Looking to slice, smash, and stagger your way through Nightlords with style? Dual wielding in Elden Ring: Nightreign isn’t just flashy, it’s powerful, effective, and sometimes the key to unlocking a whole new layer of combat. Whether you’re pairing daggers for rapid status buildup or lugging two colossal hammers for that pure strength flex, my guide will teach you everything you need to know about how dual-wielding works in Nightreign, what to watch out for, and which weapons are worth doubling up on.
How To Dual Wield (Understanding Weapons & Dual Wielding)
In Nightreign, the fundamentals of dual wielding are similar to the base game Elden Ring, but with a few quirks. To dual-wield effectively, you’ll need to equip two weapons in your left and right hand. Sounds easy, right? Well, here’s where things get interesting.
This guide will cover:
- How to Dual Wield (Properly)
- Pros and Cons of Dual Wielding
- Recommended Weapon Types to Dual Wield
- Tips from Experience
Let’s break it all down so you can take full advantage of your Nightfarer’s arsenal.
How to Dual-Wield & How It Works
To dual-wield weapons in Elden Ring Nightreign, go to the Equipment menu and place a weapon in both the left-hand and right-hand slots. Pressing L1 will allow you to attack with both weapons simultaneously, but only if they’re compatible.
To unlock dual-wielding movesets (where you swing both weapons together), you must equip weapons of the same type with the same or compatible attack patterns. For example:
- A Brick Hammer and a Battle Hammer will work together.
- The Watchdog Staff and Envoy’s Great Horn, despite being boss weapons, also sync due to their shared “Great Mace” category.
But don’t be fooled: just because two weapons look alike or have similar names doesn’t guarantee they’ll work together. Great Axes are notoriously inconsistent here. The best test? Equip them both, press L1, and if you swing both arms, congrats, it works!
Pros & Cons of Dual Wielding
Pros
- Unique Movesets: Get flashy, powerful combos not available through standard wielding.
- Rapid Status Buildup: Poison, bleed, frostbite, you name it. Dual-wielding hits multiple times fast.
- Higher DPS Potential: Especially true for lighter weapons like daggers and curved swords.
Cons
- Stamina Drain: Swinging two weapons chews through stamina fast.
- No Shield: You’re committing to full offense, great if you’re confident, dangerous if not.
- Strict Weapon Matching: Not all weapons will unlock special movesets when paired.
Recommended Weapons to Dual Wield
- Curved Swords: Fast, fluid, and stamina-efficient. Curved swords offer some of the best dual-wield movesets in the game. Great for bleed and frostbite builds.
- Twinblades: Twinblades naturally encourage dual-wielding. They hit fast, chain smoothly, and can apply status effects in just a few strikes. Perfect for Dexterity-focused Nightfarers.
- Colossal Weapons: Going full Chad? Dual colossal weapons might be slow, but the damage and stagger potential are unreal. Jump attacks especially shine here, letting you bring down boss posture like a freight train.
Tips from Experience
When I first started experimenting with dual wielding, I ran into all kinds of inconsistencies, especially with Great Axes. I’d swear two axes should pair up, but pressing L1 would only swing one arm. Lesson learned: test everything manually. Even similar names don’t guarantee compatibility.
Also, dual-wielding works best on Nightfarers with decent stamina and weapon scaling. Executor, Duchess, and Raider are especially well-suited for it. Keep in mind that dual wielding won’t be optimal if you can’t meet weapon stat requirements, it’ll just gimp your damage output.
Wrap-Up
Dual wielding in Elden Ring: Nightreign can open up a world of new strategies, styles, and raw fun. Whether you’re going for flashy combos or trying to melt a boss with poison procs, it’s all about picking the right weapon pair and knowing your Nightfarer’s limits. So get out there, swing both blades, and if something feels off? Press L1 and find your flow. Have a favorite weapon combo or something weird that just works? Drop it in the comments, I’m always on the hunt for spicy new setups.
And hey, if you’re leaning more toward smashing things with raw power instead of flashy combos, two-handing might be more your style. We’ve got a full guide on how to two-hand weapons in Elden Ring Nightreign, too. It’s got its own perks (like boosted damage and easier stagger potential), so definitely give it a look if that sounds more up your alley!
