ESO FAQ >> Why Do Some Magicka Characters Use Dual Wield

Why Do Some Magicka Characters Use Dual Wield

You might notice, especially in higher Levels and Veteran Ranks, that some characters use Dual Wield weapons but don’t use any Dual Wield abilities. You may even notice that they are often using Magicka abilities instead of Stamina abilities.

The reason for this phenomenon is several factors including Spell Damage, increased set items slots and the passive called Twin Blade and Blunt.

Note: The reasons for this are from a “min/max” perspective aimed at increasing stats as far as possible. The benifits are also mostly relevant once you reach at least VR1, before that it is probably not going to make much difference at all.

Spell / Weapon Damage

All of the different weapon types in ESO give both Spell and Weapon Damage.

Dual Wield provides the most Spell / Weapon Damage out of all weapon types of the same level and quality. So naturally you can increase your Spell / Weapon Damage by equipping Dual Wield items, even if you don’t use any Dual Wield abilities.

It is all about increasing that Spell / Weapon Damage stat. A Staff of the same level and quality won’t give as much Spell / Weapon Damage as say Dual Wield daggers or swords.

Extra Set Item

Dual Wield also provides another slot to use for an Item Set. This means you can have 12 items as set pieces compared to only 11 items with a Staff, 2H or Bow.

Item Sets are really valuable and for a character trying to squeeze out the best stats an extra slot is great!

Twin Blade and Blunt

Grants 25/50% chance to bleed for x Physical Damage over 8 seconds with dual axes. Deal 2.5/5% bonus damage to heavily armored enemies with dual maces. Deal 1.5/2.5% more damage with dual swords. Increases Weapon Critical by 2.5/5% with dual daggers.

This passive also provides increased damage or Spell and Weapon Crit to a character which can be useful. When you combine the above effects together it can be worth it to use Dual Wield instead of another weapon type.