I guess I'm just wondering how that doesn't, at an equal rate, apply to 1h'ers? Is there source-code somewhere that says 2h'ers take a larger hit? Numerically it can be more but that doesn't matter, it'd be percentage based. If you hit for ~40% less damage with your 2h'er one hit you'd hit an equal number of ~40% less damage one hander hits unless something in the code dictated that 2h'ers are hurt worse right?

I think it gets messy when you consider the chance to proc dual-wield and double/triple-attack. I'm too hungover to do the math on that though. Maybe someone else can.

Dual-wield has always just *felt* like better dps than 2h (warrior here).

Those chances are equal for both and would average out together as well. The only thing I can think of is that one gander ratios were just much better.

minimum hits are the same. max and average hits are different. Individual hits fall within a distribution derived from the average hit. a minimum hit on a high delay weapon amounts to lower dps for that combat round. conversely a max hit results in higher dps for that combat round. a higher delay means hits occur less frequently, so it takes more time for hits average effective hit to arrive at average calculated hit.

average hit = (2*dmg)+(level-25)/3 for 18/24 and (2*dmg)+(level-25)/2 for 30/40
min hit = 1+ (level-25)/3

That means

average hit for an 18/24 at level 31 would be 38, min hit 3
average hit for a 30/40 at level 31 would be 63, min hit 3

over time ignoring dbl atk, your dps should be 15.83 for the 18/24 and 15.75 for the 30/40 (another benefit of low delay weapons is that they are favored by the flat dmg bonus)

however, if RNG tosses you a min roll 6 times in a row, your dps drops to .75 over that 24 second window. over the same 24 second window, you receive 4 additional rolls with the lower delay weapon, if you only roll min 6 times in a row. suppose you land your max hit on each weapon in the next 6 rounds. You would arrive at a decent average in 29s with the 18/24, but it would take 48s with the 30/40. Same dps output (ignoring the dmg bonus advantage of low delay weapons), but longer to arrive at it.

It also means that you could have higher dps over short interval with higher delay weapons. Point is, it is less consistent.

That's all good vs a training dummy. But without parsing the same ratio 1h vs 2h against the same mob with the exact same gear/buffs you wont know. And with RNG it could turn out different every time. As well as, you would have to do this every 10 levels or so. Maybe just need to see it as situational gearing. 2h vs fighting monks/rogues head-on. Riposte dmg so good with 2h. When fighting a tank use 1h.

Mobs are training dummies. The issue is only when in a close fight, 2h's increased chance of variance from the average could potentially get you killed, whereas if you were using 1hers you would get more predictable results. Are you the gambling type?

With a long delay 2her you can kite a mob even in fairly tight quarters. For when you see that rare mob up with the pixel you crave...