OK, I know you can get insane dual sneak attack damage while wielding a dagger in each hand. But aside from that, is there any advantage to actually using 2 daggers in combat?

Any other combination seems preferable:

2 maces will stagger the most, though they're slowest.

2 axes will stagger a little less, but are a bit faster than maces.

2 swords will stagger less than maces or axes, but are faster than both.

A dagger in the off-hand, plus mace/axe/sword in the right hand, will give you speed plus the advantages of the right-hand weapon (stagger chance and reach).

Not only to daggers not stagger at all, but they have the worst reach of any weapon -- *and* dual-wielded dagger power attacks are actually slower (thanks to the 'flip' move you do) than dual-wield PAs with a dagger in the left hand and, say, a sword in the right.

For pure dual-wielding speed, dagger + sword is the best combination.

The only advantage I can think of is that dagger strikes (not dual-wield power attacks) are quicker than any other weapon strike, so you could dual-wield the daggers, take 2 ranks of Dual Flurry, and just hit foes with your right-hand dagger for the best speed.

But the advantage there seems pretty minimal.

I see lots of players claiming they use dual-wielded daggers (usually in combination with Archery), but apart from that sneak attack boost, it just doesn't seem like a great option.

Unless I'm missing something.

Thoughts?

As you say, the best option for speed would be a sword and a dagger. This is how I played on my first two playthroughs.

Daggers have a unique animation that when duel-wielding two, causes them to swing very slowly in relation to other weapons in the game. I suppose it's just for aesthetics, that's the only reason I would ever duel-wield daggers outside of sneak mode.

Well, you could make a character based on the protagonist of Puncture Wound Massacre, a Cannibal Corpse song.


I always wanted to do that, but I can't roleplay evil characters.

Duel daggers have two points to make (pun intended)

1. They are small light weapons that with the right perks can be absolutely deadly.

2. My little thief Kaileena carries a skyforge steel dagger. She's not set up much in the way of combat perks but her dagger does 27 base points of damage. Now combine that with her sneaking skills with x3 damage when sneaking.. There isn't really anyone yet she can't sneak up on and kill with one strike.

Its perfect for people who want to mix fighting tactics and not be a brute force warrior. She uses illusion magic to confuse and turn the enemy against eachother, then she goes in and finishes off who survived. Its actually rather fun. I do however hate how the dagger hangs so low on her belt that it clips through her leg when she crouches.

Dual daggers are fun to use.

I liked using them if my main weapon is a bow when I was a console user but now I use dual shortswords instead.

Daggers are silent.

Michi the Vamp finds one sufficient. She can clear an entire fort or ruin without ever being noticed, let alone being detected, if she decides. The sound of Silence measured in corpses.

Their only purpose. While on topic, what's the point of the dual dagger power attack? It's so damn slow and stupid to flip 1 dagger around, I think my battleaxe power attacks are faster.