Good at 20?
Nope. Terrible. Come back with +10% hit at 60.
Download recount (or details) and go smack a training dummy. Whichever does more DPS is gonna be better for leveling based on your current gear.
Everyone’s gonna say 2h arms because of the miss chance, but there’s other factors to consider at level 20 while leveling. This is all even assuming you’re specced 10 points into arms.
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Almost no moves at 20 are benefitting from topend damage, and you can weapon swap into overpowers with a macro. It costs an extra GCD, but at 20 it’s not like you’re exactly spamming abilities with excess rage.
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You’re going to suffer from increased miss chance, but combined DPS from both weapons is usually significantly higher than an equivalent 2h weapon. This is a big part of why they include a huge miss chance penalty.
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You may have a 1h weapon of significantly higher item level than your current 2h (e.g. you pick up cruel barb and didn’t get smite’s hammer in a run). Throw on a mediocre offhand and you’re going to outDPS that level 12 green 2h weapon you’re using.
I switched to it once I got the the vanquisher’s sword from completing the SM quest at like 38.
It’s working pretty well for me, you only really miss a lot vs mobs 2+ levels higher.
If you stick to same level or lower mobs you’ll be fine.
Dont listen to the haters…you do what you want no matter how bad it is.
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I went DW at 60 with 4% hit from gear, and I miss a looooot… Stick with 2h imo, all the way through. Only go DW with 6%+ hit, and if Horde, may as well stay 2h altogether.
Just do what you want to do.
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There’s no training dummies in classic.
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I went dw most of the 20s on my warrior and it was rough. So many miss chains. Against lower level mobs it was okay but against equal level or higher it was brutal.
Once I got the 2h axe out of rfk I went back to 2handers and it was much smoother.
In the end of the day we’re not playing your character or paying for your sub. You are.
I leveled from 20 to 55(current level) as almost pure DW. Only a small gap from 34 to 38 with the whirlwind Axe, and when tanking instances(sword+shield).
Early Arms talents are pretty indifferent to DW or 2H except for improved Overpower. Deep Arms does synergize with 2H though.
Fury can do well with either 2h but does synergize with DW better.
Typically equivalent 1hers with the 50% OH and the increased miss chance a 2h will have higher white damage.(if you take DW spec then DW will have the higher white dmg at 3 or 4 points).
However with unbridled wrath you will be generating much more rage to make up for that lower white dmg, also rage gen is much smoother.
I cant say for certain which one was doing better at kill speed, but I can say that the most boring time I had leveling was using the whirlwind axe from 34 to 38 cause it just felt so slow, where as DW you use far more abilities.
But like someone else said as long as you are sticking to mobs around your level it seems fine, and if you are fighting green mobs you just melt them.
Hit is not a necessary stat despite what people tell you, its just your best stat till you hit the yellow hit cap, but that is true for 2H arms as well(also yellow hit cap is the same for 2H as DW)
However fury will gain benefit for hit beyond the yellow hit cap where a 2h will not.
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Personally I say arms 2H because after you get sweeping strikes cleaving feels good and after you get whirlwind it feels great. When you’re in dungeons and charge into a SS/WW combo with WF the damage is pretty ridiculous.
Since he asked about 20 I tried to ignore the later arms talents. If you’re specced into arms at 30 is where it gets fun. Then there’s 36 for whirlwind and 40 for MS…at that point you shouldn’t be considering dual wielding unless you respec
Most of the time, dual wielding will be inferior to a 2h or even 1h/shield due to the miss penalty and 50% off hand penalty. The odds are stacked against dual wielding, and the weapons need to be really good, or it isn’t worth doing. Having a shield means no penalties, an armor boost, block, and shield bash. A crap off hand is not worth the slight DPS boost. Most of the time, a solid 2h is higher DPS than DW as well. Again, results can vary, but the odds are stacked against the DW. Sadly enough, spirit sticks are often the best weapons you can get. They are in WC, SFK, and BFD. There’s another spirit stick in SMC, but at this point, most people have whirlwind axe. If you want a new 2h in the 40s, run Uldaman, as the final boss drops a 2h on 2 of its 3 items. The sword is a bit more ideal for warrior, but either of them are worth swinging.
Good at 60 with hit cap.