Is the Zweihander or Claymore Better in Dark Souls?

As a long-time Dark Souls player and content creator, this is a question I‘ve tested extensively across hundreds of hours experimenting with builds. While both the Zweihander and Claymore have their merits, there are some key differences that make each weapon shine in different scenarios.

PvE Viability

In PvE scenarios like facing off against Dark Souls‘ brutal bosses and environments, the Zweihander‘s raw damage and poise-breaking capabilities make it excellent at staggering enemies for critical attacks.

However, the Claymore‘s versatility, balanced stat requirements and speed allow it to adapt to more contexts – excelling against nimble enemies and working across Quality, Dexterity and Strength builds alike.

Zweihander PvE Strengths

• Highest base damage of greatswords
• Excellent scaling with Strength
• Devastating critical attacks after poise breaks
• Wide area-of-effect on smash attacks

Claymore PvE Strengths

• Versatile, horizontal slash moveset
• Higher swing speed than Zweihander
• Lower stat requirements
• Works well across Strength, Dex and Quality builds

While the Zweihander can easily stun-lock basic enemies and shred bosses with high poise and defense, the Claymore may have an edge in boss battles demanding agility or magic resistance thanks to its lighter weight and elemental damage options.

PvP Viability

In PvP matches against other players, both swords are common sights due to their iconic status and versatility. Here the Claymore generally sees more adoption at higher skill levels due to its balanced capabilities suiting duels.

Zweihander PvP Strengths

• Devastating damage on any successful hits
• Perseverance Weapon Art can tank damage
• Stunlocks and roll catches easily when mastered

Claymore PvP Strengths

• Jack-of-all trades physical AR and moveset
• Lower stamina usage than Zweihander
• Faster swing speed allows for mixups
• Thrust R2s have deceptive range

In the right hands, the Zweihander still proves lethal in PvP – but overall the Claymore seems to suit more playstyles and builds given its flexibility. Skilled Zweihander wielders must master spacing and hyper armor to find openings for their slower yet deadlier strikes.

Moveset & Scaling Comparison

While the Claymore boasts C/C scaling across Strength/Dexterity and a versatile moveset, the Zweihander edges it out in pure physical damage at high Strength – eventually reaching S-Tier scaling.

This makes the Zweihander well-suited for pure Strength builds, while Quality build players can still take the Claymore into end-game content with great results. Both swords can also be infused and buffed to adapt them to different stat spreads.

And while their movesets differ, each has advantages – the Claymore offers more versatility, while the Zweihander brings raw stopping power on its hammer-like downward strikes.

The Verdict: Claymore Brings More Flexibility

In closing, while both swords have fearsome reputations across Dark Soul‘s eras of PvP metas, the Claymore brings more flexibility and builds viability. Its balanced physical moveset, lower requirements and versatility edge out the slower, hyper-specialized Zweihander that requires heavy Strength investment to reach its full potential.

However, for players looking to build a character around staggering enemies and unleashing the highest Greatsword burst damage possible, the Zweihander also fills that role amazingly when built right. It just lacks flexibility compared to its quicker cousin.

So while Claymore likely suits more players and situations, seasoned veterans continue to strike fear with the iconic Zweihander – and may never put it down thanks to the sword‘s famously addictive moveset after mastering its nuances.

Either way, players have two iconic options that each bring unique strengths to the battlefield. And their storied history in Dark Souls PvP ensures they‘ll continue seeing use for years to come.

So that‘s my take – over to you! Have you wielded either of these weapons extensively? I‘d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.