I'm playing an 8th level barbarian wielding two battleaxes. Mechanically, I can attack 3 times per round using one attack action to attack twice (Extra Attack, Barbarian level 5), and my bonus action to attack a third time (Two Weapon Fighting). According to the rules, the order of these attacks would main hand -> main hand -> off hand. Doesn't that seem weird though? If you think about any raging berserker with axes in fantasy games, they always slash left-right-left-right etc, not left-left-right. I'm curious if there's any reason that WotC hasn't made a footnote or something for Extra Attack if you're using two separate one-handed weapons.
I'm playing an 8th level barbarian wielding two battleaxes. Mechanically, I can attack 3 times per round using one attack action to attack twice (Extra Attack, Barbarian level 5), and my bonus action to attack a third time (Two Weapon Fighting). According to the rules, the order of these attacks would main hand -> main hand -> off hand. Doesn't that seem weird though? If you think about any raging berserker with axes in fantasy games, they always slash left-right-left-right etc, not left-left-right. I'm curious if there's any reason that WotC hasn't made a footnote or something for Extra Attack if you're using two separate one-handed weapons.
You seem to have confused the rules. Assuming your "main hand" is left and the other is right, LLR, which is the order you listed, is legal, but all of these are legal:
LLR
RRL
LRR
RLL
LRL
RLR
The only constraint you have is that the Bonus Action attack has to be made with a different weapon and a different hand from one of the two Attack Action attacks. In fact, the second hand/weapon doesn't even have to do anything at all during the Attack Action, so it's also legal to not actually wield two weapons. If you're e.g. using the LLR combo above, you can wield an axe twice in your left hand while your right hand is empty, then drop the axe and draw another one (it's RAW mandatory that the two axes be different, so the universe is keeping an eye on you) into your right hand and attack while your left is empty.
Point is, you're not as constrained as you seem to think you are.
Yeah, the bonus action just has to be a different hand than a hand you attacked with. If you attack with both hands with your action (left>right or right>left) then either hand can be used for a bonus action, because they both meet the requirement of the other hand having attacked.
Not sure I agree that your other hand can be empty during the attack action since the rule uses "holding in your other hand" in the present tense. Up to DM to interpret rules.
Worth pointing out: attacks are a simulation of all of the strikes, parries, dodges, circling, back and forth movement and so on that goes on during a simultaneous 6 second period. The attack represents how much "damage" might be sustained, but "damage" does not even mean you hit them with the attack. Hit points are not health, since there's no plausible thing that it could relate to IRL. Hit points are just a measure of how long you can survive against attacks, acid, fire, falling and everything else before you collapse. A fighter could lose 150 hit points in a duel without being cut once. Try to remember that the game is not a combat simulator, it's just a set of rules so that combat is unpredictable and not just narrative storytelling. Your character does not really fill a 5 x 5 foot square.
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I'm playing an 8th level barbarian wielding two battleaxes. Mechanically, I can attack 3 times per round using one attack action to attack twice (Extra Attack, Barbarian level 5), and my bonus action to attack a third time (Two Weapon Fighting). According to the rules, the order of these attacks would main hand -> main hand -> off hand. Doesn't that seem weird though? If you think about any raging berserker with axes in fantasy games, they always slash left-right-left-right etc, not left-left-right. I'm curious if there's any reason that WotC hasn't made a footnote or something for Extra Attack if you're using two separate one-handed weapons.
You seem to have confused the rules. Assuming your "main hand" is left and the other is right, LLR, which is the order you listed, is legal, but all of these are legal:
The only constraint you have is that the Bonus Action attack has to be made with a different weapon and a different hand from one of the two Attack Action attacks. In fact, the second hand/weapon doesn't even have to do anything at all during the Attack Action, so it's also legal to not actually wield two weapons. If you're e.g. using the LLR combo above, you can wield an axe twice in your left hand while your right hand is empty, then drop the axe and draw another one (it's RAW mandatory that the two axes be different, so the universe is keeping an eye on you) into your right hand and attack while your left is empty.
Point is, you're not as constrained as you seem to think you are.
Yeah, the bonus action just has to be a different hand than a hand you attacked with. If you attack with both hands with your action (left>right or right>left) then either hand can be used for a bonus action, because they both meet the requirement of the other hand having attacked.
Not sure I agree that your other hand can be empty during the attack action since the rule uses "holding in your other hand" in the present tense. Up to DM to interpret rules.
When you're Two-Weapon Fighting and have Extra Attack, you can take the bonus action anytime after the 1st attack.
Worth pointing out: attacks are a simulation of all of the strikes, parries, dodges, circling, back and forth movement and so on that goes on during a simultaneous 6 second period. The attack represents how much "damage" might be sustained, but "damage" does not even mean you hit them with the attack. Hit points are not health, since there's no plausible thing that it could relate to IRL. Hit points are just a measure of how long you can survive against attacks, acid, fire, falling and everything else before you collapse. A fighter could lose 150 hit points in a duel without being cut once. Try to remember that the game is not a combat simulator, it's just a set of rules so that combat is unpredictable and not just narrative storytelling. Your character does not really fill a 5 x 5 foot square.