How to two-hand a weapon in Elden Ring

Two-handed weapons Elden Ring get you a bit more damage and a different moveset at the cost of only equipping one weapon or shield. Luckily, you can switch from a one-handed (or dual-wielding) stance to a two-handed stance for any weapon.

But the controller input for two-handing weapons isn’t really clear. If you find yourself confused by the button prompt that shows you how to two-hand wield weapons in Elden Ring, don’t worry: You’re not alone! Here’s how to two-hand a weapon in Elden Ring.

How to two-hand weapons in Elden Ring

Elden Ring lets you equip a weapon (or a torch or a shield) in both your right and left hands. And you can two-hand wield either of them. To two-hand the weapon in your right hand, press:

• To two-hand on PS4 or PS5: Triangle + R1
• To two-hand on Xbox One or Xbox Series X: Y + RB
• To two-hand on Windows PC (with keyboard and mouse): E + right click

Doing this stows the weapon or shield you’re not wielding two-handed. Performing the same input again reverts you to a single-hand weapon stance and reequips whatever you had in the other hand.

To two-hand the weapon in your left hand, use the opposite shoulder button: L1, LB, or left click.

Learning to two-hand may feel a little awkward at first, but soon it will become second nature.

Why two-hand weapons in Elden Ring?

Switching from a one-handed to two-handed stance has a couple benefits and drawbacks, so you’ll have to choose when to use it based on the enemy you’re facing. In broad terms, a two-handed stance deals slightly more damage, but means your guard (like you get from wielding a shield in one hand) drops or disappears.

For large weapons like greatswords, you’ll get different movesets — including things like an overhead slash that deals poise damage, which is useful for breaking blocks on shield-wielding foes. For smaller weapons like caestuses or hookclaws that are one-handed by default, switching to a two-handed stance equips the same weapon in both hands (even if you only have one of them).