Blade:

• 3510 Cost (Huge)
• Instant
• 6m radius
• 705 * 2 = 1410

It comes down to preference. In my view, 2H = more sustain/spash damage. DW = slightly more dps, depending on the class.

Stam Sorc's for example should really consider switching to 2H. Your light attacks are already being buffed by 10%, add 40% empower + splash damage on light attacks. Also consider, Stam Sorc's sustain is tied to the highest Stam Regen modifier of any class with 20% and -6% cost. Meta is already Orc + Tri/Quad drink for +300 stam regen. 2H will give constant +30% Stam regen. This really highlights for me why I think Redguard is so underwhelming, cost reduction is tied to weapon abilities which are used less often with Bound Armaments being introduced. Cost is also multiplicative with other cost reduction making it weaker the more you stack it.

I really have a hard time thinking of a single class that Redguard is BIS on. It use to be Stam Sorc and Stam DK, but both have more class identity now so less utility out of the Weapon Cost reduction. Lastly, I find it much better to have higher regen then cost reduction because you can recover to full in combat break phases where Redguard only gets additional sustain within combat.

Edit: Tooltips based on eso-skillbook.com which I found is the most up to date. The cost does not include -15% cost via weapon line passives.