I've seen a lot of people over the years contend that in order to get the defensive (maybe offensive too) boost from HPM that you need to be dual wielding exotics. Is this true?

I've always had the position that it is the mainhand that matters. My reason being is that if you wield a battering exotic with your mainhand you can see batter as 100% on the skill list. But, if you dualwield a battering exotic, without having one in your mainhand, you see the skill at 1% just as any other non-HPM exotic wielder would. This makes me think there is no HPM influence with the offhand.

Is it mainhand only?

Is it a combination of the two where you can an improvement for each hand with which you wield an exotic?

Or is it dualwielding only?

Thanks

The offensive bonus applies only to blows struck with an exotic.

The defensive bonus (i.e., to parry) applies only when you are parrying with an exotic. If dual wielding, then which weapon you parry with is random if I remember right.

I also don't believe you need to have the exotic in your primary hand to get the skill, see:

> sk batter
You know no such skill.

> wield staff
You wield the staff of Medius.
As you wield the staff of Medius, you feel like you could batter someone with it.
The staff of Medius feels like a part of you!

> sk batter
Your ability in the skill batter is at 0%(100%).

> rem staff
You stop using the staff of Medius.

> dual staff
You dual wield the staff of Medius.
As you wield the staff of Medius, you feel like you could batter someone with it.
The staff of Medius feels like a part of you!

> sk batter
Your ability in the skill batter is at 0%(100%).

> rem staff
You stop using the staff of Medius.

> sk batter
You know no such skill.

   

Although the experience I am basing things off is several years old. It was probably 2007-2008. I remember trying to use those black wood rods from basilica as a duel wield because they can wallop and I couldn't find a battering exotic that was available for my mainland. Wallop worked just as though I didn't have HPM and showed up as 0%(1%) in the skill list. Maybe there was a change?

The rest actually makes perfect sense. Thanks!

Entirely anecdotal, so I'm really no better than another player in this argument, but

I was always of the impression that it more or less amounted to you get a boost to offense & defense w/ an exotic. Hence if you had one, you got a boost to one weapon and its ability to parry. If you have two exotics, both weapons hit betters/harder and parry better.

So, not that you NEED to have both to see the benefit of HPM, but if you used two, you'd see more bonus out of it.