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For the Dark Souls II variant, see Zweihander (Dark Souls II).
For the Dark Souls III variant, see Zweihander (Dark Souls III).

The Zweihander is an ultra greatsword in Dark Souls.

In-Game Description

One of the gigantic straight greatswords.
As the name suggests, the Zweihander is held with two hands, but its wielder must still be inhumanly strong. It is this great weight that sends foes flying when hit solidly.

Availability[]

Located on a corpse in the graveyard between the Firelink Shrine and The Catacombs behind three Skeletons and one Giant Skeleton.

Characteristics[]

The Zweihander's strong attack is its signature overhead swing. It doesn't deal quite as much damage as the strong attacks of other Ultra weapons, but deals immense poise damage, and is much faster to swing (the other weapons require a "charge up"). Normal enemies will be immediately smashed into the ground, and almost all bigger enemies will be interrupted. It is one of the only moves in the game that can swing faster than a Mushroom Parent or Crystal Golem can attack, yet is guaranteed to break their poise, interrupting their attack. This makes it an ideal weapon/attack versus those enemies. Like most weapons with large poise-breaking capacities, barely missing an enemy with the strong attack can still cause a stagger.

The overhead swing also has the advantage of a high vertical reach. This makes it a very good weapon to use to cut Dragon tails: most other ultra greatswords will require a running attack to swing upwards, and great hammers don't reach quite as high. The overhead swing also makes the player dodge certain attacks that reach horizontally.

The Zweihander can be a very strong weapon early in the game due to its close proximity to the starting area and relatively low stat requirement of 16 Strength to two-hand the weapon. Even un-upgraded, its base damage and staggering abilities are formidable for the Undead Burg area.

Later in the game the Zweihander diminishes in raw strength compared to other heavy weapons, but remains a strong contender for the best in class ultra greatsword due to its relatively fast attack speed and high damage at top-end upgrade tiers.

Resistance Defense[]

Along with Physical and Elemental damage reduction, weapons also have hidden stats that reduce the amount of status build-up while blocking.

Resistance Reduction
Bleed 55%
Poison 55%
Toxic 55%
Curse 54%

Moveset[]

Attack Description
One-handed
Weak Attack
Performs a sweep attack from right to left.
One-handed
Strong Attack
Performs an overarm swing. Smashes some enemies into the ground or staggers larger enemies.
Two-handed
Weak Attack
Performs a large sweeping move from right to left.
Two-handed
Strong Attack
Performs an overarm swing, which smashes enemies into the ground. Can be repeated.
Jump Attack Executes a jumping overwhelming slash, which breaks the poise and knocks most enemies down.
Running Attack Performs a running overarm swing.
Rolling Attack A forward thrust.
Kick Standard kick.
Left-handed
Weak Attack
Block.
Left-handed
Strong Attack
Same as right handed weak attack.

Upgrades[]

Requires: Standard Zweihander, Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Standard Standard Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Zweihander 130 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +1 (Titanite Shard ×1) 143 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +2 (Titanite Shard ×1) 156 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +3 (Titanite Shard ×2) 169 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +4 (Titanite Shard ×2) 182 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +5 (Titanite Shard ×3) 195 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +6 (L. Titanite Shard ×1) 208 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +7 (L. Titanite Shard ×1) 221 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +8 (L. Titanite Shard ×2) 234 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +9 (L. Titanite Shard ×2) 247 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +10 (L. Titanite Shard ×3) 260 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +11 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 273 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +12 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 286 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +13 (Titanite Chunk ×2) 299 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +14 (Titanite Chunk ×3) 312 C D 70 10 50 50
Zweihander +15 (Titanite Slab ×1) 325 C D 70 10 50 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +5, Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Raw Raw Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Raw Zweihander (Large Titanite Shard ×1) 225 D E 70 10 50 50
Raw Zweihander +1 (Large Titanite Shard ×1) 240 D E 70 10 50 50
Raw Zweihander +2 (Large Titanite Shard ×1) 255 D E 70 10 50 50
Raw Zweihander +3 (Large Titanite Shard ×2) 270 D E 70 10 50 50
Raw Zweihander +4 (Large Titanite Shard ×2) 285 D E 70 10 50 50
Raw Zweihander +5 (Large Titanite Shard ×3) 300 D E 70 10 50 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +10, Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Crystal Crystal Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Crystal Zweihander (Titanite Chunk ×1) 286 C D 70 10 50 50
Crystal Zweihander +1 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 299 C D 70 10 50 50
Crystal Zweihander +2 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 312 C D 70 10 50 50
Crystal Zweihander +3 (Titanite Chunk ×2) 325 C D 70 10 50 50
Crystal Zweihander +4 (Titanite Chunk ×3) 338 C D 70 10 50 50
Crystal Zweihander +5 (Titanite Slab ×1) 351 C D 70 10 50 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +5, Green Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Magic Magic Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Magic Zweihander (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 147 159 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 156 169 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 166 180 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 176 190 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 186 201 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) 196 212 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +6 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) 205 222 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +7 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×1) 215 233 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +8 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×2) 225 243 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +9 (Blue Titanite Chunk ×3) 235 254 E E C 70 10 50 50
Magic Zweihander +10 (Blue Titanite Slab ×1) 245 265 E E C 70 10 50 50

Requires: Magic Zweihander +5, Blue Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Enchanted Enchanted Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Enchanted Zweihander
(Blue Titanite Chunk ×1)
196 208 E E C 70 10 50 50
Enchanted Zweihander +1
(Blue Titanite Chunk ×1)
203 214 E E C 70 10 50 50
Enchanted Zweihander +2
(Blue Titanite Chunk ×1)
211 220 E E B 70 10 50 50
Enchanted Zweihander +3
(Blue Titanite Chunk ×2)
219 226 E E B 70 10 50 50
Enchanted Zweihander +4
(Blue Titanite Chunk ×3)
227 232 E E B 70 10 50 50
Enchanted Zweihander +5
(Blue Titanite Slab ×1)
235 241 E E A 70 10 50 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +5, Green Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Divine Divine Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Divine Zweihander (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 132 160 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 140 171 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 149 181 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 158 192 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 167 203 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) 176 214 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +6 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) 184 224 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +7 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) 193 235 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +8 (White Titanite Chunk ×2) 202 246 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +9 (White Titanite Chunk ×3) 211 256 D E C 70 10 50 50
Divine Zweihander +10 (White Titanite Slab ×1) 220 267 D E C 70 10 50 50

Requires: Divine Zweihander +5, White Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Occult Occult Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Occult Zweihander (White Titanite Chunk ×1) 178 196 D E B 70 10 50 50
Occult Zweihander +1 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) 188 205 D E B 70 10 50 50
Occult Zweihander +2 (White Titanite Chunk ×1) 199 215 D E B 70 10 50 50
Occult Zweihander +3 (White Titanite Chunk ×2) 210 225 D E B 70 10 50 50
Occult Zweihander +4 (White Titanite Chunk ×3) 220 235 D E B 70 10 50 50
Occult Zweihander +5 (White Titanite Slab ×1) 231 245 D E B 70 10 50 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +5, Green Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Fire Fire Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Fire Zweihander (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 169 169 70 10 50.0 50
Fire Zweihander +1 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 182 182 70 10 50.5 50
Fire Zweihander +2 (Green Titanite Shard ×1) 195 195 70 10 51.0 50
Fire Zweihander +3 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 208 208 70 10 51.5 50
Fire Zweihander +4 (Green Titanite Shard ×2) 221 221 70 10 52.0 50
Fire Zweihander +5 (Green Titanite Shard ×3) 234 234 70 10 52.5 50
Fire Zweihander +6 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) 249 249 70 10 53.0 50
Fire Zweihander +7 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) 265 265 70 10 53.5 50
Fire Zweihander +8 (Red Titanite Chunk ×2) 280 280 70 10 54.0 50
Fire Zweihander +9 (Red Titanite Chunk ×3) 296 296 70 10 54.5 50
Fire Zweihander +10 (Red Titanite Slab ×1) 312 312 70 10 55.0 50
The stats for the above upgrade path may be out of date. Efforts are currently underway to fix this issue. Thank you for your understanding.

Requires: Fire Zweihander +5, Red Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Chaos Chaos Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Chaos Zweihander (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) 203 235 70 10 50 50
Chaos Zweihander +1 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) 214 248 70 10 51 50
Chaos Zweihander +2 (Red Titanite Chunk ×1) 226 262 70 10 52 50
Chaos Zweihander +3 (Red Titanite Chunk ×2) 237 275 70 10 53 50
Chaos Zweihander +4 (Red Titanite Chunk ×3) 248 288 70 10 54 50
Chaos Zweihander +5 (Red Titanite Slab ×1) 259 301 70 10 55 50

Requires: Standard Zweihander +10, Titanite and 800 souls per upgrade.

Lightning Lightning Variation Attack Values Parameter Bonus Damage Reduction
Physical Damage Magic Damage Fire Damage Lightning Damage Strength Dexterity Intelligence Faith Physical Reduction Magic Reduction Fire Reduction Lightning Reduction
Lightning Zweihander (Titanite Chunk ×1) 234 234 70 10 50 50
Lightning Zweihander +1 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 252 252 70 10 50 54
Lightning Zweihander +2 (Titanite Chunk ×1) 270 270 70 10 50 58
Lightning Zweihander +3 (Titanite Chunk ×2) 288 288 70 10 50 62
Lightning Zweihander +4 (Titanite Chunk ×3) 306 306 70 10 50 66
Lightning Zweihander +5 (Titanite Slab ×1) 325 325 70 10 50 70

Trivia[]

  • The Zweihänder, a relatively modern term for a Bidenhänder, is a Germanic greatsword originating in the renaissance. Its name in German literally translates to "two-hander", referencing the fact that its great weight and length require it to be wielded with both hands.
  • The length below the two appendages (the parierhaken) above the crossguard is a blunt part of the blade known as the ricasso, which can be held and serves to shorten the wielders grip. This technique is known as half-swording, and provides better control and leverage when fighting in close quarters.
    • The aforementioned appendages are designed to deflect blades away from the hand of anyone using this technique.

Gallery[]

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