1h or 2h for pally

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by Nytch [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

That's the reason why I asked about the 1h or 2h. If it isn't going to matter I would just sell off the Stalwart Seas and go with the half elf. But I wanted to keep a hold of it in case the shields did make a huge difference.

I'm just giving you the 'pep talk'.
Whether it matters or not, is subjective and almost always up for debate.

For example, shields were upgraded to be somewhat appealing a lot later down the road. Project1999 will never reach that milestone, so it will not be something to ponder (unless the devs decide to ninja-patch that). I, as a paladin, never actually used them much even when they were upgraded, mainly due to having access to pretty much every drop I wanted/needed, and already using a variety of rune procing 2handed swords, and later epic 1.5 and 2.0. Others, with different live experience than mine, will offer another perspective over the subject.

Another example, in regards to race-deity choice / starting stats choice. Again, it's subjective, and eventually up to the player him-herself. I, again as a paladin, almost always advise someone to go with dwarf/stamina, human/stamina, or halfelf/stamina. Why? Because if you are currently unsure whether or not you will raid and how hardcore will you do it if you do it, a combination of the above will look a lot better on your application at the "Inglourious Mystical Entry" website than Erudite/charisma-intelligence. But again, if you are 'already' in said guild, or you have no ambition of getting BiS in each slot or standing over the corpses of every boss multiple times, that advise might not sound very appealing.

tl ; dr This isn't WoW. Using a shield will not make that huge of a difference over not using one. Still, keep the following in mind

-Carrying a shield in your bags will allow you to equip a 1h slash / blunt / pierce and keep your weapon skills up as you level down the road.
-Carrying a shield in your bags will allow you to swap for a bash then switch back to your 2hander if that is your preferred play style.
-If you have a shield equiped while you're standing somewhere LFGing, some people might take that into consideration when they're looking for tanks (WoW mentality but it still exists).

Try to benefit from everything the class offers. Use them to your maximum advantage. It might sound like a lot of work to have to swap gear mid-fights, or during pulls, but eventually, if you don't have a regular group that you're leveling up with, it will eventually pay you off. Because when people see you holding a stein for example, while you're trying to pacify mobs for a safer pull, at first they will be intrigued and ask you about it. And once they realize you're doing this to make things easier/safer for them, then it's gonna leave a very good and lasting impression.
Because later on, when people see 'Nytch LFG' , they won't be bothered by the fact that you play a 40% exp penalty class, but instead they will try to group with you because you're a fucking good tank that knows what it's doing.