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Two-handed weapons feel slow compared to dual-wield—am I building wrong?

RiftenWanderer

New Member
I'm on my second playthrough (level 22, playing on PS5) and decided to go full two-handed warrior instead of my usual dual-wield setup. Problem is, everything just feels sluggish. My damage per hit is higher, yeah, but dual-wield still clears rooms faster and I'm getting hit way more often because of the recovery time. Am I missing some perks that make two-handed actually competitive, or is dual-wield just inherently better for DPS?
 
Two-handed is definitely slower, but it's not inherently worse for DPS if you build into it right. You're just not specced for it yet.

The big thing is you need the perks that reduce recovery time or add extra damage on hit. There's one in the Two-Handed tree (I think it's called something like "Devastating Blow" or similar?) that does bonus damage and staggers, which is huge for keeping enemies off you. And the one that lets you do a power attack without depleting as much stamina - that changes the game because you can chain them.

Also, are you using Whirlwind Slash? That's probably the best two-handed ability in the game for clearing rooms. Dual-wield feels faster because you're hitting twice per swing, but a good two-handed build with the right perks and shouts actually outdamages it once you're past like level 25-30. The stamina drain is real though, so you might need to invest in Stamina or grab the Steed Stone if you're not already.

On PS5 you're stuck with vanilla, which is the limiting factor honestly - there are mods that make two-handed legitimately better (Wildcat, Ordinator, stuff like that), but that's PC-only. Within vanilla you're just gonna feel the sluggishness more. Still playable, just gotta lean into the stagger/knockdown playstyle rather than trying to match dual-wield's attack speed.

What perks do you have in Two-Handed right now? That'll help me give you more specific advice.
 
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