The damage formula for single hit skills like smash and windmill is
(weapon 1 + weapon 2 + base damage)* skill multiplier
I’ll be quoting some math from Zid’s Two-Handed vs. Dual-Wield guide from Mabination in 2010. I highly recommend reading it to help you make an informed choice on weaponry. Read his guide here.
Dual wielding is always superior for windmilling, and two-handed swords are better at smashing after you have high enough base damage. Remember that smashing with a two handed weapon has a 20% boost to damage (you multiply the smash multiplier by 1.2x) and a 5% critical bonus.
Gladius
Damage: 15~32
Claymore
Damage: 28~55
Comparing Rank 1 Windmill:
2x Gladius
(15~32 + 15~32) * 250% = 75~160 damage
Claymore
(28~55) * 250% = 70~137.5 damage
Comparing Rank 1 Smash:
2x Gladius
(15~32 + 15~32) * 500% = 150~320 damage
Claymore
(28~55) * 600% = 168~330 damage
As you can see, a Claymore will always lose to Gladius when it comes to windmill since there’s two of them and they both contribute damage. However all two handed swords have the potential to outdamage dual wield with smash due to the damage boost. For giants, the damage boost would be even greater (and make this comparison trivial) if giant smash is 600% at rank 1 like on live, however this isn’t the case yet. Basically you have to pump up your base damage by gaining Strength and using damage enchants to make two handed weapons worthwhile. Also note that while two-handed weapons get stronger enchants, dual wielding allows you to enchant both weapons.
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