Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity Original Sin - Beta Backstab mechanics question

I've been playing a rogue with 9 dex and 6 str and received a green shield that gives +1 single handed and +1 constitution. I already have 1 point in single hand and am using a dagger:

17-27 damage
2-4 fire
10% burning chance

I engaged a fight to test this and found something odd with the damage I am dealing; when attacking with no shield I attack twice per action; when attacking with a shield I attack once per action, but I seem to be doing more than double damage with the shield. That might make sense with the additional +1 str and +1 single handed, but there are a few anomalies.

Take the following scenarios where I attacked four times with and without shield (all attacks are back stabbed and critical hits):


18 damage (absorbed 5), 3 fire damage x2
14 damage (absorbed 4), 4 fire damage x2

18 (5), 4 fire 19 (5), 4 fire
16 (4), 4 fire 15, (4), 4 fire

And now when I attack with dagger + shield (all backstab and critical hits)

33 damage (absorbed 9), 8 fire damage
40 damage (absorbed 11), 14 fire damage

33 (9), 11 fire
42 (12), 14 fire


Base damage/absorption is around the same, but fire damage is much higher - there doesn't seem to be any real benefit to not using a shield... Is this intentional? Larian put in a special animation for daggers attacking without a shield - I would imagine there would be some kind of benefit to playing shieldless