1H vs 2H @ HC

Is this a too simplified assumption:
The decision between equipping either a 1H Weapon with a shield or a 2H Weapon / Dual Weapons is primarily based on deciding between more defense or more offense.

Therefore; when playing Hardcore most of your builds will have a shield and accept taking little longer to clear and to kill a boss?



I play HC and typically always build with a shield as I want to reduce the chance of death as much as possible; the only exception is a few characters playing with 2H Weapon or Dual Wielding or Bow for the fun of that playstyle, knowing they are riskier to play in HC.

Am I overlooking something; is playing 2H Weapon or Dual Wielding in HC actually equal or maybe even better in HC than carrying a shield? What have I not realized?

Thank you!

Depends; Hardcore also tends to attract the most intense players. Also, 2-handers get max benefit from one of the better Ascendancy classes for survivability assuming you intently pay attention: Slayer. Slayer allows you to scale defense from damage to some degree, similar to CI/GR/VP builds at the top end of the meta right now.

Also, I like to say "dead men deal no dps;" the faster you kill enemies, the less often they'll attempt to damage you.

But yeah, for "casual" HC players, Shield is pretty much "Best in slot." It's much harder to screw up with a high block build than with a Slayer wielding 2H with no block.

EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention. Fake Dual Wield (aka Southpaw) is actually a way to get Dual Wield builds to have nearly as much defense as a Shield build, but still gain the Dual Wield innate bonus. Fake DW works by having one weapon that works with a skill, and one weapon that doesn't. The weapon that doesn't is called the "stat stick." I leveled to 90 in HC Perm using Scaeva + Advancing Fortress and Lacerate. Scaeva in offhand + Fortress in mainhand meant that I actually got more block from my items than any one existing shield despite having the offensive power of having 2 Scaeva-level weapon DPS weapons. I don't know if GGG finds this OP or not, since they apparently coded Lacerate to specifically have a weapon animation for fake dualwield, which kind of implies this kind of exploitation is intended.

EDIT2: Another alternative to Scaeva/Fortress if you want to try this "fake DW" thing is Ungil's Gauche, which provides +12% block when dual wielding.

I play mostly caster builds, and I typically dual wield - especially while leveling (up to and including in merciless). The additional damage given by a solid second weapon is nothing to scoff at.

What many players underestimate is the fact that the faster you kill stuff, the less damage you'll receive. I'm not saying offense is the best defense, but it IS a type of defense.

Weapon and shield, dual wield, 2H, they are all perfectly viable choices for HC, with pros and cons.

You should try to create a balanced build with no weaknesses, with respectable offense and defense. Focusing on defense only slows you down dramatically, and means you'll receive much more damage than with a hard-hitting build.

While leveling, if you know what you're doing, you should aim for at least 300 hitpoints per act. Also, decent resists in cruel and maxed in merciless. Don't forget unfreezing and anti-bleed flasks for cruel, and possibly anti-curse for merciless too. If you have these basic parameters secure, opting to dual wield or go 2H in order to deal more damage is not a bad choice at all.

You can also make a build which doesnt specialize in Shield or DW passives. That way you can do easier stuff with DW/2H and harder stuff with 1H+Shield.

As to defenses as bow user: If you dont screw up badly, know what you are doing and have enough DPS then normal mapping is very safe/easy in good layouts.

In case of major human/player error, really bad luck, lag, disconnect: Defenses (shield here) trump most close range offenses though. The best instakill DPS is useless if you dont apply it due to one of these reasons. It can also be dangerous. Getting hit by bearers for example is less likely to RIP you if you didnt kill all of them at once.

Overall it is IMO more a personality thing if you "should" go for more defense or more offense.