On Fri, 9 Jul 1999 RON_TALBOT@... wrote:

> Which is better; using a good shield (SBS or darkwood for
> example) or using dual wield? I'm approaching 17th and have even
> procured a Dragoon dirk in anticipation of dual wield but my friend
> feels it is more advantageous to carry my SB shield saying that the
> additions damage form the occasional (why?) second strike does not
> outweigh the defensive bonus of the shield. I end up tanking about
> half the time so this is an important question.

At L20, your dual wield should be going off about 10% of the
time. Thus if your left and right hand weapons are
equivalent, you will be doing 10% more damage.

The difference in damage ratio between a combine longsword and
a well balanced longsword is about 10%. Most people would
agree the level spread on these two weapons is about 10
levels. The difference in damage ratio between a combine
longsword and a crystalline sword (which I'm guessing is a
mid-30s weapon) is only 35%. By the time you get there, your
dual wield should be going off about 35%.

IMHO, the game is designed so small amounts of additional
damage make a large difference in overall combat. 10% may not
seem like much, but it makes a big difference.

For me, the biggest factor in ditching the shiny brass shield
was that the damn thing weighed 10 pounds.

> On another note "Elf skin gloves" !!! eeuch! Isn't that a bit
> grisly. Don't know if I could bring myself to wear them, I've
> adventured with too many elves, I would feel guilty.

Just think of them as dark elf hide gloves. :-) I mean it
comes from the same monsters who hold the troll hide belt,
so they obviously aren't friendly with the evil races.

--
John H. Kim
kim@...