Two-handed weapons trade the shield for reach, power and [cleave](/wiki/combat-guides/weapon-types) — most sweep through every enemy in the arc, which is brutal against a packed line. They cost more stamina and leave you only a weapon's guard, so spacing and timing carry the weight a shield otherwise would. Dual-wielding is not possible — both hands are on the haft.
The figures below are for crafted weapons. Looted or non-crafted weapons may carry slightly different modifiers.
Directional damage
Each attack direction carries its own damage type and a modifier on the weapon's base damage. Most two-handers hit hardest overhead and fall off on the side swings; the polearms and cavalry arms instead live on the stab.
| Weapon | Overhead | Left | Right | Stab |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axe | ×1.2 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×0.8 Bludgeoning |
| Bardiche | ×1.2 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×0.7 Piercing |
| Guisarme | ×1.0 Piercing | ×0.9 Piercing | ×0.9 Piercing | ×1.0 Piercing |
| Glaive | ×1.2 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×0.7 Bludgeoning |
| Halberd | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×0.7 Piercing |
| Hammer | ×1.1 Bludgeoning | ×1.0 Bludgeoning | ×1.0 Bludgeoning | ×0.7 Bludgeoning |
| Lance | ×0.5 Slashing | ×0.5 Slashing | ×0.5 Slashing | ×1.0 Piercing |
| Spear | ×0.5 Piercing | ×0.5 Piercing | ×0.5 Piercing | ×1.0 Piercing |
| Sword | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×1.0 Slashing | ×0.9 Piercing |
Role & characteristics
| Weapon | Reach (units) | Best against | Armour penetration | Notable traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axe | 8.2 | Shields, doors & light armour | 5% on overhead | Cleaves. High overhead modifier — a shield- and wall-breaker. |
| Bardiche | 8.9 | Shields, doors & light armour | 5% on overhead | Cleaves. Like the axe, but its stab pierces instead of bludgeons. |
| Guisarme | 8.3 – 8.9 | Medium armour | 5% on stab | The only weapon that's all-piercing on every swing — a pure thrust, no cleave. |
| Glaive | 7.8 – 8.2 | Light armour | 5% on overhead | Cleaves. Built to carve light armour. |
| Halberd | 11.0 | Light armour | 5% on overhead | Cleaves, and the longest reach of the cleaving weapons. |
| Hammer | 7.1 – 7.5 | Heavy armour | — | Cleaves. Pure bludgeoning every swing — the two-handed answer to plate. |
| Lance | 13 | Cavalry & anti-cavalry | 5% on stab | Longest reach of all; couch it mounted, brace it on foot, but slow and weak swung by hand. |
| Spear | 10.3 – 11 | Medium armour | 5% on stab | The longest weapon you'll swing on foot and the fastest stab-to-block; a thrust, no cleave. |
| Sword | 6.0 – 7.6 | Light & medium armour | — | Cleaves. The fastest side swings of any two-hander. |
Cleave, thrust & reach
- Cleavers hit the whole arc — axe, bardiche, glaive, halberd, hammer and the sword land on every enemy in the sweep. Catch a clustered line and one swing strikes all of them; the *Reaper* ability widens the arc further.
- Thrusters don't cleave — the guisarme and spear are pure points: single-target, but they keep the longest reach on foot and the best answer to anyone charging in.
- Reach decides who lands first — the spear is the longest weapon on foot (only the mounted lance, at 13 units, reaches further); the halberd is the longest that still cleaves. See Weapon Lengths for the full table.
Cavalry & anti-cavalry
- Lance — a mounted weapon first. It's slow and weak on foot, but couched at the gallop (couch key while mounted) it delivers a jousting hit, and it's the core of both cavalry play and countering it.
- Brace against a charge — on foot, plant the lance with the throw key to 'brace' so a horse impales itself on the point. A braced point is how infantry survives cavalry rather than being run down.
Match the swing to the armour you face: cuts for the unarmoured, thrusts and blunt for the armoured — see Damage Types & Armour. Reach above is in in-game units (full list, daggers to lances). Then weigh the trade-offs live in the Build Maker.