Bifurcated Weapons lend themselves best to this type of combat.ĭual-wielding in real life has its advantages and disadvantages. Many cultures prefer weapons other than swords, and use them in various combinations. This is a case of Reality Is Unrealistic. Very rarely do you ever see, for instance, a pair of hatchets or maces. Oddly enough, it's almost always swords or axes. Some axe designs make this combination less necessary, however. Another useful combo against a shield is a sword and bearded axe: the axe can hook away the shield, opening up the opponent for a quick thrust or slash. (Note that the name is a neologism-Florentine sword fighters were not more skilled in using sword and dagger than any other city's fighters.) Ideally, as with the dagger, these will be asymmetric weapons, generally one suited to slashing and parrying and one suited to stabbing. Note, however, that there is at least one form of dueling, the Florentine, which specifically requires two swords.

In real life, the off-hand weapon is more effective for parrying than attacking, especially if the opponent is similarly armed. While a master can probably prove proficient, normal people are more likely to survive with a buckler or dagger. Using two full-sized swords is much more difficult, since a sword does not have the same freedom of movement a dagger has. Likewise, some Samurai wielded a katana in their main hand and a wakizashi in the other, with much the same use. The dagger is normally used only for defense or (rarely) a surprise attack following a blow with the sword.

A common variant is a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, which reflects several widespread Real Life fighting styles. Like Guns Akimbo, but with swords, and, like all forms of swordplay, subject to Flynning.

Titan quest dual wield