Dual Wield

[Myrhn]

For a new class yes, for an existing class wouldn't make too much sense to me

[Friore-Kun]

I would have to start all over but I would be all i to it for the fact that I prefer it, but that is an excellent idea I didn't come to that conclusion yes something along these lines would to me be a major hit among players

[Darkstride]

Dual daggers (or something to that effect) will likely come into play once Thief or Ninja or Dancer or something along those lines comes into play. Gladiator is a tank class that promotes to a tank job, so a shield certainly makes more sense than carrying an off-hand blade.

[Lucke]

Dual daggers (or something to that effect) will likely come into play once Thief or Ninja or Dancer or something along those lines comes into play. Gladiator is a tank class that promotes to a tank job, so a shield certainly makes more sense than carrying an off-hand blade. Pretty much everything else uses a 2-handed weapon so dual wielding with current class/job options wouldn't work.

Actually, something like a "parrying dagger" could be used. They were real things used in the Middle Ages instead of a shield. Not dual-wielding in the sense of using it to attack, it's a defense weapon. You don't attack with it, but deflect enemy attacks.

Parrying Dagger

[Darkstride]

Actually, something like a "parrying dagger" could be used. They were real things used in the Middle Ages instead of a shield. Not dual-wielding in the sense of using it to attack, it's a defense weapon. You don't attack with it, but deflect enemy attacks.

Parrying Dagger

I'm aware of what a parrying dagger is, however the OP specifically spoke of dealing more damage with a second weapon rather than using it defensively. As for Gladiator/Paladin, which was also mentioned in the OP, a shield is more thematically appropriate. They are intended to be able to withstand blows, eat the damage and survive rather than being evasive.

[Sylari]

For a new class yes, for an existing class wouldn't make too much sense to me

I don't think it'd be that hard to give the gladiator's second job the ability to equip two swords instead of a sword and shield. Would make more thematic sense than a DPS with a shield or somesuch.

That said I think the most likely candidate for dual wielding would be a thief and ninja class/job somewhere down the line rather than modifying an existing class.

[Kitru]

I don't think it'd be that hard to give the gladiator's second job the ability to equip two swords instead of a sword and shield.

It's more complex than you think. The only off hand items we get right now are, for all intents and purposes, stat sticks (the block value/rate are simply stat increases to hidden values). Weapons actually have unique values that other stats modify (i.e. weapon damage; everything else damage based is purely a multiplier to weapon damage). On top of this, all weapons have normalized damage values: a sword and an axe of the same i-level deal the exact same amount of damage; auto-attack damage might be different (to account for differences in attack speed), but the damage dealt per potency is exactly the same. Adding in an offhand weapon that also damage stats would create some balancing as well as mechanical problems: if the weapon damages are added together, even if one is added at less than full value, you end up being able to do substantially more damage per potency. It also creates animation problems and a whole slew of other issues.

The devs have basically said that, if they do add dual wielding classes, they are, in all likelihood, going to have both weapons as part of the same slot (I believe the devs referenced this when discussing NIN and THF). As such, you would have a brace of weapons in your main hand instead of weapon in your main hand and a separate weapon in your offhand. Even if you clone the main hand for animation purposes, you still have issues with the stats on weapons intended to be used with an OH weapon having only 2/3rds of the itemization as "full" weapons.

Would make more thematic sense than a DPS with a shield or somesuch.

I don't entirely agree with this, mainly because I'm not sure that I see the necessary disconnect between a shield and DPSing. Shields don't thematically imply tanking any more than a 2h weapon thematically implies DPS. Shields are a fundamental part of Gladiators: you get several *offensive* attacks that use your shield so it's not like it's just sitting on your arm blocking stuff.

If a DPS class is going to be drawn out of the Gladiator, I fully expect it to keep using a shield. Getting rid of it would require too much work (redoing animations, renaming and completely reworking abilities; balance and mechanical changes to account for gear changes/discrepancies) and there isn't even a particularly compelling thematic or mechanical reason to do so while there are certainly a number of mechanical hurdles that would need to be taken care of it it *were* done.

[Nahara]

I don't think it'd be that hard to give the gladiator's second job the ability to equip two swords instead of a sword and shield.

I highly doubt this, simply because of the amount of stats on the swords. A main-weapon and shield combo is supposed to be roughly equal in stats to a two-handed weapon, with the main weapon supplying most of your stats while the shield supplies the rest of it. To put some fake numbers to it, think of the main weapon as holding 70% of your stats while the shield holds the remaining 30%. If you were suddenly able to equip two main weapons, you've now got more stats working in your favor than any other class or job.

The only way I could see dual-wielding working stat-wise is if it was like the PGL: you only equip one weapon, which has the all of the appropriate amount of stats on it, but you're shown as wielding one in each hand.

[Friore-Kun]

That is exactly the point and thought I was wanting to get across

[TouchandFeel]

I agree with what some others have posted.
With the current classes, I don't see dual wielding swords happening since class and weapon are linked in this game as it would require a new class.
Dual wield via paired daggers/short swords would most likely be implemented with a Thief class which could potentially evolve into Ninja and Dancer as jobs.
As far as parrying daggers as off-hand items that potentially increase parry instead of block, I could see that being implemented with a Fencer class that could evolve into Red Mage and Runic/Mystic Knight Jobs.