Dual wielding

A marauder dual wielding two

Dual wielding refers to using a one-handed weapon in both hands. It is intended to be an option halfway between the damage output of two-handed weapons and the defensiveness of a shield and weapon combo.

Mechanics

Whenever the player equips two one-handed weapons of any type, dual wielding grants the following stats:

• +15% Chance to Block Attack Damage while Dual Wielding
• 10% more Attack Speed while Dual Wielding

The attack speed bonus is applied multiplicatively with other attack speed modifiers. These bonuses to dual wielding can be increased via passive skills. Weapons do not have to be of the same type to receive dual wielding bonuses.

There are no penalties of any kind to attacks with the player's off-hand weapon. The majority of attack skills in Path of Exile will alternate between equipped weapons for attacks, swinging first with the main hand and then with the off-hand weapon. The resulting attack speed is the average of the two weapons' attack speed, so the total time for a pair of attacks is as if each weapon attacked once.

It is possible to dual-wield wands. However, players cannot wield a wand in one hand and a melee weapon in the other.

Interaction with skills

While dual wielding, when you use an attack skill you will use the skill with your main hand then use it on the off hand, alternating with each use. is a special exception, which deals damage with a random weapon on hit.

When using a weapon-specific skill while dual wielding, both weapons must be compatible with the skill in order for the skill to be usable. For example, you cannot use while you have both a dagger and a sceptre equipped.

Items

Unique items

These items contain bonuses which can only be obtained through dual wielding:

Passive skills

There are passive skills that grant dual wielding bonuses.

Physical damage while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased damage with weapons while dual wielding.

Damage with ailments while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased ailment damage while dual wielding.

Accuracy while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased accuracy rating while dual wielding.

Attack speed while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased attack speed while dual wielding.

Cast speed while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased cast speed while dual wielding.

Critical strike chance while dual wielding

These passive skills grant increased critical strike chance with weapons while dual wielding.

Chance to block while dual wielding

These passive skills grant additional chance to block while dual wielding.

Miscellaneous

Those passive skills do not fit into the categories above:

Version history

Version	Changes
3.11.0	No longer grants 20% more physical attack damage. It still grants 10% more attack speed and 15% chance to block attack hits.
3.5.0	You can no longer use skills that require a specific weapon if you are dual-wielding and one of your equipped weapons is unsuitable for that skill. For example, you will no longer be able to use Reave with a dagger and sceptre equipped.