While there aren't a lot of two-handed weapons in Valheim, several of them are top-tier melee options in the game. Two-handed weapons may not provide the blocking potential of a shield, but they have the highest damage output in the game.
Most of the weapons will have high enough blocking stats to keep players in the fight as well. The slower and higher damage two-handed weapons are a hack-and-slash player's dream. Each weapon is fun to use and provides a nice break from the one-handed options. Gamers that have an offensive mentality will need to forge the best two-handed weapons, but which item ranks as the best in this category?
Updated March 15, 2023: Valheim's developers continue to add new and interesting content with each update, giving players more to explore and craft on their way to Viking supremacy. This includes weapons and other combat items, with two-handed weapons providing some of the best coverage in the game in terms of knockback and AOE damage. But how many two-handed weapons are in Valheim, and which Valheim two-handed weapons are the best for players to craft? To better answer these questions, the following list has been updated and includes even more information about the stats of these weapons and how to craft them.
17 Antler Pickaxe
- Base Damage Types: 18 Pierce / 18 Pickaxe
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 50
The worst two-handed option in Valheim is the beginner pickaxe, which is crafted using 10 Wood and one Hard Antler. While the axe can be used as a weapon, it only deals 18 damage to enemies. All pickaxes do less damage if the target is not below the melee attack, making it tricky to use against enemies. Gamers should only be using the Pickaxe to mine Copper and Tin. With enough Copper and Tin Ore, survivors can craft the Bronze Pickaxe.
How To Craft An Antler Pickaxe
Combine 10 Wood and 1 Hard Antler at a Level 1 Workbench.
16 Bronze Pickaxe
- Base Damage Types: 24 Pierce / 24 Pickaxe
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 50
The Bronze Pickaxe has just seven more Pierce Damage than the Antler Axe. However, the Pickaxe will give survivors better ore loot while mining. The Antler Pickaxe has such a low drop chance on all nodes that getting the Bronze Pickaxe is essential. To craft the weapon, players will need to use their Antler Pickaxe to mine deposits in the Black Forest.
How To Craft A Bronze Pickaxe
Combine 3 Core Wood and 10 Bronze at a Level 1 Forge.
15 Bronze Atgeir
- Base Damage Types: 45 Pierce
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 30
Polearms are a unique type of two-handed weapon in Valheim. They also have better range and damage profiles than the other weapons crafted with metal. One of the other benefits of polearms is the secondary attacks, which can damage enemies that are in any direction surrounding a character. The Bronze Atgeir is the first Polearm players will be able to unlock, and it will inflict 45 damage for every attack.
How To Craft A Bronze Atgeir
Combine 10 Wood, 8 Bronze, and 2 Leather Scraps at a Level 1 Forge.
14 Iron Pickaxe
- Base Damage Types: 33 Pierce / 33 Pickaxe
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 50
Survivors will need to craft the Iron Pickaxe to farm both Obsidian and Silver Ore. The axe is a decent upgrade from the Bronze Pickaxe, providing +8 Pickaxe. Gamers will need to find metal scraps in the Swamp Crypts to craft the top-level Pickaxe. If the Crypt gates are locked, that means that players still need to defeat Elder.
How To Craft An Iron Pickaxe
Combine 3 Core Wood and 20 Iron at a Level 2 Forge.
13 Stagbreaker
- Base Damage Types: 20 Blunt / 5 Pierce
- Backstab: 2x
- Knockback: 150
There are only two true AOE weapons in Valheim, and the Stagbreaker is one of them. It will not be viable in one-on-one fights against high-level enemies, but it is a useful crowd-control club. With relatively low damage, the Stagbreaker is a good early to mid-game weapon. After players have defeated Elder, it makes more sense to forge one of the base Iron weapons in this list.
How To Craft A Stagbreaker
Combine 20 Core Wood, 5 Deer Trophy, and 2 Leather Scraps at a Level 2 Workbench.
12 Battleaxe
- Base Damage Types: 70 Slash / 40 Chop
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 70
The Battleaxe is an impressive slash weapon that causes anywhere from 75-93 damage depending on Forge level. Gamers have better options for a woodcutting axe, but the Battleaxe will cut a decent amount of wood with 40 chop. The Battleaxe also has the highest knockback rating among the axes in the game. Players will have three different melee attacks while using this axe.
To craft the weapon, players will need to chop down Ancient Trees in the Swamp biome. Then survivors will need to loot the Crypts and get enough Metal Scraps to smelt 45 Iron. Just one Scrap Metal and Coal are needed to produce one Iron ingot.
How To Craft A Battleaxe
Combine 35 Iron, 30 Ancient Bark, and 4 Leather Scraps at a Level 2 Forge.
11 Iron Atgeir
- Base Damage Types: 65 Pierce
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 30
The Iron Atgeir is the second-best Iron weapon. The Polearm deals a devastating 65-83 damage depending on the Forger's level. The damage is higher than all other iron weapons and a viable choice even late in the game. Gamers will need to return to the Swamp biome crypts and collect 30 scraps to smelt 30 Iron.
How To Craft An Iron Atgeir
Combine 30 Wood, 10 Iron, and 2 Leather Scraps at a Level 2 Forge.
10 Iron Sledge
- Base Damage Types: 55 Blunt
- Backstab: 2x
- Knockback: 200
Even though the Iron Sledge only deals 55-73 AOE damage per attack, it is extremely effective when fighting multiple opponents. The two-handed club has 200 Knockback, which will stagger and slow enemies.
The Iron Sledge is an upgraded Stagbreaker that can deal damage to tens of enemies if they are close enough to its effects. Users will need to Kill Draugr Elites in the Swamp Biome to gather the necessary trophies to forge the weapon.
How To Craft An Iron Sledge
Combine 30 Iron, 10 Ancient Bark, 4 Ymir Flesh, and 1 Draugr Elite Trophy at a Level 2 Forge.
9 Black Metal Pickaxe
- Base Damage Types: 49 Pierce, 33 Pickaxe
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 50
As of the Mistlands update, the Black Metal Pickaxe is the most powerful pickaxe in the game. This tool/weapon only has a primary attack through which the user swings at the ground. It is most useful for gathering materials new to the game through the Mistlands.
How to Craft the Black Metal Pickaxe
Combine 3 Yggdrasil Wood and 25 Level 2 Forge.
8 Blackmetal Atgeir
- Base Damage Types: 105 Pierce
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 30
One of the best two-handed weapon in Valheim is the Blackmetal Atgeir. The Iron Sledge is awesome, but it is only useful when controlling crowds of enemies. The Blackmetal Atgeir can do it all. The Polearm spin attack is effectively an AOE attack, while the stab attack will decimate enemies one on one. A fully upgraded Forge will produce an Atgeir that inflicts 123 damage per hit.
How To Craft A Blackmetal Atgeir
Combine 30 Black Metal, 10 Fine Wood, and 5 Linen Thread at a Level 4 Forge.
7 Skoll and Hati
- Base Damage Types: 45 Pierce, 45 Slash
- Backstab: 6x
- Knockback: 10
While technically a dual-wielded knife, the Skoll and Hati requires two hands. This weapon's primary attack features three rapid strikes, with the final one dealing double damage and +20 percent more knockback. Its secondary attack takes about the same amount of time the primary's triple strike does and deals almost triple the damage.
How to Craft the Skoll and Hati
Combine 4 Fine Wood, 10 Iron, and 10 Black Metal at a Black Forge.
6 Crystal Battleaxe
- Base Damage Types: 90 Slash, 30 Spirit, 50 Chop
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 70
An improvement on the regular Battleaxe, the Crystal Battleaxe deals more damage and glows while being held. This weapon's primary attack is a 3-hit attack combo that features two wide swings and a vertical overhead strike. That last hit deals double damage and 1.5x staggering, while its faster secondary attack deals 0.5x damage and 4x staggering.
How to Craft A Crystal Battleaxe
Combine 40 Ancient Bark, 30 Silver and 10 Crystal at a Level 3 Forge.
5 Himmin Afl
- Base Damage Types: 85 Pierce, 40 Lightning
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 40
The Himmin Afl is the fourth polearm in Valheim and features the unique ability to trigger a lightning effect. The Himmin Afl's primary attack is a combination of 3 stabs, with the final hit dealing double damage. The secondary attack does ordinary damage but 6x staggering around the user with its lightning effect.
How to Craft A Himmin Afl
Combine 10 Yggdrasil Wood, 15 Refined Eitr, 5 Silver, and 2 Mandibles at a Black Forge.
4 Demolisher
- Base Damage Types: 145 Blunt
- Backstab: 2x
- Knockback: 210
The Demolisher is the third two-handed club, and it interestingly doesn't feature a secondary attack. After a big lead-up, the Demolisher is swung at the ground, dealing damage, staggering, and knocking back everything in a radius of 4 meters. This makes it one of the more interesting AOE weapons in Valheim.
How to Craft The Demolisher
Combine 10 Yggdrasil Wood, 20 Iron, and 10 Refined Eitr at a Black Forge.
3 Krom
- Base Damage Types: 150 Slash
- Backstab: 3x
- Knockback: 55
The Krom is the first two-handed sword in all of Valheim and one of the weapons introduced through the Mistlands biome. This longsword has a primary attack that features a 3-hit combo with double damage on the final strike. This weapon's secondary attack is much slower but deals triple damage.
How to Craft Krom
Combine 20 Bronze, 30 Iron, and 5 Scale Hide at a Black Forge.
2 Staff of Frost
- Base Damage Types: 30 Frost
- Eitr Use: 5
- Knockback: 10
One of the more interesting additions to come with the Mistlands update, the Staff of Frost, functions as a rapid-firing ranged weapon. If players have eaten one of the meals that provide Eitr, they can use this weapon. Combining this with Valheim's Eitr-weave armor can make a player's foray into the Mistlands much more manageable.
How to Craft the Staff of Frost
Combine 20 Yggdrasil Wood, 4 Freeze Glands, and 16 Refined Eitr at a Galdr Table.
1 Staff of Embers
- Base Damage Types: 120 Fire, 120 Blunt
- Eitr Use: 35
- Knockback: 100
The Staff of Embers launches explosive rounds when activated. These slow fireballs deal massive damage and light enemies ablaze but cost a significant amount of Eitr, the magical resource item in Valheim. Unlike the Staff of Frost, this weapon is a powerful AOE option and can make the Infested Mines and other dungeons much more straightforward.
How to Craft the Staff of Embers
Combine 20 Yggdrasil Wood, 4 Surtling Cores, and 16 Refined Eitr at a Galdr Table.