• Guide

How to two-hand weapons - Elden Ring

Two-hand your weapon in Elden Ring to boost its damage, use new movesets, and activate its Ashes of War Skill.

Sam Chandler

April 22, 2022 12:50 AM

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Elden Ring allows players to two-hand their weapons, but it’s not as easy as previous games. Unlike Dark Souls and even Bloodborne, two-handing weapons in Elden Ring requires more than a single button press. To make matters a bit trickier, the game doesn’t state in the controls how to perform this basic mechanic. No matter what you play on, we’ve got you covered.

How to two-hand weapons

In order to two-hand weapons in Elden Ring you must hold a specific button and then press the appropriate attack button. The input is in the same position on Xbox and PlayStation controllers but it’s a bit different for keyboard and mouse. Here is the button input to two-hand your right-hand weapon:

• Xbox: Y + RB
• PlayStation: Triangle + R1
• PC: E + Left Click

You can also substitute the light attack input for the strong attack input. On Xbox this would be Right Trigger, PlayStation would be R2, and PC would be Right Click.

Basically, you need to hold the Event Action button and press the standard attack button. The Event Action button is the same one you must hold to use the Item Pouch. If done correctly, your character will hold the weapon that’s in their right hand with two hands instead. Doing this will increase the damage output of the weapon and allow you to activate the weapon’s Skill.

You can two-hand your left-hand weapon by pressing the alternative attack button. That means pressing LB instead or RB, L1 instead of R1, and Right Click instead of Left Click. This will cause you to hold whatever is in your left hand with both hands.

To stop two-handing your weapon and go back to holding your weapon with one hand, you can just press the same button input again. Alternatively, press right on the D-pad or right on the arrow keys to swap your right-hand weapon (assuming you have something else equipped). Check out the Elden Ring controls and PC keybindings for other hidden mechanics.

Two-handing your weapon in Elden Ring will allow you to deal more damage and even activate its Ashes of War Skill. Keep this in mind as you battle bosses and look to maximise your damage output. Be sure to check out the Shacknews Elden Ring strategy guide for more help as you journey through the Lands Between.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler