Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - General Game Balance : Melee is terrible

I'm not very far into the game and didn't really touch the beta, so my voice isn't one of experience. However, from my seven or so hours of playing, two-handed weapons seem to be a perfectly viable playstyle. Damage is good and man-at-arms abilities are versatile. There doesn't seem to be a legitimate trade off for taking a shield, though, at least not early game. Damage is lower, and it doesn't mitigate damage reliably. Fighter cooldowns could be lowered across the board; there's no reason some of them should be effectively one-battle only.