Two-handed weapon or weapon and shield?

[DeathAdder]

When these are the choices available in a melee combat game, what's your preferred option?

Personally I prefer two-handed weapons, and I go for power over speed, so in Skyrim, for example, I was on war hammers for most of the game. Later, however, I used shields to up my blocking skill, but by then I was so powerful that I just held it up and let someone twat me with their sword continuously, while I was blocking and also healing with my other hand.

What do you choose?

[Tobal]

If the choice is available using both fists, bare handed or Knuckles/Craws usually as some sort of Fist of the north star roleplay, Skyrim putting all those critical unarmed kill animations in a later patch made it a lot more run when i could german suplex bandits onto their head.

If the game has Souls in the title then play through number one is always 1 handed weapon + shield for progression sake.

[kryss]

Great sword everytime - two handed, heavy sword but with a defense capability. Best of both worlds.

[Asura]

I prefer sword-and-board if I have a choice - particularly in games where you actually hold a button to block.

[Dogg Thang]

I'll go for the sword. Mostly because I always forget to use block mechanics. If it isn't a simple hold back, like in SF, my brain won't take it in.

[Cepp]

Two handed swords all the way if my character can take his lumps.

[QualityChimp]

Can I have nunchakus?

[eastyy]

Sword and shield ...though if i can have two swords i would go with that

[dataDave]

In standard Skyrim nothing's ever going to kill you anyway... may as well go 100% offence as you run amok chopping heads off. Just windmill in with a great axe. There's no need to heal, block, apply poison, take your time, or any of that bull****.

With realism mods it's a different story. You're forced to invest in Heavy Armour at the start if you want to stand a chance at making it through Helgen. Once you're out you can decide what you want to do and train towards it. I had no intentions of being a ranger/outdoorsman, but that kind of came with the way I was playing - hunting animals for pelts as it is became good income that paid for my smithing... Smithing I ended up not needing as I was actually dealing more damage with arrows eventually, and thus not getting hit that much. I'm only one level away from the bullet-time style archery perk, meaning I'll finally be able to take down mages before they can fire off their absurdedly powered spells. After 363 hours the Winterhold questline will thus finally be doable!