I also find it's a rare dex-scaling heavy hitter. Cool beans.

it's a Greataxe

Perhaps, but i think most people put this down the elemental upgrade paths (Chaos, Lightning, Enchanted).

The shaft bends on strong attacks, which could require better hand dexterity

Would you consider nunchuks dex or str weapons?

Nunchaxe

Because it bends.

Because fromsoft wanted a dex scaling axe?

Exactly. Great alternative to Blood Shield when you can't parry or block something easily. Even better when you mostly two hand.

Yes, this weapon can be buffed as long as you keep it on the regular upgrade path (not ascending to an elemental path).

Thank you I have been looking for a good weapon I can buff

nvm im braindead

yes

I never got it from either, so it doesn't seem like a guarantee.

No, it's dropped only when the tail is cut off so it is never guaranteed. Only drops once per playthrough.

31 may anon is wrong, i got 2 in one playthrough

You might be a Giant Dad kinda person then

I think that one of dark souls problems is exactly that it obly has a few passable weapons. I try to use gauntlet's every run, but no matter how overleveled I am, they just don't work.

This weapon is good for quality and dex builds

Depends. I think dark souls 3 has a ton of really cool weapons. My paladin build alternates between a few different ones depending on the scenario. Keep in mind this game is the first of 3.

I never really understand why ppl love zwei, yes it can stun but it's just too slow and i feel the damage isn't enough for how slow it is

Zweihander is fantastic but you need to get used to using more weapons. Many weapons are extremely effective in the right hands and only seem like they are underwhelming when you're used to the easy to learn staple weapons (Zwei, Uchi, Claymore, etc). Sure some are clearly better than others like Murakumo but this game is very balanced overall, not counting backstab fishing.

It’s hard to get good weapons at the beginning. It takes rng, for example getting the tower knight in undead parish to drop the great axe or getting a black knight to drop its respective weapon

Im super biased, but dex weapons lack the satisfaction of those big azz strenght weapons.

Theyre fun and more versatile, but they lack the oomph i want

It's because of how poise works in DS1. Zweihander will basically always break any poise because it's an ultra greatsword and they have crazy high poise damage values. This makes it feel much better to use than most weapons, since it will stagger opponents on basically every hit, decreasing the opportunities they get to strike back. There are plenty of excellent weapons if you're really good at the game, but when you're new, those big beefy staggering hits can get you to learn the game better.