Sword+Shield vs Sword+Dagger (with parrying blade modal)

[Tomice]

Hi! Could someone who played the beta please clarify something for me, so I know which weapon specialization to take next week?

 

Adding a shield in the off-hand adds 4 deflection (or more at the cost of accuracy).

A dagger in the off-hand may give 10 deflection in melee with the "parrying blade" modal (at the price of 25% dagger damage; according to the wiki).

 

What about equipping a saber/sword/whatever in the main hand and adding a dagger? The drawback from parrying blade would only apply to the off-hand, or so I guess? Isn't this combo much better than a shield, then? Also, may I use two different melee modals at the same time?

 

[dunehunter]

Hi! Could someone who played the beta please clarify something for me, so I know which weapon specialization to take next week?

 

Adding a shield in the off-hand adds 4 deflection (or more at the cost of accuracy).

A dagger in the off-hand may give 10 deflection in melee with the "parrying blade" modal (at the price of 25% dagger damage; according to the wiki).

 

What about equipping a saber/sword/whatever in the main hand and adding a dagger? The drawback from parrying blade would only apply to the off-hand, or so I guess? Isn't this combo much better than a shield, then? Also, may I use two different melee modals at the same time?

 

Dagger deflection bonus doesn't apply to ranged attack.

 

Medium shield as a modal to resist 30% of incoming weapon attack(completely block). Also weapon/shield style raise reflective defense. 

 

But currently every level of shield enchantment only gives u additional +1 deflection, so fine medium shield would be +8 + 1 deflection.  So yeah I do prefer dagger to shield.

[Boeroer]

Doesn't Weapon and Shield Style give you additional 6 deflection with any shield (plus the same bonus as to deflection to reflex)?

[omgFIREBALLS]

Doesn't Weapon and Shield Style give you additional 6 deflection with any shield (plus the same bonus as to deflection to reflex)?

So sayeth the tooltips. I'm wondering though, who has this parrying blade modal?

[Boeroer]

What do you mean? Everybody who has the dagger proficiency and uses a dagger.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Boeroer

[omgFIREBALLS]

Oh. Ohh. OHHH. I see weapon proficiencies have gotten a lot more interesting.

[Boeroer]

Sorry, I thought you were a "beta guy".

[fortuntek]

I also prefer weapon and dagger. I don't think what you lose in deflection (except melee) is anywhere close to as valuable as the offensive benefit of having two weapons, especially on characters with Full Attack abilities

 

That dagger still does a very respectable amount of damage in my testing even with the -25% damage on the modal, plus you can just turn it off.

[Boeroer]

Yes, it's pretty nice as long as you don't use two daggers.

[TheDogProfessor]

This is how I'm planning on running Eder. A swashbucklering thug with Saber and dagger or maybe a hatchet.

 

EDIT: What's the hatchet modal?

Edited May 5, 2018 by TheDogProfessor

[Tommy1984]

EDIT: What's the hatchet modal?

 

An enemy you hit gets an -10 accuracy debuff for 10 seconds, but you do -25% damage with Hatchets.

 

So in a 1-on-1 fight a hatchet gives basically +13 deflection after hitting the enemy (3 from weapon, 10 from accuracy debuff). Dual wielding hatchet and dagger with both modals gives you even more deflection.

[fortuntek]

I was disappointed that hatchet was nerfed from +5 deflection to +3 (melee only), just out of curiosity does anyone know if it stacks for dual wielding hatchets?

[Takolin]

Shields also add an engagement slot and there might be some high level shields who're worth equipping (as a tank).

But it's a choice between more offence (dagger in OH+modal + 2 weapon style talent) vs more defence (Shield in OH + weapon and shield style).

 

If you're going for an unbroken fighter or shieldbearer paladin, shields are pretty much a given considering the extra bonus those classes give if you equip one.

Pity I can't spec Eder as an unbroken.

[Tomice]

Thank you for your helpful answers!

 

I'm still torn, for my planned squishy mindstalker, the bonus from "sword&shield style" seems very appealing. Then again, offense is the best defense... 

 

 Dual wielding hatchet and dagger with both modals gives you even more deflection.

 

Weird when you think about in reality