One thing I never cared for, regarding combat in Fallout games, is enemies bum rushing you while your only defense is to run backwards while hip firing if you're not using V.A.T.S. Having some type of riot shield to use, if dual wielding is available, would be nice.

Like if you're using melee or any one handed weapon, being able to block or reduce damage from melee attacks (especially from ghouls or insects) or at least knock back enemies, similar to Skyrim.

I thought about this the other day and it would give one hand melee an edge to have some type of riot shield they can customize. It would be awesome to see this in action (Dying Light had riot shields and they were fun as hell to use). Plus, the loads of customization that comes with it would be great. You can essentially make it more bullet/plasma/laser proof, load it up with spiky bits, and [censored] someone's day up with a shield bash.

Why would you use a riot shield when you can use power armor?

Ooh! Maybe a trash can lid too like in "Escape from New York"!

You're right, let me just swing by the power armor super market.

Gave me a thought, though. Imagine for a moment: Super Sledge + T60B Power Armor + Kinetic Shield = http://www.coolminiornot.com/pics/pics14/img4b616455aeb9a.jpg.

would be kinda of nice and would give the bad guys a better chance against our PA.

Paint the trash can lid red white and blue and you got yourself a Captain America shield. Would be great if you could throw it too.

Dual wielding is pure rumor and speculation, theirs no evidence for it in the slightest.

Give it to a unique Raider random encounter guy calling himself "Major United States" lol

it would be cool

but i think the melee for ranged helps alleviate that void of options when things closed in in previous games

a shield would be nice, but im just happy i can hit someone back with a gun without having to awkwardly switching to melee weapons now

thats enough for me at least

Hell yeah! Customizing a spiked shield, bashing in brain cells would take melee combat to a whole new level.

Choices and options. If you're role playing a melee character, using power armor might be out of character for your immersion. Having more than one way to play the game is part of the appeal for Fallout / TES games.

I would assume this is one of the purposes of the new "melee strike with ya gun" button, so I don't see much use of the shield in this regard.

Did this remind anyone else of the great duel-shielding debate that for awhile consumed the pre-Skyrim forums? It was a phenomenon we could now refer to as... A runaway hype train.

On a more serious note, having a shield would be nice.

The infamous "turtle builds." I have not forgotten those discussions at all

Gun in one hand and shield in another. Doesn't really fit with fallout that much. I mean what shield is going to stop a high power laser? Or a death claw?

If dual wielding is in the game, I think it would be focused mainly on unarmed/melee players to compensate for the lack of ranged ability. This would actually tie in well with my suggestion of the Barbarian perk, which has just been renamed Slayer, and can be seen in http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1530622-completed-perk-chart-speculation thread. Being able to use a shield with this perk would fit in nicely. Ranged combat could perhaps also benefit by allowing us to throw a grenade or incendiary device if we're holding a pistol.

you can aleady throw grenades with a gun (even a 2 handed gun) just like in modern shooting games so i dont really see how its "dual weilding" as you mentioned with it and a pistol..

Fair enough, I forgot about that one!

My point is, anything that uses either two weapons or a weapon and a shield is dual-wielding. And so these options will cover the most sensible ones to be included. One thing that I don't think will be in is dual wielding pistols, because it always feels a bit too 'cheezy', and is not something that a soldier would use, perhaps with the exclusion of Rambo or the protagonist in Commando. I am also yet to see dual wielded pistols in any first person game where the final result looks or feels in any way convincing.

EDIT: two very big reasons against the idea of a dual-wielded pistols options are the trade off of not been able to use sighted mode, and also the implied 'rarity' of guns and bullets in a post apocalyptic setting.

After carefully considering all other options, I have decided to add a two pistol option in my descriptions, which will be fully updated. This would allow for total flexibility, and would allow those who prefer pistols to shoot two weapons at the same time.

Actually, the right shield could probably easily deflect a laser beam, if it was angled and had a reflective, heat resistant layer on it. Plasma on the other hand, would stick to a shield and [censored] it up.

I want to be able to dual-wield riot shields.

Would make it just like Skyrim, Board and Sword. Part of me wants to make a Melee build just to roleplay a Skyrim character being teleported into the Fallout universe.

I approve. It would fit nicely with a build I was thinking of for the male character, a Modern-day Warrior.

Lol I was actually thinking this yesterday. You are a wandering adventurer named Grognak and you stumble across a strange portal, resembling a blue vortex in space and time. After going through it, the portal deposits you into prewar America where events transpire and you end up joining the United States Army where you meet Nora. Adventures happen and then you are in Sanctuary Hills starting your new family. The date is Oct. 23 2077.

War hero frozen for years only to be awoken in an unfamiliar place, makes sense to have him team up with a big green super mutant, a guy in a suit of power armor, a hot redheaded assassin chick, a guy wielding a tesla infused super sledge and an archer.

They need a name though?