SK: 1-Hand or 2-Hand Weapons?

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Accipiter, Sep 16, 2019.

  1. Accipiter Old Timer

    Howdy,

    I've been playing EQ since about Kunark launch. I had never played an SK until Phinny. Now 4 years later he's my main tank. However, I wonder whether I should be using 1-hand or 2-hand weapons. I'm sure the damage is significantly higher with the 2 handers but in VoA era I'm giving up 1,000 HP and about 140 AC by using the 2 hander. It's hard to give that up. What's the conventional wisdom?
  2. Bobbybick Only Banned Twice

    Can you easily survive with a 2hander? If yes use the 2hander.

    You say he's the main tank though so I assume you are boxing. If you are boxing a number of characters then the DPS added from the SK alone may not be worth it. Conventionally speaking, I only ever saw SKs bring out shields when offtanking on raids and even then it was irregular. If you are doing group content and have access to raid gear I can't imagine the shield is necessary.
  3. Oakenblade Former ForumQuest Champion

    Ultimately you want both ready. Make bandolier hotbuttons for each. Naturally you always want a shield ready for deflection. If you are taking a lot of damage do sword and board. If not, do 2h. It's pretty situational. We also have to see how the next patch's change to riposte affects things. I haven't been on test to check it out.
    Accipiter likes this.
  4. Accipiter Old Timer


    Yes, I box five. I'm currently tanking VoA Tier 4 with a mix of HoT T4 group gear and VoA T3 group gear. I need all the help I can get. ;) I have all the drops for T4 VoA gear but I stopped doing progression because of this double-rare bonus. I figured it was best to grab the loot while I can and then go back to progression in a week or so.

    I think I'll just try the 2 hander for a few hours and see if I notice a difference.
  5. WaitingforMoreEQ WaitingforTBC

    If it matters Sword and board is always the correct choice, if it doesn't matter then it doesn't matter.
  6. Zipe The Healer

    Some pro shd use 2 hander during epic click because of the more dps you do the more you heal yourself. If you stack Visage of Death+epic+two handers then you get the best result from each.
    I agree on the above comments... going full nuts on 2 handers when you don't need the extra defense.
    Accipiter likes this.
  7. Religious Elder

    This is pretty spot on. If you're not taking a staggering amount of damage, using a 2hander is never really the wrong decision. More DPS means faster kills which in turn means faster EXP. If you have Visage of Death and Crimson Blade available, use them in conjunction with an epic click and a 2hander and if necessary Mantle or Carapace and you're pretty much unkillable, with exceptions such as mobs that stun you for long periods of time or slow your attack speeds. Whether you choose to use a 1hander or 2hander outside of Epic + burns comes into play is when looking at the spike damage you take. If you're consistently dropping chunks of HP, using a shield is likely advisable. If while using a 2hander, the incoming damage is more or less smooth and predictable, then continue using a 2hander.
    Accipiter likes this.
  8. Accipiter Old Timer

    Thanks, all. I'll use the 2 hander for a while and see how it goes. I just picked up the SHD-only 2hs from Sepulcher last night.