Just wondering which would be better in battles.


Edit: Actually, what would be the best melee type of weapons overall? Thanks.

Depends on your roll. If you are a brute and can shrug off damage, then a 2H would allow you to dhish out damage. If you are a bit squishy but still want to put out some damage, shield+sword is better.

As with any outfit, the less you have to heal the better.

when picking the best weaponclass I'd to say : sabers first, katana's later (they are insanely fast AND dich a lot of damage too)
having a shield does NOT add a lot of armour, it does allow you to block, but who does ever use that??

however, think this way :
two handed weapons CAN be killer, if you have the time to strike full (they have 2 types of attack, fast (short mouseclicks) or slow (keep your mouse pressed, for a slower more brutal hit)

but : when others attack YOU, they are able to "break off" your attack! having more and faster attacks lowers that change.
so it works better in general to have a single handed weapon cause they are faster.

two handed weapons are however a total drain on their armour and you even have a change to smash the weapon right out of their hands.... though it's upto you that effect is worth it

Stats wise, I think there is no question that sword+shield is much more effective than two-handed blade or blunt.

Unfortunately they the developers did not reach a good balance on this. Two handed damage does not out weight the benefits of shield/sword. Some mods change this, like OOO, but the unmodded game seems very biased towards Shield and Sword.

I think that is unfortunate. I should really be a balance. I'd love to see a barbarian type use a really powerful two handed weapon.

I'd say a long sword and shield is as efficient/effective as it gets for melee. Block, hit twice, block, hit twice, yawn, block, hit twice, repeat.

That said, I'd rather use a claymore any time. Loads of fun to dance at the edge of the sweet spot where you can reach your foes but they can't quite reach you.

I go ahead and play that barbarian type, and who cares if it isn't as effective?

The primary value of the two-handed weapons in this game is the reach, not the damage delivered. In some ways, a big claymore or warhammer is best suited to a small, agile character, like a Bosmer or Breton.

But, in answer to the original question, a sword/shield is quite a bit more effective. Block is actually a very effective skill if used correctly, and a shield does add a bit to armor rating, as well as being another enchantable item. And one-hand swords are not that much less powerful than the two-handed.

If that weren't enough, the two-handed weapons get no sneak-attack bonus, which makes no sense at all.

They failed big time in that department. A big heavy sword should do more damage, otherwise what′s the point of having them

But as stated, a shield is by its nature much more effective than blocking with your weapon

Unenchanted, the two-handed weapons extra damage does go some way to balancing out the speed difference, but once you add enchantments, the speed becomes much more important (because the damage is per hit). I'd almost suggest using an enchanted dagger, just for the number of times you can deliver that magical damage, but they go a bit too fast, and your damage hasn't completed its effect before the next hit. The longsword hits the speed/damage sweet-spot whether its enchanted or not, and the enchantments just make it more so.

That said, you can still be devastating with an enchanted warhammer, if the weakness part lasts long enough, and its fun to play a "Hulk Smash!" character.

One handed weapons :

Pro :
*faster attack speed
*less change attack is interupted by attacks on you
*more armour because you can use a shield
*being able to block attacks
*perfect for delivering enchantments
*have ""sneak attack bonüs"

Neg :
*One handed weapons tend to break down faster (and when they break down their damage done does as well)
*you need to get closer to be able to hit, causing others to hit you more often as well
*one handed weapons can be kicked our of your hand by some attacks on you leaving you barehanded

Two handed weapons :
Pro :
*will almost never break down, and give a more stable damage outcome
*Will to a killer blow, coolness
*longer range, skilled fighters can evade hits by staying out of range of other weapons

Neg :
*Has no sneak attack bonus
*very slow atack speed
*bad in delivering enchantments


One hint though : try equipping a 2h axe... click your mouse fast.. now you make shorter, faster hits... countering the enchantment problem.
takes a little skill, though.