I wonder why many of the newbie quest Pally weapons are 2HS when all my Paladins prefer 1HS w/shield for Bash skill...? Same with Warriors getting 2HS when they can Dual-wield....At least my Frog Paladin got a 1HS for his newbie quest.
Well 2hs does more damage than 1hs+bash and SK's Pallys and Wars (not sure) get 2handed bash as an AA. Mind you there are alot of swords better than the newbie weapon that you could easily get at this point. But later on 2hs,2hb,2hp will be a pally's best friend.
Ummm...sorry but Bash skill makes a shield a dual-wield weapon and can do great damage if AC is high enough. Plus stunning can lessen the damage they do to you. And I'd rather use AA points for more important things. The one you mention would just be a luxury I'd put at bottom of the list. But,yes....2Hs do more damage,but so what? It's just as easy to get a 1Hs with much lower delay that'll hit more often and do close to the same damage these 2Hs weapons will do. Mainly,it comes down to fighting-style and looks. I prefer my Pallies to use 1Hs/shield combo,as do most other Paladins in the game. 2Hs are better suited for Warriors or Berserkers.
Why would you want that stuff that the guards carry? It's usually just fine steel or Rusty weapons. This is slightly better cause it has some stats and extra bane damage againts undead. I'm almost finnish this quest, just need the spider thorax.