damage dropping when equipping an additional 1 handed weapon [duplicate]

Question

Possible Duplicate:
How is listed DPS calculated when dual-wielding weapons?

When equipping weapon 1 below, i gain a great amount of damage. When equipping another weapon in the off hand (or the main hand) my damage DROPS.

How is the damage from your equipped weapons calculated? I have searched through this exchange for a few minutes now and have read over all of the formulas and calculations but did not see anything answering this particular case.

Why is my damage dropping when equipping another 1 handed weapon?

Damage 12780.17 with only weapon 1.

Damage 12401.22 with weapon 1 and weapon 2.

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Weapon 1 (1hand axe):
435.5 dps
221-449dmg
1.3 aps
+123-267 lightning damage
+84 strength
+62 intellect

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Weapon 2 (1h spear):
247.8 dps
152-260 dmg
1.2 aps
+37-89 fire damage
+10% dmg
+83 strength
+211 intellect
+37% increased critical damage
+2.4% of damage dealt is converted to life

Answer 1

Dual-wielding damage is calculated on an 'alternating swings' basis, so the net DPS is based on the sum of the weapon damages divided by the sum of their swing-times. This is always a DPS loss except when both weapons have the same individual DPS.

The only 'perk' dual-wielding gives you is a 15% increase to attack speed. However, because 2-handed DPS is usually higher (and often much higher), that 15% speed boost is usually not worth it compared to either using a heavy-hitting 2h weapon or a 1h+shield combo.

The dual-wield situation is even weirder for demon-hunters. Quivers come with at least a 10% attack speed boost, and can be used in the offhand slot even with a 2h weapon, so the case dual-wielding is even weaker.

It's a shame that Diablo3's implementation of dual-wielding is (currently) so underwhelming, and I'd actually be surprised if Blizzard didn't tweak it... you know... 'Soon'.