One-Handed, Main hand, Off hand....

[Volkov545]

I looked at a variety of weapons on the test server and I couldnt find any labled main hand or off hand, but I could wield 2 one handed weapons.. plus it seems the old one handers arnt keeping up with the now buffed old dual wield weapons (modinalathis has lower dps then infirmity or bloodspiller) basically I'm really confused, whats going on?

[jadsded]

Typically they don't always change the entire database of weapons during the test phase, or worry about them having the exact stats they want for the live environment.  I guessing this is due to the time of being that exhaustive would take just for testing.  I'm guessing that they will look at where weapons currently "rank" and make the final adjustments for the push to live.I know that when I do stuff for my job in our test environment, I don't worry about fixing every little detail since I will make those changes to live and eventually they will be copied down into test.  As long as they have a sampling of data they can correctly make changes before the push to live.  If you see disparities between 1hs and former dws I wouldn't freak out, but I would keep an eye on it once it is moved.  If things are still out of whack, /feedback.  In fact it wouldn't hurt to /feedback in test as well as this forum./disclaimer - I have no inside knowledge.  I'm just responding from what I have seen in the past and drawing from personal experience.

[Paddyo]

Alot of the fabled one handers you could buy and test on the PVP server when the guy was selling them were main hand specified.  I don't understand what the Off hand spec is for....in what case would a one hander or former dual weild weapon be specified that it can only be equipped off hand?  Has anyone seen one to shed some light?

[Necodem]

<p>Main Hand = Primary slot only</p><p>Off Hand =  Secondary slot only ( but didn't saw any for now )</p><p>1 Handed = Primary or Secondary slot</p>

[NiteWolfe]

<cite>Darkhain@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Main Hand = Primary slot only</p><p>Off Hand =  Secondary slot only ( but didn't saw any for now )</p><p>1 Handed = Primary or Secondary slot</p></blockquote> So with them adding those tags. we are pretty much back to where we started with DW. Just with higher damage ratings and more delay

[Geothe]

<p>except that it is only a rare few weapons that are actually specified as "main hand"</p><p>and, that doesn't prevent you from still wielding another weapon in the offhand.</p><p>So no, it isn't even close to being "back to where we started with DW"</p><p>There are just a few controls, preventing DW CCM and Cheldraks Shard and stuff like that, since both are "main hand" only</p>

[desquoorl]

I haven't seen any 'Off hand' designations either. The 'Main Hand' is only on the uber weapons such as the Folded Scale Blade, Chel'draks Shard, etc., probably so that they can put in really amazing Main Hand weapons without worrying about people becoming overpowered wielding two.

[Willias]

<cite>NiteWolfe wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Darkhain@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Main Hand = Primary slot only</p><p>Off Hand =  Secondary slot only ( but didn't saw any for now )</p><p>1 Handed = Primary or Secondary slot</p></blockquote> So with them adding those tags. we are pretty much back to where we started with DW. Just with higher damage ratings and more delay</blockquote>Actually, it's pretty much the exact same as EQ1's dual wield system.Most weapons can be equipped in either hand, but some really powerful weapons can only be equipped in a certain slot.

[Volkov545]

so.... all "one hand" designations (basically all items... cept a few rare main hands) can be used in either slot no matter if you have an "offhand" or "mainhand" weap equiped?

[Geothe]

<p>Yes</p><p>Any non-two hander weapon can be DWed now.</p><p>Just a select few of them are designated as main hand only, and supposedly offhand only, but I haven't seen one of them yet.</p>

[FaeDesi]

<p>Also keep in mind this change is primarily to simplify itemization.</p><p> Since they do'nt routinely reitemize in this game except to tweak a few things now and again, I would expect to see much more slot-centric items coming out of RoK as well as better one handers in general.</p>

[Willias]

I think it's been said that in RoK, all epic weapons will be 1-handed.

[EvilIguana9]

<cite>NiteWolfe wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Darkhain@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Main Hand = Primary slot only</p><p>Off Hand =  Secondary slot only ( but didn't saw any for now )</p><p>1 Handed = Primary or Secondary slot</p></blockquote> So with them adding those tags. we are pretty much back to where we started with DW. Just with higher damage ratings and more delay</blockquote>That was my thought at first, but the reality is that the restrictions are now a rare find rather than a feature of every item, which means they've pretty much achieved their goal of giving people more options and simplifying itemization.  I'm just not sold on the idea that there is any need for the main hand or off hand designators.  The ratio of how much damage you get dual wielding versus single is set at what they feel is balanced.  If a weapon is unbalanced for one it's unbalanced for the other.  And I see little means by which those prim/sec only designations would solve the problem.  The one area I can foresee problems is weapons with buffs that affect both hands, like the grim brimstone hammer that has an 11% double attack chance.  When used alone, that DA is made up for by a lower damage ratio than other weapons of comparable quality.  But if you are duel wielding, both weapons get that 11% DA, making the buff worth significantly more than it would be if it only affected a single weapon.  But this is not solved by making the weapon primary only.  It's lore so you won't have more than one in the first place, although I guess you are prevented from using 2 different overpowered items if they are both primary only.  The best solution, in my opinion, is to solve these conflicts at the source: by making items right in the first place.

[EvilIguana9]

<cite>Willias@Unrest wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>NiteWolfe wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Darkhain@Venekor wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Main Hand = Primary slot only</p><p>Off Hand =  Secondary slot only ( but didn't saw any for now )</p><p>1 Handed = Primary or Secondary slot</p></blockquote> So with them adding those tags. we are pretty much back to where we started with DW. Just with higher damage ratings and more delay</blockquote>Actually, it's pretty much the exact same as EQ1's dual wield system.Most weapons can be equipped in either hand, but some really powerful weapons can only be equipped in a certain slot.</blockquote>In EQ1 the system was a kind of de facto copy of EQs current one.  You had powerful 1 handers and weaker duel wields, though they weren't marked as such.  The really powerful one handed weapons were restricted because they could only be used by classes that didn't dual wield.  Back when I played, a good one handed weapon for a Paladin was generally one with a 1/1 or better ratio of damage to delay.  Weapons like that were never usable by classes that dual wielded.  Warriors had weapons available that were closer to 1/2 or 3/5 for the same effort.  Essentially, it was impossible for a warrior to use the 1hander and pointless for a paladin to use a dual wielder.  End result was different weapons for different wield styles, the problem they are fixing in EQ2s LU 38.