weapon selection

[RTN]

If you're a pure paladin and you're not a high AC build (by this I mean over 50 w/o buffs), is there any reason to go sword and board after about L10? I have a nearly capped pure paladin and I've always been sword and board (won't go TWF as feat costs are too high). I'm not sure I have the strength to make a two handed weapon build worthwhile, but I'm really not sure that sword and board provides me anything useful anymore beyond occasionally blocking. Should a high level pure pally, non-AC build, start looking to switch from Longsword or Khopesh to TH weapons? If so, which one?

[Jondallar]

khopesh at the very least will provide much more dps. If your Ac is over 45 with a shield it is still offering some protection. The easiest way to find out if going 2 hander is worth it is to just try it for a few quests and see what its like for you. You'd have to invest in feats either way you go to really find out.

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

Jond is right on about this one.

While Two-Handed does offer a little increase in DPS, the loss of the Shield is a big deal, and has to be weighed carefully. I got a Sword of Shadows on my Holy Avenger for my 20th Dragon Run, and while I do carry it, I rarely use it. I think for Barbarians, with the Critical Rage Enhancements, it is a no-brainer... but I still prefer Khopeshes for my Paladins. Khopesh is the best one-handed DPS weapon for most situations. Yes, a Deathnip can edge it out, as can a Elf wielding a Rapier... but for straight up non-race enhanced or non-uber-hard-to-get weapons, Khopesh is still the best damage.

My beswt suggestion, is to go pickup a good Greatsword and try it out for a few quests. See if the increase in damage is really worth it. Then also see if you are getting hit noticalby more or not.. and balance it out for you.

[RTN]

I went from a 47 to a 44 when I dropped all the Bulwark of Good enhancements. I didn't notice getting hit more. I still just get hit nearly all the time on high end content, especially on hard or elite. I can possibly hit 49 if I were to swap in and out some equipment (and acquired a +5 Mithril TS), but I doubt that will make a difference. Dropping my shield would put me into the high 30s for AC. If I'm already getting hit by most everything, I'm wondering if the DPS jump will be that much. My khopesh collection is pretty extreme (greater banes and all burstings available), so it would be time consuming and costly to switch.

[Dworkin_of_Amber]

Well, I can say that picking up BoG 3, and slapping on my +5 MTS and going with Defensive Fighting and a few buffs to get up to 53-55 AC has made a noticeable difference in my rate of getting hit. I was running Coalescence Chamber the other night as the only melee (we had 2x Arcane, a Ranger, and 2x Clerics), so I went turtle mode, and with the Ranger's Barkskin, +5 MTS, Defensive Fighting, and haste, I was around 53-55 AC, and I was suddenly getting hit a *LOT* less... I was able to turtle up, gather aggro, and let the Clerics and Arcanes pick them off one at a time... now I was having trouble hitting things regularly with -6 to hit (-4 from Defensive & -2 from Tower Shield), but it helped us survive the run.

But it all depends on the items/gear and party you have. There have been times where I have taken out BoG completely, just running RoG, and put my AP's into other things... I guess it really depends on your build/gear/playstyle. But I like the versatility of bing really DPS focused, then switching to Turtle mode.