Double Weapons? huh? 4.0 O.o

[Eon]

So I was reading through the Player's Handbooks for 4th edition and got confused about double weapons. How do they work? is it 2 attacks or is it pick a side and swing? Same with dual wielding... Is there any way to attack with both?

[LurkerInPlayground]

Quick-answer:
I believe that it gives you a +1 bonus to an attack.

Also, some powers require you to have two weapons equipped. These are probably the more traditional "double-swing" type of deal.

[AslanCross]

If I'm not mistaken, you can only attack with two weapons if a power tells you to. Your basic attack typically doesn't allow you to attack with both.

[Inyssius Tor]

So I was reading through the Player's Handbooks for 4th edition and got confused about double weapons. How do they work? is it 2 attacks or is it pick a side and swing? Same with dual wielding...

Pick a side and swing.

On a tangentially related note, I should point out that 4e's double weapon rules have received some rather substantial errata (see page 27 of this document (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/UpdateJan2010.pdf)).

As for dual wielding, note that--if one of your weapons has the off-hand property, or you have a class feature that lets you treat all weapons as having that property--there are no penalties for wielding weapons in both hands, and that the game does not mechanically distinguish between your main and off hand (that is, you can change which is which whenever you like).


Is there any way to attack with both?

Yes: get a power which lets you attack with both. At-wills such as Dual Strike, for fighters; Twin Strike, for rangers; and Whirling Rend, for barbarians.


Quick-answer:
I believe that it gives you a +1 bonus to an attack.

This is false.

Not entirely false: there is a dual-wielding fighter option in Martial Power which fighters can choose instead of One-Handed Weapon Talent or Two-Handed Weapon Talent. If you take it, this option will indeed give you a +1 to hit with off-hand weapons (among other things).

[KillianHawkeye]

Quick-answer:
I believe that it gives you a +1 bonus to an attack.

Correction: If you have the Two-Weapon Fighting feat and are wielding a weapon in each hand (or a double weapon), attacks with your main weapon deal +1 damage. Simply holding two weapons without the feat does nothing.