Elden Ring: The Ultimate Zweihander Strength Build Guide for Shadow of the Erdtree
We'll break down everything you need to know about the Zweihander strength build: stats, talismans, buffs, more Elden Ring Items, combat tactics, and why it's quickly becoming a fan-favorite in both PvP and PvE.
Why the Zweihander Dominates
The Zweihander has always been a beloved weapon in FromSoftware history-dating all the way back to Dark Souls 1. But in Elden Ring, it earns a new reputation as one of the most versatile colossal weapons available.
It's lighter than most colossal greatswords, which means you can still maintain a decent roll speed and poise balance while dishing out massive blows. However, that lower weight does come with a trade-off-you'll deal slightly less raw damage than the iconic Greatsword, but you'll make up for it with faster swings and piercing counterattack potential.
The Zweihander's heavy attack is what truly sets it apart. It delivers pierce-type damage, which allows it to benefit from the Spear Talisman-an incredible synergy that enhances your counterattack damage by 15%. Combined with other talismans and buffs, this setup can melt even the tankiest opponents in just a few trades.
The Core Build Setup
Stats
To get the most out of your Zweihander, focus on these priorities:
Strength: 60 (for pure damage scaling)
Vigor: 55-60 (you'll need to tank hits in trades)
Endurance: 35+ (for stamina and equip load)
Dexterity: 18 (minimum for weapon requirements)
Faith/Int/Arcane: Base level unless you plan to infuse elemental ashes
This is a pure Strength build, designed for massive counterattack damage and solid poise trading.
The Talisman Setup
The talismans make or break this build. Each one adds multiplicative bonuses to your damage potential during trades or counter windows.
1.Spear Talisman-Increases counterattack damage by 15% when using thrust attacks. Essential for your Zweihander's heavy pokes.
2.Retaliatory Cross Tree Talisman-Enhances your crouch and rolling attacks, letting you punish whiffs or trades effectively.
3.Two-Handed Sword Talisman-Boosts all damage while two-handing a weapon by 10%. Perfect for a colossal weapon setup.
4.Bull-Goat's Talisman (or Shard of Alexander)-For PvP, Bull-Goat's helps maintain poise during trades; for PvE, swap it for Alexander's to boost Ash of War damage.
Tip:
If you're using Storm Stomp as your Ash of War (a simple but effective finisher), swap Bull-Goat's for the Shard of Alexander to squeeze out even more burst potential.
Buffs and Consumables
To maximize your physical damage output:
Exalted Flesh: Boosts your physical attack power by 20%.
Uplifting Aromatic: Provides a flat attack boost and damage negation-ideal for close trades.
Weapon Greases (like Fire or Lightning Grease): Pushes your AR past 1,000 with all buffs active.
When fully buffed, the Zweihander can hit for over 1,000 attack rating, allowing crouch pokes and heavy counters to delete enemies in one or two trades.
Armor and Poise Setup
You don't need to go full "onion knight" mode for this build to work, but having high poise is non-negotiable. Aim for 80+ poise so you can tank through at least one medium weapon hit.
Recommends a balanced setup using:
Scaled or Vagabond Armor Set (depending on your equip load)
Bull-Goat Talisman for extra poise if you prefer trading blows head-on
Tip:
Avoid going into "fat roll" territory. The Zweihander's advantage lies in its ability to roll quickly for a colossal weapon user-don't lose that edge.
Playstyle: Counterattack and Control
The Zweihander's secret strength lies in its counterattack game. It rewards patience, precision, and timing rather than blind aggression.
1. Crouch Attacks
The crouch poke is your bread and butter-it comes out fast, hits hard, and roll-catches beautifully. Use it to punish greedy rolls or panic reactions.
2. Heavy Thrust Counters
The Zweihander's heavy attack is a piercing strike, meaning it triggers both the Spear Talisman and Counter Frames simultaneously when trading hits. If you time it right against an incoming attack, you'll deal devastating retaliatory damage.
3. Trading Smart
Thanks to your poise and talismans, you want enemies to swing first. Let them hit into your active frames and deliver a crushing counter. You'll take minor chip damage, but your counter blow will often deal triple what they inflicted.4. Ash of War Finisher
Uses Storm Stomp, a simple but effective Ash of War that stuns enemies for a free heavy follow-up. It doesn't consume much FP and perfectly fits the "counterattack" theme.
PvP Showcase: Invasions and Highlights
Here are a few standout scenarios that show the build's versatility:
The Black Knife Catacombs Battle: Trading into multiple cooperators using crouch attacks for 1,000+ damage hits. The spear and two-handed sword talismans stacked perfectly to one-shot light-armor phantoms.
Crumbling Farum Azula Showdown: Out-trading dual Blasphemous Blade users with pure counter timing. Even with healing waves flying around, the Zweihander's trades were unanswerable.
Raya Lucaria and Haligtree Invasions: Using terrain control and quick crouch pokes to punish light roll and spell spam builds. The weapon's range and speed made it a perfect answer to "dishonest wizardry."
PvE Applications: Boss Trades and Burst
In PvE, the Zweihander strength build thrives against bosses with telegraphed attacks. Its massive counter potential lets you punish bosses who strike aggressively.
Against DLC enemies that love extended combos or delayed hits (like those in Shadow of the Erdtree), the Zweihander's piercing counters hit for absurd numbers-often staggering bosses in 2-3 well-timed heavy thrusts.
Recommended buffs for boss fights:
Exalted Flesh + Physick Flask (Strength Knot)
Royal Knight's Resolve (if you want to one-shot bosses' stagger windows)
Two-hand weapon always for that sweet 10% damage bonus
Build Variations and Flex Options
While the pure strength version is the star, you can easily adapt this build into a few variants:
1.Quality Hybrid (40 STR / 40 DEX)-Slightly lower AR, but faster recovery and roll options for PvP.
2.Faith Infused Zweihander-Apply Flame Art or Sacred infusion to benefit from buffs like Flame, Grant Me Strength.
3.Status Zweihander (Blood or Frost)-Viable in PvP for pressure, though it sacrifices some counter damage.
Tip:
Always two-hand the weapon. The bonus from the Two-Handed Sword Talisman and base strength scaling together give you the best possible return on investment.
Closing Thoughts: The Return of True Strength
The Zweihander has always symbolized power and precision-an elegant weapon for players who prefer strategy over spam. In Shadow of the Erdtree, it stands out once again as one of the best colossal weapons for both PvE dominance and PvP dueling.
By combining three key talismans, high poise, and precision counter-timing, you unlock a build capable of deleting opponents in one trade while shrugging off their aggression.
So whether you're fighting bosses, invading catacombs, want more Elden Ring Runes or dueling at the colosseum, remember:
Wait for the swing.
Trade with confidence.
Let the counterattack do the talking.
The desert may reward patience in Dune: Awakening, but in Elden Ring, it's the swing that wins the war.
Final Verdict:
The Zweihander Counter Strength Build is easily one of the most satisfying playstyles in the DLC-powerful, reactive, and stylish. It brings back that old-school Souls feel of risk-versus-reward combat, where timing is everything.