Become Unstoppable: How to Dual Wield in Elden Ring

Part of what makes FromSoftware’s games so appealing is the insane level of freedom they give you. Their games have always had plenty of unique classes and copious amounts of weapons to pick from, and Elden Ring is no different.

One awesome feature from Souls that aggressive players will appreciate is the ability to hold a weapon in each hand and use them simultaneously - a feature that is more commonly known as dual-wielding weapons. Most players will play it safe and equip a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, but we all know two swords are better than one.

As powerful as this tactic is, it’s definitely not without its drawbacks. If you’re new to Elden Ring and looking to trivialize some encounters, you should know what you’re getting yourself into beforehand. With that said, let’s dig in to show you how to dual wield in Elden Ring, what makes it awesome, and some important things you should know about this tactic.

You have to be safe if you’re going to run around with not one, but TWO sharp objects!

One for Each Hand

One weapon in your left hand, another in your right. Just how God intended.

First, let’s talk about how to dual-wield in Elden Ring. The process for this is pretty simple, all you have to do is make sure that you have a weapon equipped in each hand slot from your inventory. Just about every melee weapon in the game is compatible with this feature (as long as you have the stats to support bigger weapons). Most ranged weapons don’t support dual-wielding, as those tend to require two hands to use. So unless your character somehow sprouts an extra set of arms, that’s not going to be a viable option.

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FromSoftware introduced the concept of dual-wielding weapons in Dark Souls 2, and brought it back for Dark Souls 3. However, they left it out of Bloodborne and Sekiro, so most fans are happy to see its return in Elden Ring.

ULTIMATE POWER

The damage numbers are exaggerated. The coolness of the attack is not.

You’re free to dual-wield any combination of weapons you like. Some beginners like to run dual Uchigatanas for the blood build-up, but using a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other gives you an awesome balance of crushing blows and quick strikes. You just have to use the associated button for each arm, and you’ll get the benefits of each move set.

HOWEVER

If you use two weapons of the same type, your character will enter what is known as a “power stance”, which allows them to use special attacks that swing with both weapons at the same time by using the left bumper button (right-click on PC). Even better, you’ll still have access to the standard array of attacks by using the right bumper and trigger buttons (or left-click and shift + left-click on PC).

If you find yourself a little confused about which weapons are of the same “type”, the default sorting in the weapon list on the equipment menu should group them up by type. That’ll save you some time and mental strain.

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The actual numbers change depending on the type of weapons you choose to use, but in general power stance attacks result in about 1.5x to 1.75x the attack power of standard attacks. Definitely not a bad boost if you’re willing to risk taking a few hits.

The Best Defense is a Great Offense

Leaping power stance attacks are unmatched.

The damage output in power stance is outrageous, and the versatility dual-wielding provides is unmatched. However, neither setup is for the faint of heart.

With two weapons equipped, you won’t have the ability to have a shield on hand at all times. If you get into a sticky situation, you’re probably going to have to either run away or hope you can roll in time to capitalize on those I-frames.

It’ll take time to get the hang of, and you’re definitely going to see an uptick in “game over” screens, but here’s the secret…

This will probably also make you a better Elden Ring player in the long run.

Without a shield to hide behind, you’ll have to learn things like aggressive dodging, which is when you roll into attacks rather than away from them. FromSoftware has those invincibility frames there for a reason, and you’re going to want to use them once you see how powerful you can be without a shield weighing you down.

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When relying on dodging and i-frames, patience is key. Elden Ring boss characters are designed with attacks that have long windups to bait nervous players into dodging early, which will waste those frames and cause them to tank the damage. You’ll need nerves of steel for some bosses, but timing your dodges perfectly will trivialize most fights.

Building a Versatile Loadout

Two-handing: for when it's time to get down to business.

When you’ve figured out how to dual-wield and you have your ideal power stance weapons equipped, you don’t have to be locked into only those weapons. Thanks to the weapon/equipment switching feature of Elden Ring, you can switch your weapons and gameplay style with the press of a button!

Let’s say you want to use power stance to wipe out lower-level enemies, but then want to switch to a big, two-handed weapon when a boss fight occurs. Doing that is as easy as making sure that you have a two-handed weapon equipped in the second slot of either hand, and then pressing the left or right d-pad button (left or right arrow on PC) to switch to it. Then, to make sure you’re using two hands to hold it for maximum damage output, you’re going to hold the Y/Triangle button while pressing the right bumper (E + left-click on PC).

Now you’re ready for clobberin’ time!

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If you’re going to two-hand a weapon, that probably means it’s going to be big and heavy. Even if you have the stats to use it properly, that means it’s going to be much slower to use than the weapons you were dual-wielding for power stance attacks, so keep that in mind. The loss of that mobility will make you more vulnerable, but the versatility is insane.