What Type Of Weapon To Use?
Paladins are able to use one and two handed axes, swords and maces as well as polearms(spears). Some classes like rouges get certain bonuses by using specific weapons like daggers or swords, but paladins are not limited by that restriction. An ax wielder can be just as good as a sword or mace wielder, so your choice will be determined exclusively by the stats and modifiers on the individual weapon. In general I have found that the itemization in the game leans towards maces having slightly less DPS then axes or Swords since other classes like priests and druids are able to use those. But this means that maces will often have stats that benefit your casting like +healing or intelligence. Classes like warriors or hunters won’t have any use for these kind of stats and you will have less competition for them.
Two handed or one handed and shield?
This really isn’t a choice since you need to use both in different situation. It all boils down to whether you want to cause damage, or avoid taking it. If you want to cause lots of damage then you will want a two handed weapon since they hit a lot harder. They also have a much lower swing speed which sounds bad but is actually a good thing. Attack power is very similar to spell damage since the slower your weapon speed the higher the percentage of AP you will use. Also Seal of Command and weapons with “Chance on Hit” modifiers will only proc a certain number of times per minute. SoC will proc seven times per minute so if your weapon has a low speed you will have a smaller chance of getting a proc then with a slow two hander.
Two handers are great for dealing damage but they offer no defense or damage reduction. One handed swords will cause less damage and only a few of them offer damage reduction abilities. But you will be able to equip a shield in your off hand which will add a great deal to your armor value as well as give you a chance to block an attack and

reduce damage. If you are ever called on to fight on the frontlines to tank or heal, survivability is worth much more then any damage you may be able to dish out.
What stats should I look for in a weapon?
Two handed weapons should be about raw damage output, stats and modifiers. When choosing a two handed weapon it is usually best to look at the minimum and maximum range of damage instead of DPS. If you are trying to melee you will most likely have Seal of Command which does damage based off of your weapons average damage. So to get the most out of it you want a weapon that hits really hard, even if it takes a long time to swing. (more about SoC in the combat section.) Another important factor to consider when choosing a weapon is what stats it has. If you are trying to do pure melee then Strength and Agility are your best friends. To a lesser extent Stamina is also very good. But you will often switch out your weapon for a different one and you will lose the boost, so it is better to get your stamina from armor.
One handed weapons do very little damage so when choosing one DPS is a low priority. Instead you will want to select modifiers that increase your survivability or support abilities. The best thing you can have is +damage or healing modifier. Usually healing is better because it has higher values. In the lower levels though + healing is hard to come by or very low, so it is better to focus on Stamina and Intelligence instead.