I'd say 1h is the best weapon for fighters although Liz and Renin would probably disagree
A 1h fighter's damage really isn't as bad as everybody thinks. The biggest drawback to 1h fighter's is they're probably the most expensive class to play in the game as you have to pay for an extra piece of equipment, and you will only start making a decent profit on solo trips from level 54 onwards.
Additionally its best to try and get any weapon you have to +6 or higher and after that work on getting the shield to +6 or higher so the def will make a real difference. The reason i say the weapon should be enhanced to +6 or higher is so that you can solo with a decent kill speed as parties will not always be available.
At level 48/49 a 1h fighter with a +7 level 40 sword has an almost equal kill speed to a mage with a level 50 +0 weapon. (note this is with equal buffs/scrolls)
Although 1h is tough in the early levels, in my opinion it really pays off in the later levels.
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