New POE player - 2h or DW on marauder?

Hi, new POE player here but not new to ARPGs. Decided to roll a Marauder first and figure things out rather than following builds; reading the in-game help manuals as they come available. On thing I'm uncertain of is whether Marauder is more geared towards 2h (as the avatar on the selection screen shows) or DW, or if it doesn't really matter.

So far it seems the main difference is:

2h - more sockets/links so options for additional support gems to your main skill

DW - more dps, but less sockets/links

Due to seemingly faster APS on DW, skills can be spammed faster (not concerned about mana cost at this point), but less links so not as powerful.

Am I right in this assessment and can anyone provide additional insight?

TIA
Last bumped on Nov 29, 2018, 10:57:41 AM
Well generally dual wielders (or 1H + shield) will put their main attack skill in their chest for a 6 link there. You always want 5 or 6 links for you main attack as the difference is enormous over 3 or even 4 links.

One of the main reason for using a 2handed weapon over dual wielding is damage scaling. If your support gems, and passive skill tree say increase physical dmg then having a very hard hitting 2hander can give more damage (at the cost of speed).

Also don't underestimate the survivability a shield gives you as well. You can still get very good damage from a one hander if your skill is a 5/6 slot in your chest.
impossible to answer that. "on marauder" doesn't mean anything in PoE.

You choose your weapon based on your build, which is determined by the skillgem(s) you are using and/or specific uniques.
Do you wanna cast spells? Do you wanna hit stuff? Do you want to clear maps fast? Do you want to smash bosses faces? Do you want to stun things? Do you want to be tanky? All these things can be done with a marauder. Its highly specific and there is no: "This is best." You can make everything work well. So it most often just comes down to subjective personal preference.

Depending on your goal you choose your skills and then your weapon.
Some skills use two weapons, others just one - eventhough you are dual wielding.

To give you a very slight answer: One-handers are way more popular right now.
Last edited by marc004 on Nov 29, 2018, 10:58:33 AM

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