Guild Wars 2

Will using the Sword/Dagger combo seriously hinder me in normal PvE activities? I really like the thematics of that style, and want to use it.

And by normal I mean pretty much just wandering the world, exploring, questing, eventing, generic stuff like that. Dungeoning isn’t high on my to-do list right now.

You could wander the world doing hearts and quests and exploration using Pistol/Pistol, if you really wanted to. Compared to that, Sword/Dagger is a breeze.

Don’t be afraid to try out other weapons, of course. Sword/Pistol would be easier, which isn’t always what people are after. Dagger/Dagger will do more burst damage. Staff, when you eventually get there with Heart of Thorns and the Daredevil, is just very strong all-around. But yes, you can play normal open world content with Sword/Dagger without any serious issues.