Two-handed rebalance

⭐ ⭐⭐ (3,768 endorsements) 📥 95,207 downloads 📌 v1.01 📅 2/25/2012
⚪ Last updated 2012

By machinocracy · Skills and Leveling

⬇ Download Mod Source: Nexus Mods ↗ 📅 Updated: 3/3/2012 📅 Created: 2/25/2012
⚠️ Install Order · 3 steps
1🛠️ SKSE — Skyrim Script Extender Download ↗
2🔧 USLEEP — Unofficial Skyrim Legendary Edition Patch Download ↗
3🖥️ SkyUI — SkyUI (MCM framework) Download ↗

Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.

🔍 Analysis

  • 👍 4.0% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
  • 🏆 #13 of 16 Skills and Leveling mods in this game by downloads

📋 About This Mod

A small note (January 2019)

Greetings! I've logged in to nexus for the first time in about five years and I'm quite happy to see that people seem to like this mod and still download it. I've received a couple of messages over the years of people asking for permission to integrate it into their own mods and so on. I'd like to say sure, go ahead.

It's great to see how Skyrim is still so popular even after a couple of years. Cheers to the games we love!

What this mod does

This mod aims to make two-handed weapons a more viable option, by adding perks that allow you to increase attack speed as well as improve blocking.

"Swift Strikes" has two ranks and will allow you to attack up to 30% faster with a two-handed weapon (Alternatively, there's a toned down version that some people have requested, which will add only 20% attack speed)

"Defensive Stance" has one rank and improves your blocking with a two-handed weapon by 30% (Toned down version: 20% better blocking and perk requirement is 60 2H skill instead of 40)

Reasoning

Two-handed weapons scale very badly with Enchanting and Smithing bonuses.

Enchants and weapon tempering apply the same fixed bonuses to any weapon, regardless of their attack speed. This means that a faster weapon will benefit much more from said skills, because it can apply the damage bonus more often.

With 100 Smithing, 100 Weapon Skill, as well as Armsman/Barbarian Perks, a one-handed Daedric sword will slightly outdamage a two-handed Daedric Greatsword. That is not even taking damage enchantments into account, which would widen the gap even more in favor of one-handed weapons. (Keep in mind, I'm only talking about a single one-handed weapon here, not dual wield!)

In the end, two-handed weapons are unwieldy because of their low attack speed. They slow the user down while he's attacking, practically negating their range advantage, they use a lot of stamina to execute power attacks because of their weight, and nevertheless they WILL be outdamaged by a single one-handed weapon eventually.

To address this, I've added a perk that gives the player +30% attack speed with two handed weapons (split up into two ranks with 15% increase each). This will increase the average damage output, allow two-handed weapons to benefit from smithing/enchanting much better and also help with defending yourself, because you can go back to blocking, bashing or evading much earlier, and won't be stuck in an attack animation, which can be quite frustrating.

Overall damage will still be lower than that of dual wield, as it should, but higher than sword and board. Your attack speed with a Greatsword will be at about 0. 9, so it'll be a little bit slower than a one handed sword.

The new "Defensive Stance" Perk (at 40 2H skill) allows you to block 30% more damage while holding a

🤖 AI-enhanced — based on mod data

This Skyrim mod adds two new perks to make two-handed weapons more viable: Swift Strikes increases attack speed, and Defensive Stance improves blocking while holding a two-handed weapon. It's a lightweight, focused enhancement for players who favor heavy weapons.

✨ Key Features

Adds Swift Strikes perk to increase two-handed weapon attack speed
Adds Defensive Stance perk to improve blocking with two-handed weapons
Targets two-handed weapon viability in Skyrim's skill tree

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Community favorite with 3,768 endorsements and over 95k downloads
  • Simple, focused design—just two perks, no bloat
  • Directly addresses a common complaint about two-handed weapons being too slow

⚠️ Cons

  • Last updated in 2012—may not be compatible with Skyrim Special Edition or Anniversary Edition without patches
  • Only adds two perks, so it won't overhaul the entire two-handed skill tree
🎯 Is This For You?
For Skyrim players who love two-handed weapons but hate the slow swing speed and weak blocking. If you're a warrior build looking for a simple, no-fuss buff to your favorite weapon type, this is for you. Skip if you want a full overhaul or play with mods that already rebalance two-handed combat.
📦 Install:Easy· Under 1 minute

💡 Beginner Tips

  • If you're on Skyrim Special Edition, check if the mod has a port or use a compatibility patch—the original is from 2012.
  • Load this mod after other perk overhauls to ensure the new perks appear correctly in the skill tree.
  • Test the perks on a dummy or low-level enemy to see if the attack speed increase feels balanced to you.

📊 Mod Details

Game
Skyrim LE Mods
Author
machinocracy
Version
1.01
Downloads
95,207
Endorsements
3,768
Category
Skills and Leveling
Created
2/25/2012
Updated
3/3/2012

🔧 How to Install Skyrim LE Mods

Download from Nexus.

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