Guild Wars 2

Can someone give me a quick or extensive rundown of how damage actually works? For example, I use dual sword+secondary bells as a mesmer.
Does this mean I’ll always be doing less damage than someone with a greatsword?
Bit confusing question, since I come from most typical MMO’s, I was just asking since I was just playing with my dual swords, then got a greatsword as a reward, and the better stats of it, just made me feel weird for using my dual swords.

Though of course I know the skills become different with what weapon you use.

Wow I sound like the newest player in the world, lel.

To answer the question: which does more damage – twohanded weapon or using main hand and offhand weapons?

Short: Its complicated.

Longer: Yes, the twohanded weapons have more base damage. But they also have usually slower to use or have longer cooldown or shorter range. Since your weapon skills change depending type of weapon you wear, damage is based on those skills. Not even the damage as number shown on the skill but you really should also consider casting times, cooldowns, extra conditions or boosts, how it works with your utility skills etc etc.

Since you can usually swap between have 2 sets of weapons (except engi and ele) it is common to have 1 ranged weapon and second close range weapon.

http://wiki.guildwars2.com/wiki/Damage

This should get you started. The short answer is:

Damage done = (Weapon strength) * Power * (skill-specific coefficient) / (target’s Armor)

To simplify a part of what is written in the wiki.
Weapon strength = the average attack that is in the weapon description, if you are using 2 1handed weapons (like sword + focus), you sum the values.

FogLeg.9354:

To answer the question: which does more damage – twohanded weapon or using main hand and offhand weapons?

Short: Its complicated.

Longer: Yes, the twohanded weapons have more base damage. But they also have usually slower to use or have longer cooldown or shorter range. Since your weapon skills change depending type of weapon you wear, damage is based on those skills. Not even the damage as number shown on the skill but you really should also consider casting times, cooldowns, extra conditions or boosts, how it works with your utility skills etc etc.

Since you can usually swap between have 2 sets of weapons (except engi and ele) it is common to have 1 ranged weapon and second close range weapon.

So In a way, the base damage of a one hand sword dual wielded, when compared to a 2hand greatsword, does not matter, and needs to be more considered about the cast times, and skills instead?
Since skills wise, I much prefer all of the 1hand skills, especially the phantasm

Yep.

Just try them both and stick to the one you enjoy better. For mesmer both 2handed sword and 1handed sword are viable weapons.

FogLeg.9354:

Yep.

Just try them both and stick to the one you enjoy better. For mesmer both 2handed sword and 1handed sword are viable weapons.

Awesome, because Dual wielding swords, is my favourite weapon set, I love the skills and the speed more, I guess it does make sense a greatsword would have more base damage anyway though.

Thanks! Now I know to just use the one I like best overall

Luckily dual sword is the meta build for mesmer in PvE.
Greatsword itself has a higher damage, but the mesmer skills for it has a low damage coefficient, while sword’s skills has a higher coefficient and the phanton from the sword off hand has high DPS than GS’s phanton.

But as FogLeg said, both are totally viable, the long range from GS is very useful sometimes.

Belzebu.3912:

Luckily dual sword is the meta build for mesmer in PvE.
Greatsword itself has a higher damage, but the mesmer skills for it has a low damage coefficient, while sword’s skills has a higher coefficient and the phanton from the sword off hand has high DPS than GS’s phanton.

But as FogLeg said, both are totally viable, the long range from GS is very useful sometimes.

Awesome, now I don’t feel stupid using two swords.