by befowler Wed Oct 31, 2012 2:45 pm
One of my str characters alternates between some elemental greatswords and a greatsword +15. Although the AR doesn't change in your stats, you still get a 2-handing damage bonus on the elemental weapons even though they supposedly have no scaling. This combined with what seems to be a slightly faster swing speed (particularly the recovery swing) can really make a difference. Another factor is generally greater poise damage when 2 handing. A greatsword 2-handed swing will stagger anyone below 76 poise I believe, and the R2 thrust when two handed staggers people well above that.
Finally, if you plan to do a lot of two-handing fighting, take a look at how your planned weapon performs if you block with it. Heavier str weapons often have fairly good stability for blocking (which may be improved when 2-handing, not sure if this has been tested), and elemental weapons give a bonus to elemental blocking of the same type. For example, a lightning greatsword +5 has 70% physical damage block, 70% lightning damage block (higher than most shields!) and pretty good stability.