Ive always been a Sword and Shield guy, but recently tried switching to a 2 hnded axe. It seems like a total waste, i find that i die much faster due to slower attack speeds,minimal blocking and the very little difference in damage just does not make up for it. Is there a different play style or are 2 handed weapons just that inferior?

Personally I believe they are inferior, but when I use them i make sure i'm packin teh chants...
know what i mean?

Two-Handed weapons have been my main weapons across several characters. I seem to stagger enemies more often when useing them and thus allowing me to pour on the damage. Also, playing a mage a two-handed weapon opens up the sheild slot for yet another +50 Magicka enchantment while not harming spell effectiveness.

Two handed weapons require a completely different strategy. I actually find, with the right strategy, that they're more effective than one-handed, but that strategy is vital.

First and most importantly, unless you simply have no other choice, don't block at all. The amount of damage you still take even with a successful weapon parry is higher than what you'll take with a shield. Add that to the fact that, without a shield, you just have less overall armor points, and it just makes it that much more important to avoid being hit at all instead of blocking.

Second, since the weapon swings so much slower, you have to make every swing count. You can't just close and start hammering on the attack button, because your opponent's just going to get between your swings and hit you, which knocks you off balance so that you can't swing, and it's all downhill from there.

The keys to fighting effectively with a two-handed weapon are range and timing, and arguably the most important attribute is speed. There's a "sweet-spot" distance at which you can hit your opponent but s/he can't hit you, and that's where you want to be. You need to keep moving constantly, so that you stay out of reach of their attacks and so that you can step in and get off one of your own, then back off again. Wait for good openings-- the best is if your opponent takes a power-swing and misses, since that'll throw them off balance and give you a chance for a safe hit. Learn the timing for power-swings-- a power-swing with a two-handed weapon is devastating. You want to get to the point at which you know the timing on them well enough that you can start one as your opponent closes and hit him with it before he gets a chance to hit you. Again, you want him to be at that "sweet-spot" distance when your power swing connects. And trust me-- there are few things in this game more fulfilling than perfectly timing a power swing with a two-handed weapon.

Beyond that-- whenever possible in dungeons, draw opponents off one at a time, and take them back to a spot you've already found and fight them there. Tunnels are great, since they can't move around you-- you can just hit them every time they get close enough and back up as necessary to stay out of their reach. Open rooms are also good, but that means you'll have to sidestep a lot, since they'll try to flank you. Avoid fighting multiple enemies as much as possible, since being hit will potentially screw up your swing, and again, you have to make every swing count. If you can't avoid multiple enemies, move around so that you keep one of them between you and the other(s).

Hope that helps-- two-handed weapons are a blast when you get the hang of them.

Another thing to remember with two-handed weapons: swords are best because they have the longest reach. Battle axes, I believe, have the shortest reach among 2h weapons, with warhammers falling somewhere in between. If you're a blunt-weapons specialist, use a warhammer rather than a battleaxe; otherwise, use a claymore.

Warhammers swing the slowest, and require the most time to recover from a power attack to where you can move again. Claymores swing the fastest among 2h weapons and require the least recovery time, with battle axes falling somewhere close to warhammers.

Warhammers do the most damage per swing. I'm not sure if battleaxes or claymores do the next most. There's nothing more satisfying than the sickening crunch of a warhammer power attack landing, especially a standing power attack that ends up being a killing blow. You raise that mace up over your head, and bring it down like an ogre on your hapless opponent...and they don't get up again.

Well summed up. Makes me wanna run OB and start swinging a two-hander.

This is what I was going to say, and it works with a longsword and board combo as well. Hit and then back up, and you will keep your enemy out of reach. It takes some practice, but it works really well. I found the best thing to practice on are wild boars. They move at just the right (lack of) speed that you can attack, tap the key back, and then attack again, etc... and all the while they can never get close enough to hit you. Playing a two-handed weapon is challenging, as you have to think a lot more about using tactics within the game, rather than just standing in one spot and slugging as you can with a sword and board. But it can also be a lot more fun for the very same reason.

I use swords and shields vs other melee fighters (I play warriors almost exclusively), and use the 2 handed weapons against Archers and Mages because they cant block it very well, it kills them faster, and I can reach them when they try to run away.

Coming from a FPS rather than RPG background it always just made more sense to dodge than block

2H is standrd for me

I honestly don't use a shield or 2hnder. I use an enchanted saber/cutlass/rapier (what ever it's called in game) shield enchanted clothes (sometimes leathers) and just keep moving. I find journeyman acrobatics is a must. but they key is, keep moving. step in strike, get out, stay out, repeat until dead. fleeing is required a lot though.

I love this game. But one of my complaints is that the game is unbalanced in favor of a one handed weapon and a shield.

It is also unbalanced in favor of Blade over Blunt (generally speaking).

Blade should be faster, but Blunt should do a lot more damage to compensate for the heavier weapon and slower speed.

And two handed weapons should do a whole lot more damage than one handed weapons do compensate for the lack of a shield, slower swing time. It should be a tough choice on whether a full warrior or barbarian should go two handed or one handed with shield. Right now, stat wise, one handed blade + shield is the clear choice.

Personally I think real warriors should use a big two handed weapon, but the game seems to be against that.

I think thats kind of realistic really, I bet if you were able to go back in time and watch ancient warriors fight, I would think far more of them would use a sword and shield than a two-handed weapon. I bet the survival rate of warriors in the middle ages who didn't use a shield was pretty low. Especially against archers and the like.

To me, the whole "uber warrior with a claymore" thing is an invention of Hollywood and fantasy authors. But since this is a fantasy game, maybe it should be more balanced just to make more people have a reason to use them.

edit - I have been thinking about trying a claymore with my current character just to see if I like it or not. My first character in Morrowind used a dai-katana and I loved him, but I have never used a two hander in Oblivion. At least not very often.

I DO block with my two-hander. With a high block skill, a successful block staggers the opponent, giving you time to either do the Expert Level Blade power attack (my favorite) or heal, or hit em with soul trap.

I've been useing a self-enchanted dai-katana though the SI main quest at level 30. Out damages the old Daedric/Ebony/Madness claymores (weakness stacking + faster swing). The weight is not that heavy so a mage can carry it around. Since it's two-hander the character can use the sheild slot for an enchantment without the penility to spell effectiveness. At high levels and faceing things with tons of HPs that 5% spell effectiveness penility becomes very noticeable.


http://img844.imageshack.us/i/diakatana.jpg/


That's the enchantment setup with a 1 second soul trap not being shown but is there. Only downside I've found with it is the sword is vunerable to high-end "Disintegrate Weapon" spells.

I'm a sword and board type of guy. I just love the shield bash when you become skilled enough in blocking. 2-handers, while cool to beat someone with just aren't my cup of tea. I've tried them before, even with the above strategies that gpstr summarized and still don't like them all that well. They weigh far too much for the damage they deal to me.

I only use 2H when I am a mage -- I use a staff. Good for blocking, then follow up with a strong blast of lightening.

If it matters, the claymore and the great sword family are intended to be used more like pikes, from behind a line of shields, or within a phalanx. It just gives more options