Regarding the patch and torched pets
 

Haynar: A pet will no longer dual wield if they are handed a non-weapon item like a torch.

So what's the way to go now for chanter pets? I know a torch was superior to handing it 2 weapons in most cases. Is 2 weapons the best option? It'll still be less effective than torches.

How is 2 weapons less effective than torches? Twice the bag space required? Kill your pet and you'll get your weapons back, just like your torches.

I thought with 2 weapons, it had the CHANCE to dual wield, while with a torch it essentially forced dual wielding?

Two weapons forces dual wield unless the creature is too low to DW I think?

On 40-50 mobs, 2 weapons will make it DW though.

Oh ok nice so no big deal. Frees up 7 or 8 bag spots with torches in them lol, and I can put more pet weaps to use.

As far as I understand it, it works like this (at least for necromancers):

Pets don't naturally dual wield until 34/39. A "good" 34 pet will naturally dual wield bare handed, and a "bad" 39 pet will not dual wield bare handed.

Before this, you can give a pet two weapons to make them dual wield. So a level 1 pet given two weapons will dual wield them, but they wont dual wield bare handed until 34/39 as described above.

alot of misinformation in this thread.

uteinayr - giving a level 1 pet 2 weapons will NOT cause him to actually dual weild. he'll hold 2 weapons but wont use his offhand until a much higher level (the level they are actually gain the dual weild skill - 34). But for necros, "Naturally dual weidling bare hands" is broken here, and that's the reason why necros need to give their pets weapons 34+. Because there's a bug here that basically makes them not dual weild like they are suppose to Unless you give them 2 weapons.

also, whether or not a torch is better than 2 weapons - there is a myth that the torch caused dual weild to trigger every swing but two weapons would not trigger the dual weild mechanic on every swing. that's probably true.

The 49/53 pets dual wield just fine without weapons on Blue.

Clarity please.

According to the WIKI level 44 mage pets have 'Innate Dual Wield'.

My experience:
I have seen a level 44 pet (spell level 44 not actual pet level) without weapons quad, which means it IS dual wielding, but I notice it doesn't double attack or hit as often as a pet that I give two daggers.

Now, I don't completely understand why this is happening, but I DO notice a difference.

Moving on:

Pertaining to this thread, a torch was used as a really cheap item to get a pet to dual wield. That is no longer possible with the new patch. Give the pet an actual weapon that has dmg/delay criteria in the stats.

That makes this patch note sound very weird:

Sounds to me like the ability which was added was for pets to dual wield without being handed weapons, implying they could dual wield by being handed weapons prior to this. Doesn't mean it is right, nor how it works here. That's just what the patch notes had lead me to believe. I'm going to go test now.