Fighting style change

I would not be in a hurry for the 2nd profession as you are just starting out. I would suggest a 6 month plan where you lay our where you want to be. However. that was my approach and we all know there are 32 flavors of ice cream for a reason.

Now I'm even sadder that I'm missing the September event...Kaladonian sparring sounds like so much fun.

To add to what everyone has said, I highly recommend NPCing as a way to learn about fighting styles. The night NPC shifts tend to be higher combat from what I have seen in my limited tenure. I personally love being sent out as combat NPCs...it's a great opportunity to play with different fighting styles without worrying about staying alive as your PC. I've personally found a lot of fun with certain stabby rogue roles--a radical change from my PC--and I'm also working on trying out master florentining. Let the marshals on that shift know you want to try different fighting styles/roles and see what they send you out as!

As someone who wields a bastard weapon, Damage is NOT the reason to do it... you get much better damage out of a 2H or Pole Arm, and you get much better speed (and thus more hits) out of a 1H weapon.

The main reason to go Bastard length is for reach. I'm a long-limbed goofball with a big shield - I can tap people at a longer range than they can tap me, and I can also cast spells through my weapon. I don't need to hit hard, or hit often, I just need to hit first, which the reach lets me do.

If you want pure damage output, go Pole Arm or 2H. If you want speed, variety, and a mix of offense or defense, go 1H, and you can mix it up with another weapon, or a shield. Bastard only works best if you very specifically are going for a reach advantage.

That being said, I'll echo the statements above about NPCing first, and trying out styles before you make a PC. It's free to NPC, you get build, and you learn a lot before you make your PC, which can help you make decisions.

Wow. I was waaaay off the mark in choosing bastard as my weapon. Waisted that build i guess. Ah well, guess I'll find someone ingame to teach me 1h edged. Now that i think about it, I shouldnt have waisted build on both bastard and bow. T_T

Not to worry, we allow a "Mulligan" after your first event if you were unhappy with your race/class/skill choices!

Well, if you're new and you're really regretting it, you can re-roll... but I can tell you from experience, it never hurts to have a backup or two.

You won't have an shortage of teachers for 1HE, though. Plenty of us use it.