Making the Case for Dual Weilding
Dual wielding gets a ton of flack in Dungeons and Dragons... and at high levels, most of the criticism is valid -- but how about lower levels?
Dual wielding shines the most in the first tier of play when martial classes haven't received their extra attack. Also, with the introduction of Martial Versatilty from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, being able to replace the fighting style as it becomes obsolete is an added bonus.
Fighters and Rangers get access to the Two-Weapon Fighting Fighting Style:
When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Rogues are a special edge case for this style of fighting since most of their damage comes from Sneak Attack -- and not necessarily from their weapon.
A variant human (or level 4 characters) gain access to the Dual Wielder feat:
You master fighting with two weapons, gaining the following benefits:
- You gain +1 bonus to AC while you are wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand
- You can use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons you are wielding aren’t light
- You can draw or stow two one-handed weapons when you would normally be able to draw or stow only one
Action Economy is King
Dual wielding will benefit classes that don't take advantage of bonus actions the most. Fighters are notorious for not having access to bonus actions (and this is why feats like Polearm Master or Crossbow Expert are so strong).
Battle Master Fighters can use their bonus action to spend the superiority dice.
Getting Extra Damage Out of Dual Wielding
Certain spells go a long way to getting more damage out of dual wielding -- spells like Hunter's Mark or Hex benefit from the bonus action attack.
Other Things to Consider
Most campaigns don't go past level 11 and this is typically where dual wielding typically falls off.
Futher Reading
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8RPL6_4t0Y
- https://dicecove.com/two-weapon-fighting-and-dual-wielding/
- https://www.skullsplitterdice.com/blogs/dnd/two-weapon-fighting-dnd5e
- https://blackcitadelrpg.com/two-weapon-fighting-in-5e/