How do you two-hand a weapon in Elden Ring? If you're keen to maximise your offensive potential, then two-handing a weapon is the way to go – but if you've played Souls games like Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice in the past, you might be confused about how to actually do it.
Although it's not obvious, you can two-hand weapons in Elden Ring – the game just doesn't do a very good job of telling you. While we're on the topic of stances, you might also be wondering how you dual-wield weapons in the game – something which is also known as the Power Stance.
As part of our Elden Ring guide, we're going to explain how to two-hand and dual-wield weapons.
How Do You Two-Hand and Dual-Wield / Power Stance Weapons in Elden Ring?
On this page, we're going to explain how to two-hand and dual-wield weapons.
How to Two-Hand Weapons
Two-handing a weapon means holding a single weapon with both hands, which increases its power.
In previous Souls games, switching to a two-handed stance with a weapon was quite simple – you'd just press the Triangle button to toggle between a one and two-handed stance – but in Elden Ring, the process has an additional step, and this has befuddled some players.
In Elden Ring, you need to press Triangle and either L1 or R1 to wield the left or right weapon with two hands. When two-handing a weapon, you'll do a lot more damage (and, with some weapons like the Twinblade, gain access to new skills) but you won't be able to use a shield to parry or defend yourself.
You can still use your weapon to block incoming attacks, but you'll take a small amount of damage when doing so.
To switch back to a one-handed stance, simply repeat the button combination.
How to Dual-Wield / Power Stance Weapons
Dual-wielding – or adopting the Power Stance in Elden Ring's parlance – is basically when you equip two weapons of the same type in each hand. To do this, you simply select the same weapon for your left and right hands in the equipment menu.
L1 and R1 give two different combinations of attacks when dual-wielding. These vary depending on what weapon you're using, so be sure to experiment to find the right balance between power, speed, and useful skills.
Again, like using a weapon two-handed, the Power Stance approach leaves you wide open, but the increased damage is often worth the trade-off, especially if you're using swift weapons.
Were you having trouble learning how to two hand and dual-wield weapons in Elden Ring? Check out our Elden Ring guide, and let us know in the comments section below.
