Board Thread:Skyrim/@comment-14027812-20131029222234/@comment-75.91.63.204-20140225222141

202.156.8.11 wrote: Also, lorewise, Two handed battleaxes, warhammers, spears were good for horseback combat due to the momentum the horse provides, the reach from horseback (its hard to fight with a 1 hand sword on horseback) and cause they could dish out major damage while mounted. You pulled out your (one handed) sword only when you dismount, cause 2 handed (apart from the greatsword) is not really made for foot combat (spear is for defense or throwing - you don't actually use one to attack).

The altmer probably had calvary (it seems silly to not have such) and these 2 handed weapons work well on calvary, as said above, so it would not make sense not to have 2 handed weapons. The main reason why you don't see 2 handed altmer is cause there is no altmer calvary, so it made little sense to give footsoldiers primarily horseback weapons (The stormcloaks and their 2 handed weapons ON FOOT are actually silly, a sword or axe is more practical, the legion is the one with proper tactics, nobody will use 2 hand dismounted in real life unless its a greatsword or they lost their horse)

I just want to point out that there are some rather obvious flaws to your argument over the uses of weaponry. For instance, Spartans were famous for attacking with shield and spear, not their swords. Celtic and Vikings were also famous for their use of large, two hand weapons on the battlefield to deadly effect, mostly hammers and axes respectively. English knights were also very found of one handed warhammers since they easily crushed plate mail and were just as effective against unarmored targets.

Oh, and you don't really use many two handed weapons on horseback since the weight of the weapon made it too easy to unbalace the rider. Typically warhammers are actually one handed weapons, what most people actually confuse for warhammers are construction mauls, which are two handed oversize hammers.

Last point, greatswords actually weren't that common on the battlefield except for one battalion of German infantry which used their Zweihanders (actual name) to dismount calvary lines. All of this information can be found researching Mideval Recreation and Historical societies, by the way.