Newbie Solo Fighter TWF or THF?

[Khurse]

Hi All

I'm planning a Dwarven fighter, will have a few Paladin levels for the immune to fear that looks so promising as well as some wands.
Now- I know (or assume) that sword & board are the staple for a solo fighter
but as a secondary- would I likely get more use out of two weapons or using a two handed weapon? I've tried out both (at the staggering heights of lvl 2) and (no real surprise) neither really seems to have an advantage over the other- what about at higher levels?

-This is for a 28 pt new character, so no tomes/fancy gear are available.


Really it's just for a fun character as I run around, try to get to 400 (well 1750 ) favour, and learn my way around the game and the dungeons, I'll probably use the sword and shield most of the time, but get bored of using it all the time.

Thanks for any advice you can provide!

[usif]

THf is easier. Dont have to worry about dex, and less total weapons needed

[Impaqt]

Ranger11/3Paly is a good combo for a first timer TWFer. You lose out on a few spells and you wont get a +5 Bark till the cap goes up, but you can get some nice Saves, immunites, TWF, and self healing needed for soloing without using a ton of high end gear and tomes.

[Blazer]

THf is easier. Dont have to worry about dex, and less total weapons needed

Yep, as someone who is new to the game, this is the better way to go. Building for TWF is fun and can be challenging, but it will require some decent weapons. Namely, you'll need 2 of everything, whereas sword/board or THF requires only 1. :)

[sigtrent]

Ranger11/3Paly is a good combo for a first timer TWFer. You lose out on a few spells and you wont get a +5 Bark till the cap goes up, but you can get some nice Saves, immunites, TWF, and self healing needed for soloing without using a ton of high end gear and tomes.

I have an elf like this I really like but it works well with dwarf too.

I'd recomend if you go dwarf and fighter, see if you can get improved trip or stunning blow worked into your build. This really helps the solo TWF character because you can off hand the strategy bonus weapon and main hand a high to hit weapon. I do this with my fighter and it works great when you really want to trip something. I go with a Vertigo 10 light mace and a +5 Kopesh and it's great for making things sit down and stop hitting me.

[Slayer918]

I would definately go w/ two handed fighting as a secondary mode... w/o tomes to pass down to your guy you will have to start w/ 17 dex if you want greater two weapon fighting thats 7 more build points then say a THF build who starts w/ maybe 14 dex... thats a lot especially for a 28 pt. build...

P.S. Would TWF really be more weapons if he swords and boards most of the time?

THFer means mainhand weapon (sword and board times) and 2-handers

TWFer means mainhand weapon (sword and board times) and offhanders

so offhanders replace the 2-handers and so it then means that it will depend on if he has more "multi-purpose" 2-handers or offhanders...

(and some mainhanders may be light and thus work doubly as offhanders in some cases)

[Quartzite]

I'm planning a Dwarven fighter, will have a few Paladin levels for the immune to fear that looks so promising as well as some wands.
Now- I know (or assume) that sword & board are the staple for a solo fighter
but as a secondary- would I likely get more use out of two weapons or using a two handed weapon? I've tried out both (at the staggering heights of lvl 2) and (no real surprise) neither really seems to have an advantage over the other- what about at higher levels?

If you are building your character around a sword-and-board then it's not worth taking either the THF or TWF feat-set. Of course, with a high Str and Power Attack you can do really well with a 2-handed weapon even without the THF, ITHF and GTHF feats. TWF is a heavy feat investment, which although fighters can afford, stops you from spending your feats on other things and trying out different playstyles. TWF is for people that know they want to TWF, in my opinion. Play Sword+Board and THF, get to know the game and then decide if you want the frantic pace of TWF.

[Blind_Skwerl]

Now- I know (or assume) that sword & board are the staple for a solo fighter...

It can be. THF & TWF can be also though. The nice thing about fighters is they can be molded into many different styles. All those feats can give you plenty to work with.

As far as THF vs. TWF in the end game, THF is the king of melee DPS. Especially with a good bane weapon or the almighty Sword of Shadows. TWF can do decent dps but really shines in the stat damage department. I'm not sure of the numbers, but I think at cap, a TWF can get in 7 attacks in a round (might be slightly less, I forgot). That's 7 reductions to the mobs con, 7 chances to banish him, paralyze him, etc...