Imago: Dual-Wielding! >:3
 
 
O&S: We Acept

@Meanlucario  
The way I used anime was sort of akin to a colloquialism for “individual, animated or otherwise, who can do impossible shit”. This way, I can also reference Neo, who was both if one counts the CGI Neo from the Smith fight, lol.

@thps48  
Or in a Fantasy game.

@thps48  
Pretty much, lol.

@Top Hat Denominator  
Essentially, two blades are only effective if you’re from an anime. <w<

There’s no reason to dual wield, even if the weapons have slightly differing uses. The much better alternative to dual wielding is to use multi-use polearms such as a pole-axe or halberd. That way you not only have a multi-use weapon, but you have twice as much range which is a benefit to both offense and defense. And even if I didn’t have access to a pole-arm, I’d rather have a shield than a second weapon, since it gives me the option to block should I need it. And I don’t recommend trying to static block someone with a weapon of any kind, that’s a great way to break a weapon or get a wrist injury.
 
Generally it boils down to the three main attributes that your equipment should have: Attacking, Blocking, and Parrying. A weapon can attack and parry but not block. A shield can parry and block but not effectively attack since they’re too unwieldy. Armour sort of counts as a block by itself. Certain weapons, shields and armour are better than others at each attribute, but generally that’s how it works.
 
A second weapon gives you no significant extra ability at the cost of using up a second hand. Yeah, it’s badass but in a real fight it would have gotten you killed.

Dual-wielding does have its niche uses. Attacking with both weapons as if each of your hands was a different combatant (or swinging one weapon after the other to reduce “attack cooldown”) is the video game thing and doesn’t work; it could theoretically work if you were superhuman or against a very outclassed opponent, but in reality, even if you’re ambidextrous both hands are going to be slower and more awkward, and your awareness of the situation will suffer, as a result of trying to operate both independently. The human brain just isn’t made for that, and even if you wanted to do something like have two axes and swing them both from the same angle for more damage, something that doesn’t require a lot of extra coordination.. any potential benefits are outweighed by how much you’d gain by just using a two-handed weapon instead. In short, even if you could do it effectively, you’d have superior options anyway, and you most likely can’t.
 
But, you can wield two weapons that do different things, using the one that’s appropriate for the current application instead of trying to use both simultaneous, such as long range or short range. Or the most common real-life example, an off-hand weapon that’s purely for utility, such as parrying or disarming. Technically speaking, using a sword with a shield is dual-wielding.

@thps48  
Having played a lot of Dragon Age: Origins, dual wielding kitchen knives seems like it would be an effective combat style. But it wouldn’t work well for me. I don’t have nearly enough dex D:

Like in Star Wars! XD
 
I’m half-joking. Dual-wielding is something only 12-year-olds think is efficient, but I was about 12 when I saw dual-wielding for the first time in life in Episode II… Sequentially, because I am still a child in a grown man’s body, I do still think dual-wielding is cool. XD

@Blissey1  
Aye, and a counter-intuitive combat style to say the least.

dual wielding is a combat style, not a weapon :x