Elden Ring Power Stance Greatsword Build Guide
Few playstyles in Elden Ring match the raw satisfaction of dual-wielding massive slabs of iron. While colossal swords often capture the spotlight for sheer damage numbers, a well-optimized Elden Ring power stance greatsword build offers a superior blend of speed, reach, and staggering poise damage. By pairing two greatswords together, your L1 attack animations change into devastating simultaneous swings that can stunlock elite enemies and melt boss health bars.
In this guide, we will break down the essential weapon choices, stat spreads, talismans, and ashes of war required to turn your Tarnished into an unstoppable juggernaut.
Core Weapon Choices and Affinities
To execute a successful power stance build, you need two weapons of the exact same weapon class. You do not need two identical weapons, though matching them makes scaling much easier. Greatswords offer a brilliant middle ground: they swing significantly faster than colossal swords, allowing for safer punish windows, but still deliver high poise damage.
Top Greatsword Recommendations
- Blasphemous Blade: Widely regarded as one of the best PvE weapons in the game. Its skill, Taker's Flames, knocks down enemies and heals you upon impact. Pairing two of these in New Game Plus makes you nearly immortal.
- Iron Greatsword: Boasting exceptional physical scaling when given the Heavy affinity, this rare drop from Misbegotten enemies hits like a truck on a Strength build.
- Flamberge: Excellent for Quality or Bleed builds due to its innate blood loss buildup, which triggers rapidly with power-stance L1 combos.
- Claymore: A classic choice featuring a unique heavy thrusting attack that gives you incredible versatility in tight corridors.
Choosing Your Affinity
Depending on your stat allocation, you should lean toward either a pure Strength build (Heavy affinity with two-handing modifiers applying to your primary hand, though power-stancing calculates scaling per hand) or a Quality/Faith hybrid if you plan to use elemental weapons like the Blasphemous Blade. For a standard physical build, aim for Heavy scaling on weapons like the Iron Greatsword.
Optimal Stat Spread
To wield two greatswords effectively while wearing heavy armor to survive boss trades, your level needs to reflect a late-game or end-game setup (Level 125 to 150).
- Vigor: 55–60. Non-negotiable. You will be trading blows, so health is your primary survival metric.
- Mind: 20–25. Greatsword weapon skills and jump attacks cost substantial stamina and FP. Having a buffer is essential.
- Endurance: 30–35. Power-stancing greatswords devours stamina. You also need high equip load to wear heavy armor without fat-rolling.
- Strength: 60–80. Your primary damage stat for physical greatswords.
- Dexterity: Minimum required to wield your weapons. (Usually around 18–22).
- Faith/Intelligence: Minimum required unless you are running a specific elemental variant like a Faith-based Blasphemous Blade setup.
Best Talismans for Maximum Damage
Your talisman slots should focus on enhancing jump attacks, consecutive hits, and stamina management.
- Claw Talisman: Boosts jump attacks by 15%. Because the power-stance jump L1 is one of the safest and highest-damage moves in your arsenal, this is mandatory.
- Rotten Winged Sword Insignia / Millicent's Prosthesis: Power-stancing hits multiple times per L1 input, allowing you to stack consecutive hit damage buffs rapidly.
- Shard of Alexander: Boosts the attack power of your skills. Essential if you run ashes of war like Giant-Hunt or Taker's Flames.
- Great-Jar's Arsenal: Increases your maximum equip load, allowing you to wear heavy armor sets like Bull-Goat or Verdigris for ultimate poise.
Playstyle and Combat Strategy
Playing with dual greatswords requires patience and positioning. You cannot mash the L1 button mindlessly against fast bosses like Malenia or Maliketh.
Instead, focus on the jump L1 attack. When you jump and press the left bumper, your character slams both greatswords down simultaneously. This animation has built-in lower-body hurtbox invulnerability against ground shockwaves and deals massive stance damage. Three to four jump attacks will typically posture-break most end-game bosses, opening them up for a devastating critical riposte.
Utilize ashes of war with hyper-armor, such as **Determined Determination** or **Royal Knight's Resolve**, on your right-hand weapon to buff your next attack by 60% or 80%. Combine this buff with a charged running attack or a jump L1 to chunk away half of a boss's health bar in a single strike.
