Elden Ring: How to 2-Hand Weapons

2-Handing a weapon in Elden Ring, or any of the other entries in the Souls series, has always come with the added benefit of extra damage for the trade-off of being unable to block attacks with a shield. This concept is old hat to experienced players of FromSoftware's super-difficult action RPGs, but for newcomers - and there's many of you for Elden Ring - this benefit can easily fly under the radar.

Even if you're a souls veteran, however, any players that looking to make that 2-hand trade-off in Elden Ring might've run into a nasty surprise - the input to change into a 2-Hand stance for weapons has been updated, and it's not exactly clear what the new input is right away. Thankfully, the new input isn't that hard to adapt to - and arguably, the benefits it brings to the table are well worth relearning some muscle memory. Allow us to explain.

How do you 2-hand weapons in Elden Ring?

While previous Souls' titles would require players to merely press the Triangle or Y button to shift between the two modes, Elden Ring adds an additional step to the mix. Instead of merely pressing one button, players now have to hold down the same button, and then press the bumper corresponding to the weapon that you want to 2-Hand.

If it's a sword in your character's right hand, then you'll hold down Triangle and press R1 on PlayStation, or hold down Y and press RB on Xbox. Please do note that you'll have to press the bumper in question while you're still holding down Triangle/Y, or it won't stick.

This change comes with the benefit of players being able to more quickly adjust which weapons they're using, and how they're utilizing them, on the fly. While before it was a bit of a pain to 2-Hand a weapon that wasn't in your right hand, players now have easy access to 2-Hand either of their hands at any given time. 

Why to 2-Hand Weapons in Elden Ring

2-Handing Weapons offers a variety of benefits, including but not limited to the following:

• Increased damage from attacks while a weapon is 2-Handed
• Access to your Ashes of War skill for the weapon in question
• Access to a weapon's 2-Handed moveset, which sometimes will greatly differ from its 1-Handed moveset

2-handing can make a serious difference in some battles, especially against harder bosses who have hard-hitting attacks that shred through shields, such as Margit the Fell Omen. Overall, understanding how to 2-Hand your weapons is an essential skill for anyone tackling Elden Ring - here's hoping we were able to help!

We've got even more Elden Ring Guides, if you want more help with your adventure in The Lands Between - including summoning & how to use ashes, which Keepsake starting gift to choose, and a full Class Guide & explainer.