Two weapon fighting 5e
It is slowly getting dark and a silhouette can be seen in the icy winds. The man slowly approaches the light of the campfire the soldiers of the king had set up.
“Who are you?” asks one of the soldiers.
The man lifts his right hand and slices his axe through the neck of the soldier. With his left hand, he throws his second axe at another soldier sitting by the campfire. The axe sticks between the eyes of the soldier as he goes to the ground.
As both soldiers are dead, the man leaves the campfire and vanishes back into the darkness.
Maybe you are imagining your character in Dungeons and Dragons similar to this. If you want to play a character that fights with two weapons simultaneously, you need to learn how to use two weapon fighting in DnD 5e. Learn everything you need to know in this “Two weapon fighting 5e” Guide from dungeon-heaven.com.
Two weapon fighting: Rules
The slice and dice for fighting got a lot easier with Dungeons and Dragons 5e. The basic attack rule from the Player’s Handbook is as follows:
When you make an attack action, you make a single attack roll with the weapon you are holding.
You can already see that the rule needs some modifications to work with two weapons. The Player’s Handbook also gives these modifications. The two weapon fighting 5e rule is as follows:
When you take the Attack Action and attack with a light melee weapon that you’re holding in one hand, you can use a Bonus Action to attack with a different light melee weapon that you’re holding in the other hand. You don’t add your ability modifier to the damage of the Bonus Attack unless that modifier is negative.
If either weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon, instead of making a melee attack with it.
First of all, you can see that everyone can use this feat. There are no limitations on race or class. If you want to use this feat you can do so. However, there is a big limitation. You can only use light melee weapons. Both weapons need to have the light quality. Usually, this quality is given to smaller weapons. Normally these weapons deal less damage than big two-handed weapons.
The Attack with the second weapon uses up a Bonus Action. If you’re using your off-hand weapon you can’t add your Attack modifier. This means the second hit is going to deal less damage than the first one on average. Normally this is your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
Two weapon fighting 5e works with thrown weapons. These thrown weapons must be light. You can toss a weapon as a bonus action.
Here is an overview of the basic rules of Two weapon fighting 5e:
- You can do two Attacks with two different weapons in one turn.
- The Attack with your weapon hand consumes 1 Action.
- The Attack with your off-weapon hand consumes 1 Bonus Action.
- You can’t add your attack modifier on the attack with your off-hand.
- Both weapons must have the light property.
- Both weapons must be melee weapons.
- You can throw with both hands if they have the thrown property.
Feat for Two weapon fighting 5e: Dual Wielder
The Dual Wielder feat might seem to be the same as Two weapon fighting. However, it is actually something different. You will gain these benefits:
- allows you to draw two weapons at once
- +1 AC whilst wielding two weapons for compensating not wearing a shield
- don’t need light melee weapons for Two weapon fighting
→ You can use up to 1d8 damage weapons (sword or rapier). Also, you are more likely to incorporate magic weapons. It also unlocks the classic trident and net combo.
If you are playing a Dexterity-based character the Mobile feat could also be very helpful.
Which weapon work with Two weapon fighting?
The table below is taken from the Player’s Handbook. It shows the possible weapons you can use for two weapon fighting 5e:
| Light melee weapon | Damage die | Additional Properties |
|---|---|---|
|
Shortsword |
1d6 |
Finesse |
|
Scimitar |
1d6 |
Finesse |
|
Handaxe |
1d6 |
Thrown (20 / 60) |
|
Dagger |
1d4 |
Finesse, Thrown (20 / 60) |
|
Light Hammer |
1d4 |
Thrown (20 / 60) |
|
Sickle |
1d4 |
None |
|
Club |
1d4 |
None |
Certainly, you can use homebrew or odd magic items.
Club
As you can see from the table above, clubs are not that good. There are light melee weapons that are much better than this.
We would recommend only using Clubs if you don’t have other options or it is in your character’s backstory.
Dagger
Daggers are great light melee weapons. They are the only weapon in this category with three properties. They have finesse, light, and thrown property. This allows attacks like stabbing an enemy and then throwing your second dagger. Unfortunately with 1d4 the damage is very low. If you’re playing a Dexterity-based character this weapon is your best choice for two weapon fighting. This is the case as long as you don’t have martial weapon proficiency.
Handaxe
Handaxes do more damage than daggers. You get 1d6 instead of 1d4. However, you lose the finesse quality. These weapons are the best for Strength-based characters with no access to martial weapons.
Light Hammer
Light Hammers are the only bludgeoning weapons with the thrown property. However, Handaxes are better in every aspect. If you need to choose we would recommend always taking the Handaxe. Unless your enemy has some strange damage-type resistance and you need bludgeoning damage, Handaxes are better.
Sickles
Sickles may look cool if you want to play a character like Khal Drogo from Game of Thrones. But the weapon gets outmatched by every other weapon in the game. It isn’t worth the cost.
Scimitars / Shortsword
These two are usually the best option. They deal decent damage and have good properties. You need to ask yourself what kind of damage you want to deal with. Scimitars deal slashing damage and Shortswords deal piercing damage. Especially in early levels, it may be important that Scimitars are more expensive. The martial weapons proficiency counts for both weapons.
Classes for Two weapon fighting
As it is with every feat the case there are some classes that benefit the most. At dungeon-heaven.com you will find an overview of all Classes in Dungeons and Dragons.
Fighter
As a fighter you get to choose a fighting style. Here you choose “Two-Weapon Fighting”. This style gets rid of the biggest limitation. You can add your ability modifier to your off-hand attacks. This allows you to get very competitive damage-wise. Just pick the fighting style followed by any fighter archetype.
Ranger
Usually Rangers use their first Bonus Action for Hunter’s Mark. However, after the first turn, your Bonus Action is free to use. Now you can use your Bonus Attack for an extra Attack. This extra Attack stacks with the Hunter’s Mark. Hunter’s Mark applies with every hit, including your off-hand attack. Also, you get the same fighting style ability that fighters get. It is just one level later.
Barbarian
Barbarians and Rangers are very similar in this case. They use their first Bonus Action to Rage. After this round the bonus action is free. The bonus rage damage will apply to off-hand and on-hand attacks. Path of the Zealot is a good build for this. You will gain more chances to hit and deal extra damage with the divine fury feature.
Rogue
Rogues get the chance to trigger Sneak Attack damage. With more possible attacks you get more chances to deal Sneak Attack damage. In the long run, you can increase your damage over time. Rouges will deal extra d4 or d6 damage. This is especially potent for the Swashbuckler subclass. It allows you to disengage from multiple enemies in a turn.
Paladin
Just like with Rogues you get more chances to use your class-specific features. With more attacks, you get more chances to use Divine Smite. With level 11 Paladins add 1d8 of radiant damage to every hit. The 1st level spell Divine Favor allows you to add 1d4 of radiant damage to every hit extra. All these spells and attacks stack up on each hit.
Advantages and Disadvantages
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
|
more attacks |
give up +2 AC from wearing a shield |
|
more chance of actually hitting |
bigger damage with one non-light weapon (especially on later levels) |
|
deal more damage at early levels |
certain feat combos become unavailable |
|
great on abilities that trigger on each hit (Rage, Divine Smite, …) |
blocks Bonus Actions for other abilities |
|
great on abilities that require a hit (Sneak Attack, Hunter’s Mark, …) |
|
|
enemy spellcasters have to do more constitution saving throws to maintain concentration |
|
FAQ
Why doesn’t everybody use two weapon fighting?
Generally, speaking Two weapon fighting is considered to be bad. There are many people – like in this Reddit post – that have tackled this problem.
The biggest problem for most is that you will have to use your Bonus Action above a bunch of other options. Especially spellcasters use their Bonus Action for spells or other magical features. For some classes like Bards, Barbarians, and Monks the Bonus Action is a vital resource. It is used for e.g. Bardic Inspiration, Barbarian Rage, and Flurry of blows.
Another problem is that light weapons only hit lightly. Although you have a higher chance of actually hitting you will deal less damage. One big weapon normally deals more damage than two light weapons. No later than Level 5 PCs will gain an extra attack. Two swings with something big hits a lot harder than three stabs with something small.
Also, you are not allowed to carry a shield. It is a choice between offense and defense. A shield gives +2 AC. Maybe you don’t have any shield proficiency in a class.
Is two weapon fighting worth it in D&D 5e?
If two weapon fighting 5e is worth it varies greatly on your build. Generally, it means trading out the possibility of greater damage on fewer attacks, in favor of lesser damage spread out over multiple attacks. There are a few important things to consider if you want to choose this feat:
- Attacks have less impact
- You don’t get the AC benefit of a shield
- You are more likely to hit at least once during a turn
- You are more likely to hit multiple times during a turn
Some classes especially benefit from these facts. So yes it can be worth it. If you are making the most out of these attacks it can be worse than grabbing a single weapon and a shield.
How can I increase the damage?
You can increase your damage when fighting with two weapons. With the fighting style, Two weapon fighting you are allowed to add the ability modifier to the damage of your offhand attack. This increases the damage up to +5. Fighters and Rangers get this by default. Anyone with martial weapon proficiency can get this through the Fighting Initiate feat.
Conclusion: Two weapon fighting 5e
Two weapon fighting 5e is a lot easier than it used to be. With the right feats and playing style, it can become better than using one weapon. Especially when you start getting magical weapons or homebrew items the damage output can stack up to insane high numbers over time. When creating a fighting-based character two weapon fighting is definitely worth a look.
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