nightshades...

[case-rigantis]

can someone give me some advice i`ve just started a nightshade and have reached level 6
now i`ve decided i want to use dual weapons..but have spent some points in thrust already
is this going to cause me major problems? should i start again?

 

[Aeiedil]

It shouldnt matter, because CD spec only effects the left hand. You will still need pierce spec to get base damage. (Personally I use 2 piercers, but have no CD spec). I am unsure as to the effect of CD spec, but I think it just increases your double-swing chance. A Blademaster would probably be more fit to talk about CD

 

[Alrindel]

Or a ranger. Celtic Dual increases your base chance to use both weapons for each swing. The weapon skill (pierce or blade) raises the range of damage that you do each time you hit. So a player with high CD will dual-wield more often, but won't hit as hard. A player with high weapon skill will hit harder, but won't dual-wield as much.

The consensus of DAoC players is that you are better off putting most spec points into the weapon skill to hit harder and only a few into CD to slightly raise your chance to swing both weapons. Put it this way, at level 42 I have 25 Pierce and 12 CD - and this is considered a bit odd, to have such low weapon skill and such high CD.

 

[Chameleon]

I'm level 35 nightshade, have spent no spec points in CD and always dual wield. Many of the piercing styles use both weps at same time and ive very rarely, if ever, seen a miss with the second wep when executing these styles.
imho you should try to aim for 20-25 points in Piercing, Critical Strike, Stealth and Envenom by level 30. I would not spend them on anything else.

 

[Alrindel]

Originally posted by Ch@meleon
I'm level 35 nightshade, have spent no spec points in CD and always dual wield.

Er, no, you don't. You dual wield exactly 25% of the time.

Each spec point you put into dual wield raises your base chance to use both weapons on each swing by 0.5%. So I (with dual wield specced at 12) dual wield 31% of the time, and someone crazy enough to spec dual wield to 50 would dual wield 50% of the time.

Dual wield styles don't affect your chances to use both weapons, even if the animation you see on the screen looks like you are waving two daggers around.

Earlier I wrote that your base chance to dual wield raises with your level, but I was wrong. According to the Camelot Herald, it always stays at 25%.

 

[Chameleon]

Ah, I was just going by ....

"You hit the 'INSERT MOB HERE' with the rat fang for 70 hp"

"You hit the 'INSERT MOB HERE' with the rat fang for 50 hp"

I bow to your superior knowledge of CD but it always seems to register 2 hits, albeit the second usually a lot lower than the first.

However, personally I think I like to gamble more on my second wep hitting than a shield blocking, seeing as I put no spec points into either