2WF: Which weapon in which hand?

[shawnvw]

17th level Fighter/Ranger. My Kensai focus is axes, my Tempest and Oversize 2WF ability encourages me to use one in each hand. My favorite is Vorpal with a Meteoric Star Ruby (high damage, occasionally).

But then I got the Banhammer, which is Improved Vorpal, against nearly everything (including Bane damage vs constructs, undead, and outsiders).

But it's a hammer. So my Kensai abilities don't give it all those attack bonuses. But it's so powerful I should use it, whether in my main hand or in my off-hand (which gets fewer attacks).

So which weapon should go in my main hand: the one with an attack bonus that's +10 higher (sometimes more)? Or the one that does Bane damage and has a better chance of instant-killing?

[shawnvw]

The silence here is deafening. I'm posting this to General.

[Coffey]

Edit: Vorpal - On an attack roll of a natural 20 which is also confirmed as a critical hit. On a Vorpal Strike: If your target has fewer than 1500 hit points, it is instantly slain. If your target has above 1500 hit points, it takes 150 damage.

You will get more instakills with more crit hits from your main hand weapon but less damage from your centered kensai weapon in the off hand as it wont hit as often.

You would need to test it and use your best judgment. How much HP do your targets have? Does a crit hit usually kill them anyways with a blade?

If you are already tearing through your targets is 1500 HP or less instakill making any difference?

[FlavoredSoul]

I'd probably just try to find a vorpal/imp vorpal axe to use instead, you give up too much dps from Kensai for it to be worth using IMO, maybe as a swap.

Another thing to take into account is Imp Critical slashing (which I assume you have) won't do squat for the hammer.