History Main / ChoiceOfTwoWeapons

For characters who use two different weapons at the same time, see {{Guns Akimbo}}, {{Dual Wielding}} and {{Sword and Gun}}. Contrast {{Weapon Of Choice}}.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: Game Books]]

[[AC: TabletopGames]]

[[AC: VideoGames]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

[[AC: RealLife]]

* Samurai used either a naginata (glaive), yumi-ya (bow), yari (spear) or teppo (arquebus and later musket) on the battlefield as their primary weapon. If things got up close, they switched to the katana. If things were too close up even for a katana or the samurai dropped the back-up weapon, they had [[CrazyPrepared yet another weapon]] called the Wakizashi, which was basically a short-sword shaped like a katana.

Subtrope is the {{Magic Knight}}, who wields just one weapon but backs it up with magic rather than another weapon.

* '''{{Bow And Sword In Accord}}.''' This is probably the most popular ancient cross. Usually these characters are [[JackOfAllTrades flexible souls]], and they usually wear light to medium armour. One character you won't find with a shield, as they need to be able to swap from bow to sword fast. This combo makes sense as it gives a character range and protection, though they tend to be lightly armoured.
* '''{{Multi Melee Master}}:''' A character who carries more than one melee weapon. Frequently, carries a short ranged and a long reach weapon. That or a weapon that is good for offense and defence. They tend to have trouble changing between them though as it means they have to draw the new weapon and dispose of the old one somehow.

* '''{{The Musketeer}}:''' A gun and a sword combo. Typical combination for characters and armies on the advent of gunpowder, the ranged weapon in this case is often more of a throw-away weapon used to down an opponent before closing to meet with the rest. Bayonets are a special case, a type of multi-purpose weapon that originally functioned as a spear which happened to fire something before you used it, until the gun part of the weapon became more important with the advent of accurate rifles.
* '''{{Emergency Weapon}}:''' In more modern times, a first-person-shooter protagonist is likely to wield some kind of back-up melee weapon just in case the main blaster runs out of juice. The traditional example is a crowbar or some other [[ImprovisedWeapon improvised weapon]]. Professional soldiers usually carry knives. And of course, there are the futuristic weapons like [[StarWars lightsabres]] and [[Warhammer40K chainswords.]] Desperate FPS protagonists may show [[GoodOldFisticuffs some rather startling boxing skills.]]
* '''{{In Working Order}}:''' A character in a war between two different intelligent species who both use radically different weapons to each other, who is able to pick up the other side's apparently "alien" weaponry and use it themselves.
* '''{{Magic Knight}}:''' The character is either a warrior who took some time to learn a few spells, or a spellcaster who learned a non-magic attack to [[DefiedTrope defy]] the SquishyWizard trope.

[[AC: {{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

** Actually, his two weapon specialties are '[[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]]' and '[[ImprobableWeaponUser improvised]];' the latter is useful for maintaining both ObfuscatingStupidity and [[TechnicalPacifist Technical Pacifism]]. The second of the three listed above is a hold-out emergency weapon, and the third he has never intentionally fired.

[[AC: {{Comic Books}}]]
* Played with with CaptainBritain: the wizard Merlin, when choosing Brian Braddock as his champion, offered him two weapons: the sword Excalibur, representing power, and the Amulet of Right, representing wisdom. Braddock chooses the amulet, since he thinks he is unsuited to be a warrior, and the amulet transforms him into Captain Britain. However, eventually, power IS needed, and CaptainBritain is given Excalibur as well. He's... a little more formidable now.

[[AC: {{Game Books}}]]
* In WayOfTheTiger you can be challenged to a duel by Aiguchi the Weaponsmaster. He uses a bow with distracting humming bulb arrows at range but switches to a Naginata if you get up close. Should you manage to break that, he pulls out a Nunchuka to continue the fight.

[[AC: {{Tabletop Games}}]]
* A pistol and (power/chain)sword-combo is very common in ''{{Warhammer40000}}''. In addition, Chaos Spce Marines and Space Wolves carry a gun, a pistol and a sword, so they can both shoot effectively and fight in close combat. In older codexes where the characters are allowed to pick a certain points worth of items from the wargear list it was possible (but not very practical) to buy multiple ranged or close combat weapons. In the newer codexes characters can only pick certain items listed on their profile and the choices tend to be mutually exclusive (so one on range weapon from the list of available options etc). However there are some exceptions; for example Huron Blackheart has a power weapon and a powefist (he can't use them both at the same time, tho).

[[AC: {{Video Games}}]]
* Your hero from {{Fable}} 1 is both [[BowAndSwordInAccord a bow and sword wielder]] and a {{Magic Knight}}. The second game [[BowAndSwordInAccord swaps the bow and sword combo]] for TheMusketeer, the hero wielding a pistol or rifle.

* Just about any non-gunpowder related combo is possible in ''{{The Elder Scrolls}}''. Sword and bow? Check. Sword and sorcery? Positively recommended. Two swords? Take your claymore for beating up those slow, easy to dodge enemies, and your sword and shield for light, fast guys who won't stay still.
** Though there is only one type of ranged attack in ''Oblivion'' unless you count magic.

* Ranged units in ''{{Total War}}'' will either come under {{Bow And Sword In Accord}} or {{The Musketeer}}, depending on whether they are archers or gunners. The weapons vary, low level archers use knives, wealthier ones may have swords.''
** A few melee units carry javelins as well, and there are a few units who both carry javelins and can hold their own in melee.
* ''{{Legend Of Zelda}}'' gives us Link, who wields a sword as his primary weapon, but also carries a bow, a boomerang, bombs, a whip-like weapon, and various other weapons, occasionally including magic. Justified in that Link has had no prior training in any of these weapons, meaning he hasn't had time to specialise. Of course, this just [[InstantExpert brings up another trope...]]

* The majority of units in ''BattleForWesnoth'' carry two different types of weapons, often one each of ranged and melee.
* ''Left4Dead'' allows you to swap between a small weapon and a large one. Its sequel allows you to make this selection to be between a melee weapon and a large gun instead.
* ''{{Oni}}'' gives us the option of a ranged weapon and {{Good Old Fisticuffs}}.

* Mario can punch enemies or use a hammer in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG''.
* ''MightAndMagic'' series is the king of this trope, not bothering to stop with only two different weapons, but three and even four in some cases.
** Everyone can learn to use the bow in addition to their primary weapon (with other weapons being very class specific, the primary weapon is often something other than a sword).
** Mastering sword or dagger makes it possible to dual wield with another weapon, such as a spear or a mace. Now add also a bow.
** There are classes that focus on fighting, but can learn some basic magic as well. Some of them are also capable of learning the aforementioned dual wielding. Plus, of course, the bow.
** Not to mention that all the magic focusing classes can get two weapons - their primary weapon plus the bow.
* Most of the classes in ''TeamFortress2'' have some combination of long(er) range weapon, mid-range weapon, and melee weapon in their slots. Given the variety in the unlockables, this makes for very interesting combinations.

* It's a fairly good idea to have this set up in ''{{Diablo}}'', at least in the first game. Warriors occasionally find themselves needing to shoot at something (or, in the case of enemies trapped on the opposite sides of portcullises, want to pick enemies off at a distance.) A rogue often finds herself needing to resort to hand-to-hand if fast enemies are encroaching, so having a sword and shield and the strength to use both available helps. Straying out of {{Bow And Sword In Accord}} and into {{Magic Knight}}, magic is helpful to the rogue as well, though the warriors maximum magic is so low that its barely worth his while. The sorcerer is pretty damn awful with both bow and sword, but its worth giving him a bit of strength and a light sword and shield in case he runs out of mana. (True, you might be screwed if this is the case, but its better than nothing.)
** This became vastly simpler to manage in the sequel's ''Lord of Destruction'' expansion pack, which added two extra weapon/shield slots that could be toggled to and back with a single keypress (as well as providing more InventoryTetris space, natch.)

* In ''{{Tales of Vesperia}}'', Yeager, one of the antagonists, wield a rather unique weapon, in that it is a scythe that can transform into a rifle. One of the party characters, Raven, also has a transforming weapon, his being a bow that transforms into a short sword. This is interesting to note given that they also have a more notable thing in common in that [[spoiler:both men were brought back to life and subsequently manipulated by Alexei. They also both have blastia hearts, and, most likely, loved the same woman.]]
** Actually, Yeager's Scythe had 4 or 5 settings to it; Scythe, Crossbow, Sword, Rifle, and a Sheild-looking one that may have just been the crossbow mode used for defence instead of attacking making it more of a SwissArmyWeapon, and if you pay attention durring the fight you'll notice the "Rifle" setting only appears durring his [[{{LimitBreak}} Mystic Arte]] in battle. In the actual story, he uses it [[spoiler: on the Heracles to shoot Zagi out the window]]. Yeager's two lackies, Gauche and Droite, had swords that turned into guns for some of their special attacks. Sadly said swords lose that ability when the player gets ahold of them(via stealing them during the fight with Gauche and Driote) as Estelle is the only character who can use them.
** Raven might count too since he's wielding both a bow and a dagger at the same time

* In ''Tales of Graces'', Hubert uses a weapon that is a two-ended swordlike weapon, that he can seperate to wield as either twin swords or twin guns. In his second hi-ougi and Accel Mode (in F), he can use it as a bow as well. Even characters in game comment on how odd his weapon is

[[AC: {{Western Animation}}]]

[[AC: {{Real Life}}]]

* Subverted during the English Civil War. Musketeers were issued with swords to use if the enemy got too close but almost all preferred to use the gun as a club instead.

* ''{{Left4Dead}}'' allows you to swap between a small weapon and a large one. Its sequel allows you to make this selection to be between a melee weapon and a large gun instead.

* '''{{Bow And Sword In Accord}}.''' This is probably the most popular ancient cross. Usually these characters are [[TheMario flexible souls]], and they usually wear light to medium armour. One character you won't find with a shield, as they need to be able to swap from bow to sword fast. This combo makes sense as it gives a character range and protection, though they tend to be lightly armoured.

* Samurai used either a naginata (halberd/glaive), yumi-ya (bow), yari (spear) or teppo (arquebus and later musket) on the battlefield as their primary weapon. If things got up close, they switched to the katana. If things were too close up even for a katana or the samurai dropped the back-up weapon, they had [[CrazyPrepared yet another weapon]] called the Wakizashi, which was basically a short-sword shaped like a katana.

* Mario can punch enemies or use a hammer in ''SuperMarioRPG''.

** ''Fallout 3'' works in a different way: you can hotkey items from your inventory, but as the game is not turn-based there's no penalty for digging into your backpack in combat. It still uses the trope, though: you could place your skills to be specialized in two (or more) types of guns, or a gun and one of the other types of weapon.

* Most of the classes in TeamFortress2 have some combination of long(er) range weapon, mid-range weapon, and melee weapon in their slots. Given the variety in the unlockables, this makes for very interesting combinations.

* Guts of ''{{Berserk}}'' fits {{Bow And Sword In Accord}}, using a repeating crossbow along with his {{BFS}}. He deviates from the general profile by being heavily armored (since he's a mercenary who mainly favors melee) and also comes under the musketeer by having a ''third'' weapon (a [[ArmCannon gunpowder cannon built into his arm]]) as a nasty surprise for any demons who think they have him beat.

* Your hero from {{Fable}} 1 is both [[BowAndSwordInAccord a bow and sword wielder]] and a {{Magic Knight}}. The second game [[BowAndSwordInAccord swaps the bow and sword combo]] for the musketeer, the hero wielding a pistol or rifle.

* In the earlier {{X-COM}} games, Enemy Unknown/UFO Defense and Terror from the Deep, your soldiers had two 'hand' inventory slots, where you would need to put weapons in order to use them. Most larger weapons such as rifles or rocket launchers suffered big accuracy penalties if both hands were used, but pistols did not and so having some troops wielding pistols and grenades or stun rods or thermic lances saved valuable APs by not swapping weapons when confronted with suitable situations.
** Notably, whilst dual wielding pistols or melee weapons was not penalised in any way, there was also absolutely no benefit to doing so as it took the same number of APs to use a single weapon twice as it did to use two similar weapons once each. Having two grenades handy might save a few APS, but was not as useful as a gun, and reloading took up few enough APs that having a backup pistol ready wasn't really worth it.

For characters who use two different weapons at the same time, see {{Guns Akimbo}}, {{Dual Wielding}} and {{Sword and Gun}}. Contrast {{Weapon Of Choice}}

* ''{{Arcanum}}'' characters can be built who switch between guns or bows and melee weapons, but carrying multiple weapons of your chosen type is also common because BreakableWeapons is in effect and swords are no good for breaking open stubborn chests.
* In ''DynastyWarriors 5'' (and possibly other games in the series), all characters can switch between their normal weapon and a bow. The bow is more or less useless, though.
** In ''Strikeforce'', you can have two different weapons to fight with. One is your main weapon which has a unique moveset while the secondary can be anything you want. Of course, some characters are better with certain weapons then others and some enemy units may shrug off a certain weapon while keeling to another.
* Its a fairly good idea to have this set up in ''{{Diablo}}'', at least in the first game. Warriors occasionally find themselves needing to shoot at something (or, in the case of enemies trapped on the opposite sides of portcullises, want to pick enemies off at a distance.) A rogue often finds herself needing to resort to hand-to-hand if fast enemies are encroaching, so having a sword and shield and the strength to use both available helps. Straying out of {{Bow And Sword In Accord}} and into {{Magic Knight}}, magic is helpful to the rogue as well, though the warriors maximum magic is so low that its barely worth his while. The sorcerer is pretty damn awful with both bow and sword, but its worth giving him a bit of strength and a light sword and shield in case he runs out of mana. (True, you might be screwed if this is the case, but its better than nothing.)

* In [[TalesofVesperia Tales of Vesperia]], Yeager, one of the antagonists, wield a rather unique weapon, in that it is a scythe that can transform into a rifle. One of the party characters, Raven, also has a transforming weapon, his being a bow that transforms into a short sword. This is interesting to note given that they also have a more notable thing in common in that [[spoiler:both men were brought back to life and subsequently manipulated by Alexei. They also both have blastia hearts, and, most likely, loved the same woman.]]

* In RogueGalaxy, each character has access to two distinct weapons, generally a main one for melee and a less-cool one for ranged. Of course, the ranger switches that around with a cool bow and a lame melee weapon, and the rogue dual-wields daggers with the back-up weapon being her shoes (for kicking). In practice, there are only a handful of bosses in the game where the ranged weapons are necessary, and the overpowered hero has a special ability that lets him use his sword at range.

* Its a fairly good idea to have this set up in ''{{Diablo}}'', at least in the first game. Warriors occasionally find themselves needing to shoot at something (or, in the case of enemies trapped on the opposite sides of portcullises, want to pick enemies off at a distance.) A rogue often finds herself needing to resort to hand-to-hand if fast enemies are encroaching, so having a sword and shield and the strength to use both available helps. Straying out of {{Bow And Sword In Accord}} and into {{Magic Knight}}, magic is helpful to the rogue as well, though the warriors maximum magic is so low that its barely worth his while. The sorceror is pretty damn awful with both bow and sword, but its worth giving him a bit of strength and a light sword and shield in case he runs out of mana. (True, you might be screwed if this is the case, but its better than nothing.)

* '''{{Emergency Weapon}}:''' In more modern times, a first-person-shooter protagonist is likely to wield some kind of back-up melee weapon just in case the main blaster runs out of juice. The traditional example is a crowbar or some other improvised weapon. Professional soldiers usually carry knives. And of course, there are the futuristic weapons like [[StarWars lightsabres]] and [[Warhammer40K chainswords.]] Desperate FPS protagonists may show [[GoodOldFisticuffs some rather startling boxing skills.]]

* '''{{Emergency Weapon}}:''' In more modern times, a first-person-shooter protagonist is likely to wield some kind of back-up melee weapon just in case the main blaster runs out of juice. The traditional example is a crowbar or some other improvised tool. Professional soldiers usually carry knives. And of course, there are the futuristic weapons like [[StarWars lightsabres]] and [[Warhammer40K chainswords.]] Desperate FPS protagonists may show [[GoodOldFisticuffs some rather startling boxing skills.]]