which weapons to dual wield

[Protey]

trying to figure out what is the best weapons to dual wield. could dual wield relics for that +80 attack, or could have relic and a multi-hit or double attack sub weapon. anyone done the math for what would have best damage output? i know it is going to be somewhat mob dependent.

[Demon6324236]

Excalibur+STR Shikargar wins in almost all cases for most DPS. If you have crit bonus then Almace+STR Shikargar starts to pull ahead, this is assuming optimum gear though, Almace is easier to gear for and easier to obtain than Excalibur is. Multi-hit weapons are not to good for RDM these days so far as I know but I could be wrong, and the DA sword is quite bad. If you do the math you get the same % in extra delay as you get % in DA, which means your still basically attacking the same amount of times on average, but with a weaker sword and no other statistical bonus.

[Ziyyigo-Tipyigo]

Onion Knife + Onion Dagger

/closethread

[saevel]

Excal + STR Sword is the absolute "best" though Almace + STR Sword is damn near the same. The difference between them primarily stems from gear access. RDM can get tons of STR / MND gear for Req / KoTR but has somewhat limited DEX options for CDC.

[Protey]

Excalibur+STR Shikargar wins in almost all cases for most DPS. If you have crit bonus then Almace+STR Shikargar starts to pull ahead, this is assuming optimum gear though, Almace is easier to gear for and easier to obtain than Excalibur is. Multi-hit weapons are not to good for RDM these days so far as I know but I could be wrong, and the DA sword is quite bad. If you do the math you get the same % in extra delay as you get % in DA, which means your still basically attacking the same amount of times on average, but with a weaker sword and no other statistical bonus.

wouldn't mandau outperform excalibur?

[Demon6324236]

It is close but no, dagger lacks Req, which dominates on lower defense mobs, on higher defense mobs they are about the same, but so far as I know Excalibur still pulls ahead a little bit. In all honesty the best possible weapon combo is Excalibur 99+Mandau 99 according to spreadsheets, due to Mandau's very high DPS even without the +40 Attack on it due to it being in your off-hand. But it seems a bit out of place to say one should make two 99 relics for a DD who will receive little credit. I myself am making a Mandau currently to go with my Excalibur, and believe it is worth it, however, it is up to you to choose how much you want to pursue the top of the line gear for RDM, because the difference between STR Shikargar and Mandau in your offhand is not large enough for most to bother with that investment I believe.

[Protey]

thanks, i have excalibur and will do offhand mandau as well. i just thought the 60% str mod 4? hit mercy stroke would outperform KoR (or any other sword WS ftm).

[ManaKing]

Single Hit. Animations lie.

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So are you going to use Enspells with that Mandau or still hold off for Excal procs? Daggers are the better weapons for Enspell damage, but you'll be lowering you total delay, so you'll also be putting a slant on your Excalibur frequency.

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I still like Ephemeron the best for offhand. Makes for higher Store TP builds.

[Demon6324236]

I would mention Ephemeron if it were obtainable and if the spreadsheet could accurately rate it, but seeing as neither of those two are the case seeing as it comes from the least common Sky VWNM with an incredibly low drop rate as well as the spreadsheet not having the ability to calculate the TP drain effects, it seems better to leave it unmentioned. I still think it could be used to great effect as well though if it is ever made easier to actually get your hands on.

As for MS vs KoR, they are about the same in damage in all honesty, KoR has 40% STR and 40% MND instead of 60% STR but much of RDM's best STR gear also has MND on it, Morrigan's Head & Body as well as Fea's Feet and Rubeus Legs all are examples of that. The fTP is the same for both, but the DMG on Excalibur is much higher, so I am fairly sure so far as just WSs go, KoR wins, however Mercy has a much better aftermath, 5% crit rate is much better than a worthless 10 Regen.

[Doombringer]

i was under the impression that ephemeron ended up being a trap because of the low low proc rate of it's added effect.

i admit i got all excited for it too when it was announced. i saw the vid of that pally wsing back to back with just a drain in between and thought, game changer. but, while the strength of the effect held up, supposedly the proc rate did not.

though i guess if any job needs 3% haste on a weapon, it's RDM. and if you're already not using enspell for excaliburs sake, that removes that conflict for ephemeron as well (though i really dunno how it's added effect and enspell interact anyway)

but when a str shikargar is so simple, consistent, and attainable, it's hard to get excited about ephemeron maybe not being junk.