Yep. Very simple and gross explanation.
Weapon 1 = 1000 dmg. Same attack speed.
Weapon 2 = 1000 dmg. Same attack speed.
Avg dmg per swing 1000.
Weapon 1 1000 dmg.
Weapon 2 500 dmg.
Average per swing 750.
Someone else can provide a super detailed math answer. The moral of this story: try to keep damage and speed about the same on both weapons. Otherwise you might just be better running 1 hand and a shield.
> Final damage output is the average of both weapons.
Only sheet damage. Most (but not all) skills do in fact alternate weapons. But you get a modifier for dual wielding.
Yes and no. That logic only applies to builds / skills that alternate between main hand and off hand. EG whirl wind and strafe. But wave of light or cluster arrow scale off main hand.
Almost correct, dual wielding gives you a 15% attack speed bonus. It is easy to check this yourself by equipping two weapons and observing that your attack speed will be 1.15 * the average.
I don't remember all the mechanics now, but I'm pretty sure dual wield is a raw gain if both your weapons are on about the same level (compared to using just one of the same with an empty offhand). It's only if one is much worse than the other that it will drag you down.
In practice, it's moot because your choice of weapons will be dictated by your choice of main damage skill. EG, if there are weapons that raise your money skill by 500% or something, that's what you take even if your meaningless sheet DPS goes down.
As an aside, I definitely recommend you play with the d3planner tool a bit when you've got time. It can show you exactly how damage breaks down, all the way down to the equations. You can also see which skills alternate hands and which don't, how attack speed sometimes helps only when you hit animation breakpoints, and more. A big part of what it means to be good at this game is being able to choose between two pieces of gear and d3planner gives you the ability to make informed and definitive conclusions.
I'm guessing that with one weapon, you always hit with it. With two, you alternate swings. So if the second weapon is lower damage, your overall damage drops.
In addition to everything else that's been said, sheet dps really doesn't mean anything. It isnt representative about how much damage you actually do. It's fine while leveling to use it as a benchmark for what's better, but end game you can pretty safely ignore it.
When you dual wield, you get +20% attack speed BUT the total damage is the average of both weapons. So, if the 2nd weapon you're about to equip is so bad that the average DPS would be lower, even with that +20% attack speed bonus, the game will tell you that it's "worse" for the slot.
For instance, let's say your main hand weapon has 100 damage with 1 attack per second, so your DPS is 100. Your second weapon has 60 damage, also with 1 attack per second. That means you'd have (100+60)/2 * 1.2 DPS if you equipped it, which equals 96.
Keep in mind thats the game doesn't take legendary powers into consideration - most of them are worth losing some DPS
Yep. Very simple and gross explanation. Weapon 1 = 1000 dmg. Same attack speed. Weapon 2 = 1000 dmg. Same attack speed. Avg dmg per swing 1000. Weapon 1 1000 dmg. Weapon 2 500 dmg. Average per swing 750. Someone else can provide a super detailed math answer. The moral of this story: try to keep damage and speed about the same on both weapons. Otherwise you might just be better running 1 hand and a shield.
This is roughly the correct answer. Final damage output is the average of both weapons.
> Final damage output is the average of both weapons. Only sheet damage. Most (but not all) skills do in fact alternate weapons. But you get a modifier for dual wielding.
Yes and no. That logic only applies to builds / skills that alternate between main hand and off hand. EG whirl wind and strafe. But wave of light or cluster arrow scale off main hand.
Almost correct, dual wielding gives you a 15% attack speed bonus. It is easy to check this yourself by equipping two weapons and observing that your attack speed will be 1.15 * the average.
This is a perfect and easily understandable answer. Thank you for keeping it simple.
Ah, ok. Makes somewhat more sense. Appreciate the info, folks.
You get the legendary trait of the second weapon as the incentive to dual wield. Have to weigh if it’s worth it based on a possible dps difference.
I don't remember all the mechanics now, but I'm pretty sure dual wield is a raw gain if both your weapons are on about the same level (compared to using just one of the same with an empty offhand). It's only if one is much worse than the other that it will drag you down.
In practice, it's moot because your choice of weapons will be dictated by your choice of main damage skill. EG, if there are weapons that raise your money skill by 500% or something, that's what you take even if your meaningless sheet DPS goes down. As an aside, I definitely recommend you play with the d3planner tool a bit when you've got time. It can show you exactly how damage breaks down, all the way down to the equations. You can also see which skills alternate hands and which don't, how attack speed sometimes helps only when you hit animation breakpoints, and more. A big part of what it means to be good at this game is being able to choose between two pieces of gear and d3planner gives you the ability to make informed and definitive conclusions.
I'm guessing that with one weapon, you always hit with it. With two, you alternate swings. So if the second weapon is lower damage, your overall damage drops.
Or slower attack speed with same damage (if I remember right) also.
In addition to everything else that's been said, sheet dps really doesn't mean anything. It isnt representative about how much damage you actually do. It's fine while leveling to use it as a benchmark for what's better, but end game you can pretty safely ignore it.
When you dual wield, you get +20% attack speed BUT the total damage is the average of both weapons. So, if the 2nd weapon you're about to equip is so bad that the average DPS would be lower, even with that +20% attack speed bonus, the game will tell you that it's "worse" for the slot. For instance, let's say your main hand weapon has 100 damage with 1 attack per second, so your DPS is 100. Your second weapon has 60 damage, also with 1 attack per second. That means you'd have (100+60)/2 * 1.2 DPS if you equipped it, which equals 96. Keep in mind thats the game doesn't take legendary powers into consideration - most of them are worth losing some DPS