so im trying to figure out what to make my non experiemental char wield. this is what i know

1hand and shield pros
-you get a shield
-ability to have a weapon and cast a spell
-bash moves
-moar enchants!

cons
-less damage?
-spreading perks to moer trees

dualwield pros
-more damage
-ability to have a weapon and cast a spell
-moar enchants!

cons
-no block
-no bash

2handed pros
-more damage (not as much as dualwield)
-block (not as well as shield)
-bash
-reach? (undetermined if its actually useful)

cons
-block doesnt block all damage
-slower attack
-less enchants

now mechanicwise skyrim is NOT a precise action game. the combat is floaty and while better then oblivion, still sloppy. This means to me that dualwield might be out from the get go as its a high risk high reward playstyle that requires a finer tuned gameplay.

twohand is a enigma...its a middleground of damage and blocking. but is middle ground really worthwhile? you can stagger easier...but there are stagger immune mobs. you can block...but apparently not block all damage (does the block perk change this?) the range seems moot as there isnt a lot of depth of field upclose in this game.

then from a min/max perspective (even tho in a single player game i hate doing this) a breton with a shield can be 100% magic immune if perked correctly.

its a hard choice, but one i feel probably does have a best choice scenario. this is all the info i know, feel free to add more and ill edit the post when i get time.

Another thing about 2h I noticed was wider swing range. Also, power attacks on 2h are very powerful. Same with Dual Wielding.

about how much more powerful do you think twohand power attacks are vs onehand? i know dualwield has a perk for this (i think)

I played as a DWing warrior for my first char. I felt like I was walking around naked when I fought casters. Shields can get a magic resist enchant, as well as the resist perk.

I'm looking at the perks now and it seems one handed focuses more on Critical's more then Power Attacks. While Two-handed focuses on Power Attacks more then Critical's. The dual wield perk gives +50% Power attack damage, and Two-handed gets the same. + other things to boost its effectiveness (such as hitting more then one target). So Two-handed way out does one handed in Power attacks, and matches, if not does more then Dual Wielding.

The blocking tree is quite large and you'll want most perks there, which is in addition to 1H (but fewer here than if you went for dual wield, as you really only need 8 points in 1H if you go with the shield bashing; you won't have stamina for bashing and 1H power attacks). Having a shield greatly reduces the damage you take, and you can interrupt enemy power attacks easy. Less damage, though, but feels more fluid than dual wield, to me. I haven't experimented with 2H. Right now I use 1H + restoration/conjuration, which I greatly enjoy.