How To Two-Hand Weapons In Elden Ring

Mastering the art of two-handing weapons in Elden Ring provides significant combat advantages that can dramatically improve your effectiveness against challenging enemies and bosses. This technique transforms your approach to combat by altering damage output, attack patterns, and strategic options.

Unlike previous FromSoftware titles where two-handing was simpler, Elden Ring introduces a more nuanced control scheme. PlayStation users must hold Triangle while simultaneously pressing R1 or L1 to engage two-handed mode for their right or left weapon respectively. Xbox players execute the same maneuver using Y combined with RB or LB. A common mistake beginners make is accidentally two-handing their shield, which provides no combat benefit and leaves you vulnerable.

Advanced players should practice quick stance transitions during combat downtime. The animation commitment for switching stances is relatively brief, allowing tactical adjustments between offensive and defensive postures. For optimal performance, bind your most frequently two-handed weapon to your right hand slot for quicker access during intense encounters.

Two-handing weapons delivers multiple combat benefits that extend beyond simple damage increases. The primary advantage comes from enhanced attack power, typically providing a 15-20% damage boost depending on weapon scaling and your character stats. This damage calculation works by effectively increasing your Strength stat by 50% when two-handing, which significantly improves scaling on Strength-based weapons.

The most transformative benefit involves accessing completely different move sets. Single-handed greatswords might deliver wide horizontal sweeps ideal for crowd control, while their two-handed counterparts often feature powerful overhead slams that excel at breaking enemy stances and guard breaks. Environmental awareness becomes crucial—wide swings in narrow corridors will ricochet off walls, interrupting your attacks and creating dangerous openings for counterattacks.

Without shield protection, mastering evasion through precise dodge rolling becomes essential. Different enemy types require adapted timing—aggressive foes with rapid attacks demand immediate dodges, while delayed windups from larger enemies require patience and precise timing. Practice against various enemy types in safer areas before attempting two-handed combat in high-stakes situations.

For players seeking to optimize their weapon selection, understanding two-handed mechanics is crucial for maximizing damage potential throughout your journey.

Certain weapon categories behave uniquely when two-handed, offering specialized combat options. Fist weapons and claws automatically dual-wield when engaged in two-handed stance, providing rapid combo attacks that build status effects quickly. This transformation creates a completely different combat experience reminiscent of character-action games, allowing you to unleash flurries of strikes that can stagger lighter enemies.

Colossal weapons benefit tremendously from two-handing, as the stance damage multiplier combined with their inherent poise damage can break enemy stances in just 2-3 hits against most bosses. The trade-off involves significantly slower attack recovery, requiring precise timing and positioning to avoid punishment during animation commitments.

Weapon arts and ash of war interactions also change when two-handing. Some abilities gain enhanced properties or different activation methods, while others may become unavailable. Testing your preferred weapon’s two-handed weapon art behavior is essential before relying on it during critical encounters.

Understanding these mechanics is fundamental to mastering class-specific combat styles and adapting your approach based on enemy types and environmental factors.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » How To Two-Hand Weapons In Elden Ring Master weapon two-handing mechanics to boost damage and unlock powerful new combat moves