Two-handed covers the big weapons: greatswords, battleaxes and warhammers. They are slower than one-handed weapons and leave no hand free for a shield or spell, but every swing hits like a cart full of rocks. The perk tree raises raw damage, gives each weapon type its own bonus and turns power attacks into crowd-clearing sweeps.
It is a Combat skill, so the Warrior Stone speeds up its progress. Two-handed is the classic choice for a Nord berserker or anyone who wants to solve problems the direct way. It pairs naturally with Heavy Armor and Smithing, and a well-perked warhammer can stagger and flatten enemies far bigger than you.
How Two-handed works
How Two-handed rises
The skill improves every time you hit an enemy with a two-handed weapon. Normal swings, power attacks and sneak attacks all count, and so do hits with a conjured Bound Battleaxe. Misses and practice swings give nothing.
Weapon types
Greatswords are the fastest of the three and gain critical hits from Deep Wounds. Battleaxes sit in the middle and gain bleeding damage from Limbsplitter. Warhammers are the slowest and heaviest hitters, and Skullcrusher lets them ignore a large share of the target’s armour. Legendary two-handers such as Wuuthrad follow the same rules as their weapon type.
Power attacks
Holding the attack button performs a power attack that costs stamina but hits much harder and often staggers. The direction you move changes the attack: a standing power attack, a sprinting charge, a sideways sweep and a backward strike each have their own perk. Because two-handed weapons are slow, managing stamina for power attacks is the core of the playstyle – run dry and you are just a slow person with a heavy stick.
Two-handed perk tree
The Two-handed tree has 9 perks with 19 ranks in total. Required levels are the Two-handed skill level needed for each rank.
| Perk | Ranks | Skill level | Requires | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barbarian | 5 | 0 / 20 / 40 / 60 / 80 | – | Rank 1: Two-Handed weapons do 20% more damage. Rank 2: Two-Handed weapons do 40% more damage. Rank 3: Two-Handed weapons do 60% more damage. Rank 4: Two-Handed weapons do 80% more damage. Rank 5: Two-Handed weapons do twice as much damage. |
| Champion's Stance | 1 | 20 | Barbarian | Power attacks with two-handed weapons cost 25% less stamina. |
| Deep Wounds | 3 | 30 / 60 / 90 | Barbarian | Rank 1: Attacks with greatswords have a 10% chance of doing critical damage. Rank 2: Attacks with greatswords have a 15% chance of doing more critical damage. Rank 3: Attacks with greatswords have a 20% chance of doing even more critical damage. |
| Limbsplitter | 3 | 30 / 60 / 90 | Barbarian | Rank 1: Attacks with battle axes cause extra bleeding damage. Rank 2: Attacks with battle axes cause more bleeding damage. Rank 3: Attacks with battle axes cause even more bleeding damage. |
| Skullcrusher | 3 | 30 / 60 / 90 | Barbarian | Rank 1: Attacks with warhammers ignore 25% of armor. Rank 2: Attacks with warhammers ignore 50% of armor. Rank 3: Attacks with warhammers ignore 75% of armor. |
| Devastating Blow | 1 | 50 | Champion’s Stance | Standing power attacks do 25% bonus damage with a chance to decapitate your enemies. |
| Great Critical Charge | 1 | 50 | Champion’s Stance | Can do a two-handed power attack while sprinting that does double critical damage. |
| Sweep | 1 | 70 | Great Critical Charge or Devastating Blow | Sideways power attacks with two-handed weapons hit all targets in front of you. |
| Warmaster | 1 | 100 | Sweep | Backwards power attack has a 25% chance to paralyze the target. |
Perk guide
Start with Barbarian. Its five ranks raise two-handed damage by 20% per rank, up to double damage at rank 5, unlocking at 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80. Like its one-handed counterpart, it is the single biggest damage boost in the tree, so take each rank as soon as you can.
Next, commit to one weapon type and take its specialty perk:
- Deep Wounds (30/60/90) gives greatswords a 10%, 15% and finally 20% chance of a critical hit.
- Limbsplitter (30/60/90) adds increasing bleeding damage to battleaxes.
- Skullcrusher (30/60/90) lets warhammers ignore 25%, 50% and finally 75% of armour, and is the strongest pick against heavily armoured enemies.
Champion’s Stance (20) cuts the stamina cost of two-handed power attacks by 25% and is a must for this stamina-hungry skill. From it, Devastating Blow (50) gives standing power attacks 25% bonus damage with a chance to decapitate, and Great Critical Charge (50) lets you power attack while sprinting for double critical damage – a great opener. You need one of those two to reach Sweep (70), which makes sideways power attacks hit every enemy in front of you; it is one of the best perks for crowds.
Warmaster (100) gives backward power attacks a 25% chance to paralyse. It is a nice bonus at the very end, but it is the first point to save if you need perks elsewhere.
Synergies: Smithing improves your weapon and armour, Enchanting adds Fortify Two-handed and stamina regeneration gear, and Heavy Armor keeps you alive while you wind up those swings. Alchemy stamina potions and a healthy stamina pool make power-attack builds much smoother.
How to level Two-handed fast
- Fight with your two-hander as much as possible – every hit on an enemy counts toward the skill.
- Join the Companions: the questline throws a steady stream of melee fights at you and puts the master trainer within reach.
- Use power attacks freely early on; with Champion’s Stance they cost less stamina and end fights faster, letting you start the next one sooner.
- Cast Bound Battleaxe for a free weapon that trains both Two-handed and Conjuration.
- Read the skill books: Battle of Sancre Tor, King, Song Of Hrormir, The Legendary Sancre Tor and Words and Philosophy.
- Train with Torbjorn Shatter-Shield in Windhelm (up to 75), Vilkas at Jorrvaskr in Whiterun (up to 90), or Wulf Wild-Blood in Raven Rock (up to 90, Dragonborn).
- Activate the Warrior Stone early to learn all Combat skills faster.
Trainers
| Trainer | Trains up to | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Torbjorn Shatter-Shield | Expert (up to 75) | |
| Vilkas | Master (up to 90) | |
| Wulf Wild-Blood | Master (up to 90) | Dragonborn add-on (Solstheim) |
Each trainer can teach up to five levels per character level, and training costs more gold the higher your skill is.
Two-handed skill books
Reading each of these books for the first time raises Two-handed by one level:
Tips and notes
- Two-handed weapons cannot be paired with a shield or spell, but you can still block with the weapon itself, and Block perks apply.
- Sweep is reached from either Devastating Blow or Great Critical Charge, so you can save a point by taking only one of them.
- Skullcrusher’s armour penetration grows more valuable the tougher the enemy’s armour, making warhammers the late-game favourite for many players.
Perk tree, required levels and trainer levels from the Skyrim LE 1.9 master files (AVIF AVTwoHanded, PERK and CLAS records).
