At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

[Shintaku]

I've got a 31 thf/nin mithra as my alt. character and right now I've got a Federation knife equipped in my main hand and a Mithran scimitar in my off hand (+3 dex). At what point should I chuck the scimitar and replace it with a dagger? To me it doesn't look like there's anything I can equip for the next several levels that'll be more benificial than that +3 dex plus the extra damage that comes from the sword.

Thanks in advance.

[Armando]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Shouldn't you have your scimitar in your main hand and your dagger in your off-hand? In the end melee swings are the same, but Fast Blade will do more damage than Wasp Sting/Shadowstitch. Anyways, THF sword skill is downright preposterous (by 32 your sword skill is 12 points behind dagger, which essentially translates into your sword hand having -12 Attack and -12 Accuracy,) so I recommend that once you hit 33 (Viper Bite) you put away the sword and go with dual daggers. +3 DEX will at best add 9 more damage per Sneak Attack, with capped Attack; a more realistic number would be 6 damage or so. That really doesn't justify using a sword, since you take such heavy skill penalties. Hope that helped.

[Aeolus]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

You shouldnt really use daggers till 33 cause they suck. Use a sword if you want like Armando said for Sneak Attack [Fast Blade] cause it out damages the sucky weapon skillz dagger have till 33. I used H2H untill 33 and used a dagger to cap after I lved so it was ready for 33. If you can I would recomend H2H and /War till 33 as there is really no need for Utsusemi and Dual Daggers untill then. Sneak Attack + Combo is killer

[Caspian]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

If you can I would recomend H2H and /War till 33

Wouldn't /MNK be better for H2H for the martial arts JT that lowers the delay? Wouldn't that help a great deal with TP building?

[Aeolus]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Yea I suppose it would. Dunno martial arts isnt that good low lv anyway and I think you only get it at one and 10 so even at 32/16 it wouldnt be anything special but might give you an extra 5% or so advantage.

[Armando]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Wouldn't help with TP building (reduced delay also means reduced TP) but it sure does make a hell of a difference in damage. Going from 480 base delay to 400 is a huge improvement. And, yes, /NIN is for the most part useless from 30 to 50 in EXP, Berserk for the win ^^

[Aeolus]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Oh. Didnt relise Martial Arts I&II reduced delay that much. I heard it was more like 480/460. Still extra dmg but not that much but if it takes it down as much as 80 delay then I would have to say /mnk is much better till 33 then. I apologize.

[Caspian]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

reduced delay also means reduced TP

I know this and yet I always seem to forget it. But yeah, DoT going up from it is a definite.

[Armando]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Actually, I believe Martial Arts I is the biggest jump in Delay. If I remember right, the following MA traits lower Delay by 20 at a time (from 400) until it's down to 300. So you weren't too far off ^^

[Shintaku]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

Thanks a lot for the help, guys. I couldn't seem to get the answer from anywhere else.

As for the sword being equipped in my off-hand, my dagger skill is three levels below the cap at the moment and it seems to me that I get more dagger skillups when it's in my main hand. I dunno, I've heard the same thing from a few different people but maybe it's just a conicidence. Anyway, when it is capped and obviously when I participate in skillchains, I equip the sword in my main hand.

Any suggestions for daggers at 33?

Thanks again!

[Caspian]

Re: At what point do I switch to dual wielding daggers?

I believe its Fed. Kukri still. Unless something better has come out since.