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Best weapons for dual wielding

Discussion in 'BG2: Throne of Bhaal (Classic)' started by sarevok66, Dec 16, 2010.

  1. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    what is your favorite weapon combo ?

    right now my solo barb is wielding crom faeyr and celestial fury, but they will soon prove to be obsolete for the TOB boss fights, i'm looking forward to him dual wielding runehammer +5 and hindo's doom +4, i think the bonus they provide is just what you want

    do you think of a better combination ?
     
  2. Ragusa

    Ragusa Eternal Halfling Paladin Veteran

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    Shortswords. Or daggers. But probably the former.

    As for dualing a hammer and a katana/waki ... I don't know. It seems ... wrong, just like dualing Crom and C'Fury is ... wrong. Who needs that?
     
  3. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    yeah i know wielding a blade with a blunt weapon feels wrong, maybe i'll replace runehammer by spectral brand or another curved sword

    as for dual wielding short swords, i'll leave that to rogues

    the good thing with the barb is that the fact he cant specialize makes him proeficient in a lot of different weapon types
     
  4. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I agree with Ragusa. I'm big on role-playing with these kinds of games (RPG...what?) so I try to be as realistic as possible. And there's just no way a fighter could be effective with a warhammer and a katana in each hand. Besides, it just looks stupid.

    So I try to combine weapons that are a more natural fit. Axes with Hammers, Longswords with Shortswords, Shortswords with Daggers, Longswords with Daggers, Clubs with Maces, Katanas with Scimitars/Wakizashis, Flails with Maces. Flails with Hammers is one of the more awkward combos, but it works.

    That's if you combine weapon types. Pairing 2 of the same type always works fine.

    It's also important to bear in mind that no matter what the off-hand weapon is, you'll only get 1 attack per round with it (the way BG2 dual-wielding works), so it's often a good idea to select as your off-hand weapon something that provides a non-damage benefit. The most popular benefit being Crom Fayr for its strength bonus (the weapon damage on its own is unremarkable).
     
  5. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    well i dont really need the strength bonus crom faeyr provides anymore, as my barb is now at str 21 (given in hell), and since rage mode gives +4 in str you do the math....

    hey but neither of you answered the real question: which is the deadliest weapon combo (specific weapons) ? :p
     
  6. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Oh. I thought the real question was favorite, not deadliest. Deadliest is probably Flail of Ages (it gets nice upgrades in ToB) and Crom Feyr. But since you don't need Crom...

    I guess that depends on your playing style. There are plenty of deadly one-handers in BG2. Anthing plus Belm will get you an extra attack. Kundane is better, since it's an extra attack plus a 0 speed factor. Anything plus Crom (as discussed) will get you +25 strength. The Equalizer's bonuses to hit and damage (I just recently found out) apply to all weapons, so it's a great off-hander.

    So think of the off-hand weapon as the accent to your main-hand weapon, which will be doing the majority of your fighting. The Axe of the Unyielding is outstanding when upgraded. Same with the Flail of Ages (one of the best in the game overall, and is a mad man when upgraded in ToB). There's also Foebane (bastard), Angurvadal (longsword), Spectral Brand (scimitar) and Storm Star (mace) that make kick-ass main-handers. Celestial Fury is great for SoA, but as it's only +3 can't pass muster in ToB, making katanas (regretfully) a bad long-term investment.

    As your character is a barbarian (excellent choice, btw), I recommend axes, flails and hammers. Some excellent throwing axes so you have a ranged option. You will also have a ton of variety, as there are a lot of flails and axes in the game.

    EDIT: And among those, specific combos would be Axe of Unyelding (main hand) with Crom Feyr (because +25 is better than +21, and you aren't always raging). Still, since you don't want to make your rage obsolete, I recommend Flail of Ages in the off-hand, especially for the bonuses. That's end-game, however. For early game, both the Stonefire (+3, +2 fire) and Frostreaver (+3, +1 cold, +1 acid) are cheap and available very early on. As is the original Flail of Ages. Just for the extra attack, early game I would stick Belm or Kundane in the off-hand (a single point in their respective proficiency, just to avoid the attack hit, will suffice).
     
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2010
  7. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    thanks for your answer, Death Rabbit

    damn i didn't put any point in flails nor did i care to assemble the flail of ages, and i didn't know about Belm either, thats regrettable as it would have made a neat off-hand weapon, but now i'm in TOB its too late :(

    right now i'm looting watcher's keep, and i'm a bit sorry to say that crom still is my main weapon, with celestial fury as off-hand blade

    its too bad the upgrades can only be made very late in the game (like hindo's hand being in abazigal's lair....)

    as for stonefire and frostreaver they were great in the begining now they're completely obsolete except for the few trolls remaining in the keep
     
  8. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    If I were you, I would switch Crom and Celestial Fury immediately. There's absolutely no reason to have Celestial in the off-hand, with it's chance to stun. At this point you likely have 5 attacks per round, so only one of those attacks has a chance to stun. With Crom in the off-hand you get its benefit regardless, and having 4 of 5 attacks with a chance to stun (plus the lightening chance) is much, much better than the small amount of extra base damage you're doing with Crom in the main hand.

    What are your character stats right now? Give me your attributes, proficiencies, level and current equipment.
     
  9. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    alright here it goes:

    stats:
    lvl 40
    STR 21
    DEX 18
    CON 20

    AC -10 (average)
    228 HP

    proficiencies:
    bastard sword ++
    katana ++
    axe ++
    long sword ++
    single weapon ++
    dual wielding ++
    sword and shield +

    equipment
    crimson chain +5
    gauntlets of extraordinary specialization (dont have them yet, but its in the keep)
    helm of the rock
    amulet of seldarim
    cloak of displacement
    boots of speed
    belt of inertial barrier
    ring of gaxx
    ring of earth control (for ac bonus)

    and as for main hand weapons:
    yamato, usuno, celestial

    off hand:
    crom
    Saving Grace (-4 AC) looking forward to get shield of the order

    voila.... i think all this works pretty good
     
  10. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Didn't realize you already had the longsword proficiency. In that case, here are the combos I would recommend for you at this point in the game (main hand / off hand):

    The Answerer +4 / The Equalizer (main benefit: each hit lowers enemy defense, and the equalizer will ensure that you hit with every swing)

    Axe of the Unyielding +5 / Kundane or Belm (main benefit: that extra attack per round is another chance for you get AoU's 10% to instantly kill the foe in 1 hit)

    Axe of Unyielding / Crom Feyr (stated above)

    You've got the best body armor available to you, so you're good there. You'll get the component you need to upgrade the Axe of Unyielding at Yaga Shura's place, too.
     
  11. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    i dont have the answerer and didnt assemble the equalizer parts

    i dont have short sword proficiency so i didnt care to get kundane, and i missed out on belm

    so i'll go for the axe of unyielding / crom combination, although i would have prefered to make him wield curved blades, its looks cooler

    anyway thanks for your help

    ---------- Added 0 hours, 18 minutes and 34 seconds later... ----------

    hey, terrible bug in watcher's keep: i lost all of my gold !! :mad:
     
  12. Silverstar Gems: 31/31
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    Heh, I don't think it is a bug. I think one of your spellcasters was unlucky in one of the wild magic rooms and a resultant wild surge ate up your gold. :) Just a thought. I chuckle each time it happens:the cost of the fun wild magic. :D

    By the by, DeathRabbit has given excellent advice about your question. I was a fan of dual wielding as well (blame the Drizzt fan-boy in me :) ) in my old games, and have shamelessly used some obscene combos such as Crom Faeyr+5 and Sanchuudoku+4 (an extremely powerful and cheesy but fun to use katana added by the tactics mod) and very much enjoyed it. But in my current game I tried single weapon style and I am positively surprised by the extra number of critical hits it gives, it really shows and I like to deal much more criticals more frequently. :thumb:
     
  13. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    i dont have spellcasters, i'm soloing with a barbarian !! how could this have happened ? :o


    why would you deal more critical blows ? i never read anything about that in the rules (not that i ever read the rules :p )
     
  14. Blades of Vanatar

    Blades of Vanatar Vanatar will rise again Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I thought it was 2-hand style that increased your Crit chance?
     
  15. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    gosh i've just killed Y'tossi and i found out that my barbarian cannot use gauntlets of extraordinary expertise !! :(

    all this for naught :mad:

    EDIT: faced demogorgon.... it was a slaughter, for my character unfortunately, i doubt he'll be able to face amelissan
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2010
  16. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Single-weapon style does 3 things: increases your thac0 (I'm pretty sure), adds 2 AC (to compensate for the lack of shield) and increases your critical chance the same way extra proficiency in 2-handed weapon style does for 2-handers. In terms of added benefits, it's definitely the best weapon style to invest in, but most people don't because few want to limit their character to fighting with only 1 hand. This is an excellent style for Kensai, and damn-near essential for backstabbing Thieves (who aren't already dual-wielding, of course).

    Sword and shield style is generally regarded as the worst.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2010
  17. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    i think its ugly and unclassy but i dont know if its the worst.... think about it, some shields give you -5 AC, thats huge
     
  18. Death Rabbit

    Death Rabbit Straight, no chaser Adored Veteran Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    But you don't need to invest points in "sword and shield style" to get that +5 AC benefit, which is what I was saying. You don't need any proficiency or style to use a shield at all. All the style gives you is added AC vs. missile weapons, which are pretty rare in BG2. It's a waste of precious proficiency points that would be better spent on a weapon or one of the other 3 (better) styles.
     
  19. sarevok66 Gems: 9/31
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    hey axe of unyielding is boss, just too bad its beheading ability doesnt work on dragons.... i had a hard time with draconis, but the beast now lays dead

    yet i'm wondering if runehammer isnt better
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2010
  20. Marceror

    Marceror Chaos Shall Be Sown In Their Footsteps Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!) BoM XenForo Migration Contributor [2015] (for helping support the migration to new forum software!)

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    I agree with that ability not working on dragons. Dragons aren't meant to be killed so easily, especially not one as powerful as Draconis.

    And, well, he lays dead, so you didn't need such a cheesy kill tactic anyway. :thumb:
     
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