That's a good point. Maybe one of the new things the Shield spell can do is bring up a magical shield to block a weapon with, rather than just add to your armor rating.

that does sound like a fair compromise in my book

maybe they felt 1weapon 1spell was too powerful that it needed a downside. or the mag can be wrong.

becuz its probably hard to block an attack with a single hand using a sword. but lets say if u had one empty hand and a one handed sword u culd use the other to brace when u block. but if u got a spell in one hand u cant use that hand to brace. idk u'd set ur sword on fire or freeze it idk heck if i know. i like this addition. it will force strategy. and im sure if u want to fight with a spell and a single handed weapon u wanna be fast and very durable. alot of offensive power u wuld have though being able to have a sword and spell. i wuld love to have double spells i'd pretend like i was a dragon ball z character lol.

I am pretty sure being able to cast a shield spell on yourself is more effective than blocking, at least in oblivion anyway.

I guess this is done so that Spellwords aren't imbalanced. That was the best class to play in Oblivion. Since now you can't have melee offense, good defense and magic all in one pacakge, it really forces you to consider your priorities.

You choose two-handed for good melee damage and some defense.
You choose one-handed and shield for better defense but less melee damage.
You dual-wield for max melee damage but no defense or magic.
You go spell and one-handed for melee damage and magic, but no defense.
You go shield and spell for good defense and magic, but no melee damage.
You go both hands magic for maximum magic, but skip defense and melee damage.

Sounds balanced to me. No matter your choice, you allways either focus on one edge of the triangle completely or balance between two, but can never have three.

i wonder if a righthand-Spell + lefthand-Shield combo will work. seems like alot of fun

Lack of buttons.

I dont know for sure but there has to a draw back to using spells, and dual wielding, so this may be their solution or as some have said holding both buttons is used for blocking while dual wielding and using a wep/magick combo.

no, but a left hand spell with a right hand shield works!

I don't see why not. With the new system it doesn't seem to matter what hand what is in so it helps for the RP factor if someone wants their character to be right or left handed or ambidextrous.

Do we know we can't block while dual-wielding two melee weapons, or just dual-wielding spells or a sword and a spell?

I think we may still be able to block while dual-wielding two melee weapons.

I think it would be great if someone asked Pete or Gstaff just EXACLTY what we can or can not block with.

Is it dual-wielding PERIOD, or just spell+weapon?

I'm pretty sure you can switch between items quickly similiar to Oblivion, with the hotkey wheel. All you'd need to do is carry a shield around if you really can't block is the case.

The Skyrim way forces you to take a more tactical response to how you deal with enemies, although personally I'd want swords to be able to parry. Playing as my Fire Mage, as long as I can equip Fire spells to both hands to deal incredible amounts of damage, I'll only really want a Shield spell. And playing as my Assassin, the first blow will be the last, and the only thing he'll want is Paralyze, as he uses Illusion.

As someone stated above, you should be able to block with both triggers held down, if a shield/twohander isn't equipped. If that's not the case, I don't think it will be too bad, as the sacrifice for more damage dealt should come with less/no defense.

Blocking with duel-wield swords/axes etc has already been confirmed somewhere. A dev said you block by pressing both the triggers.

I asked Pete just now.

didn't someone say a magazine said you can DW Shields? How would that work.

The mag staff may have misinterpreted something. Or they were just too stupid to try to press both triggers :facepalm: .
Yeah, I remember that statement, and the statement in the mag contradicts it. :stare:


Let us know how he responds.

You can block two attacks at the same time XD.
Serious answer: there's effectively no "cooldown" for blocking during dual-shield wield, so you're pretty much a fortress. Useful only if you have companions, though.

Hey, just so you know, it won't be the console's fault. The magic button is whichever trigger covers the hand it's equipped to. That means there's an extra button for the conosles.

Oh just shut up.... Don't start a console vs. PC war in here and get this legitimate thread closed just because you have some misguided thought that somehow the PC affects your hotkey options, which it doesn't.

For me it's hard to really knock it just yet, because we haven't experienced how it will play out in combat.

It could be accomplished strategically and smoothly, as long as all the character's preset slots can be planned ahead of time and be reasonably quick to access, without bogging down the action with a lot of unnecessary menu work and so long as the system for switching between them is relatively simple to maneuver through, and designed for a lot of hectic use while in battle.

example for 'spellsword' character type in battle:

-Character has glass shortsword in one hand, shield spell equipped on the other.
-Bandit appears. It's a wee little Bosmer(how quaint), but this little fella has the heart of a giant and he's charging towards you with not only determination in his eyes, but also dual wielded daggers in his hands.
-You use your shield spell as he approaches then quick switch to your preset glass shortsword+fireball spell and while backing up ever so slightly you cast a few flames his way before he gets to you.
-Just before he gets 'up close and personal' you switch again to your preset glass shortsword+elven dagger, currently sheathed at your hip. You draw the blade just as he attacks and begin to tap both buttons to block the barrage of strikes he throws your way.
-You slice once with the shortsword, then again with the dagger and begin to circle the brave little Bosmer. The two of you both land several blows in a heated and furious exchange of steel and glass, until the nimble little Bosmer begins to gain the upper hand with his quick reflexes and faster movements. He steps swiftly between your attacks; avoiding many of them entirely before plunging his daggers home for solid hits of his own. You block as well as you can, but you've grown weary from the fast pace of the fight and your timing is well off.
-Enraged, you, the player, scream a string of expletives at the screen and the annoying little Bosmer before giving your mouse an angry slam down across the desk. "Enough of this", you say, as you gather yourself and activate a forceful dragonshout, which sends the pesky Bosmer flying backwards across the screen.
-You take the oppurtunity to sheath both weapons and quick switch to a preset restore health spell on 1 hand+flame spell on the other. You rotate several times between healing your wounds and casting fireballs at the Bosmer as he gets to his feet.
-The Bosmer screams in pain from the burning flames, his beady eyes gleaming with a mix of your fiery orange light and his own fiery rage. He casts a healing spell of his own as he sidesteps one last fireball you send his way, then he again draws both blades and prepares to charge you one more time.
-With your bloody wounds closing, and your health nearly restored, your magicka reserves have been left in short supply. You quickly switch to a preset fortify magicka potion+restore magicka potion. You pull both bottles out of your ass, pop the corks and down the potions one after the other then switch back to your preset glass shortsword+elven dagger and meet the angry Bosmer head-on.
-The two of you clash in battle, each man landing blows and blocking them, but this time it's you who gain the upper hand with a staggering critical strike that sends the Bosmer back a step in stunned shock.
-You quickly sheath your dagger and switch to your preset glass shortsword+ fire spell. Your magicka is strong once more. You can feel it coursing through your veins, your nerves, your soul.
-You unleash a spray of flame; so hot, so powerful that it would have made a bonfire proud. The fire blasts from your fingertips, dousing the staggered Bosmer in a funnel of fiery flame.
-He screams in agony, begging for death. You take mercy on the brave little wood elf and oblige his final request as you plunge your sword through his chest. With a crimson splatter and a bloody gurgle the Bosmer falls stiffly to the ground. Victory is yours.

I think you misread that, man. Said if you had a one handed weapon and one hand and a spell in the other, then you wouldn't be able to block with the left trigger. Nothing about a one handed weapon with one hand with your other hand being empty

XD, Aside from that, its not a big loss if you turn out being right. Its not like anyone is foolish enough to run around in a wild land like that with no shield and just his sword(But it is limiting for those who don't wanna use a two hander and still wanna use a one hander but no shield)

Well Bosmer were only short and pudgy in Morrowind and Oblivion. From the look of the screen in the Fall Forest, Bosmer are back to their former glory of feeling like real treefolk.

Does that mean looking like chimps?

ON TOPIC: In reality the concentration it would take to block using BOTH weapons while dual wielding would make for a really crappy offense on your part and the opposite is true for trying to stab with both weapons. If you really wanted to balance your offense and defense while dual wielding you would be using 1 of them as a 'shield' which I guess would be fine if you do not want to pack a shield around, but really there is only disadvantage for trying it.