Alright so today I wanted to figure out this dual wielding thing in Baldur’s Gate 3, right? My fighter was getting swarmed, felt like swinging one sword wasn’t cutting it anymore. Literally. Kept seeing enemies get a hit in while I was still winding up for my next chop. Super annoying. Figured two weapons might be the trick, so I started messing around with every pair of pointy sticks I had stuffed in my camp chest.
First thing I did? Just grabbed whatever looked shiny. Big mistake. Took a nice warhammer in the main hand because it hit hard, tossed a random shortsword in the off-hand for giggles. Walked my dude right up to some goblins. Clicked the ‘Dual Wield’ attack button… and missed both swings. Goblin laughed. Then he stabbed me. Felt pretty stupid standing there with two weapons doing nothing. The weapons just didn’t fit together, you know? The warhammer was too slow, the shortsword too light. Like trying to pat your head and rub your belly at the same time.
Learning the Hard Way (Mostly Dying)
Wiped again with a different pair later – scimitar and dagger. This time I actually hit stuff! The scimitar slapped, the dagger poked. Was feeling good… until I realized my armor class tanked because I wasn’t using a shield anymore. Goblin arrows suddenly felt way more personal. My squishy fighter became target practice. Had to drag my bleeding self back to camp wondering if this was worth the hassle. Almost gave up and dusted off my trusty shield.
Then I remembered something dumb I picked up ages ago – a pair of basic, boring shortswords. Nothing special, just two of the same simple blades. Figured “why not, one last shot.” Equipped ’em both. Found a gnoll patrol. Clicked attack. HOLY CRAP. Two hits landed smooth! No penalty messing me up. It was quick, it was clean. Actually felt like I was fighting with two weapons instead of just holding two separate things. That was the lightbulb moment. Needed weapons that actually worked together, not just whatever did the biggest number individually.
Getting My Hands Dirty Testing Pairs
Okay, lesson learned. Stop just throwing stuff at the wall. I started deliberately hunting down specific weapon types and comparing them side-by-side. Made a little chart in my head, like:
- Same Kind Weapons (Shortswords, Scimitars): Easy mode. Balanced damage, reliable hits. Felt safe. Kinda boring sometimes? But boring works. Didn’t die.
- Mixing Light & Heavy: Tried putting a longsword (needs a feat) main hand with a dagger off-hand. The longsword swung strong, dagger tickled them after. Risky, though! Less armor, easier to hit. Gotta build for this specifically.
- All-Out Offense: Found two scimitars with neat effects – one set things on fire, one made frost. Looked cool! Made lots of explosions. Also made lots of saving throws for my own face getting roasted. Wild times. High risk, sometimes fun reward.
- Trying the “Finesse” Stuff: Grabbed rapiers and such. Sneaky strikes worked well! Felt different, more tactical.
Drove my party members crazy teleporting back to camp constantly to swap weapons and test them on the training dummies. Gale kept sighing dramatically every time I told him we were “just one more test” back to camp.
What Actually Stuck?
After a bunch of fights (and reloads), here’s what clicked with my fighter:
- Sneaky Backstab Combo: Keep a plain ol’ Light Dagger off-hand always. Why? Because that bonus action attack just loves crits when you surprise someone or get advantage. Cheap to use, punches way above its weight sometimes. Feels dirty (good dirty).
- Reliable Duo: Two matching Shortswords early on is just solid. No fuss, decent damage, always swings when you need it to. Like comfort food, but stabby.
- Showstopper Pair: Finally got my hands on two specific magic Scimitars – one humming with electricity, one dripping poison. Took the Dual Wielder feat so I could hold ’em properly. Holy hell. Slap an ability like “GWM” or “Savage Attacker” on top? Things just melt. Melting is good.
Is it the absolute mathematically perfect max damage setup? Probably not. Some guide deep in Minthara’s underwear drawer might have a better spreadsheet. But damn, landing four frickin’ hits in one turn because you used Action Surge with two weapons feels incredibly satisfying. Worth the hassle. Finally stopped dying so much too. Mostly.
