Bearded Axes are one of the most basic kinds of weapons that Eivor will be able to acquire and use in combat within the wide world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. A traditional weapon for vikings that is a reliable armament to cleave the skulls of foes as well as many other feats like cutting rope, prying open containers, and much more.
However, what players undeniably care about the most is how to use these simple yet sturdy weapons in battle. There are a plethora of ways to do so, thanks to ACV's deep combat system, therefore aspiring vikings of all kinds will be able to utilize these helpful hatchets.
In The Main Hand
The hacking attacks that are possible with a Bearded Axe in the main hand offer a nice balance between health damage, stamina damage, and attack speed. This makes sense since it is the first type of weapon that the player is given and it allows them to get used to the combat system without presenting any notable vulnerabilities.
Bearded Axes can perform a string of 4 strikes with their light attack combo, which is very versatile despite lacking reach. The heavy attack combo that can deliver 3 blows is quite similar, though trades some speed for power, as one would expect.
Overall, using a Bearded Axe in the main hand is almost always a decent option, however, it does not stand out as being particularly strong when compared to many other weapons in the game. It's the most ideal for taking on nimble and unarmored enemies, but, for tougher foes, some backup may be required.
With A Secondary Hand Weapon
Out of all the weapons that Eivor can wield in the secondary hand to accompany a Bearded Axe, a Dane Axe is arguably the best. This is not just for aesthetics due to the similar designs of each weapon, as when a Dane Axe is equipped in the secondary hand, it creates a unique variation of the Bearded Axe's light attack combo.
Normally, the Bearded Axe can string together a 4-hit chain using light attacks, however, with a Dane Axe in the secondary hand, there will be a delayed bonus hit with the Dane Axe that follows the horizontal 4th swing of the Bearded Axe with an overhead chop. This 5th attack is unique to the Dane Axe as no other 1-handed or 2-handed weapon does this when paired with a Bearded Axe.
Interestingly, this bonus 5th blow does notably higher stamina damage than most light attacks, bordering on the kind dealt by a heavy strike, meaning that players can recover stamina with light attacks while majorly decreasing the stamina gauges of adversaries without having to use heavy attacks.
In The Secondary Hand
Much like many other weapons, the Bearded Axe's special attack in the secondary hand can be used constantly when holding down the attack input, which can last until one is completely out of stamina. This continuous chain attack lets loose a series of crazy chopping cleaves which act much like the regular main hand light attack combo but with smoother animation, while also steadily, yet slightly, moving Eivor forward.
This is a great move to use on shield-hugging foes, as only a few blows will splinter wooden shields, however, its lack of reach (due to the Bearded Axe's naturally short-range) means that it can miss relatively easily against moving targets, even when locked on, so be wary of not wasting stamina by trying this maneuver on threats who are too far.
Furthermore, since the damage to health is moderate at best, stronger adversaries can potentially shrug off these strikes, and with no exit-maneuver to this special attack (like the backward dash of the Dagger or the spin-move of the Flail), this can leave Eivor with decreased stamina standing directly in front of a tough enemy; not an ideal situation.
Dual-Wielding Bearded Axes
Underwhelmingly, dual-wielding Bearded Axes do not provide a huge boost to their viability. The animation for the attacks looks very cool, though, the performance is not really worth the visual appeal. The attack speed is a great deal faster, about as fast as Dagger light attacks, though the health and stamina damage suffers too much for these rapid strikes to be as usable as players would hope.
The light attack and heavy attack combos are also mostly unchanged, though include the secondary hand Bearded Axe for additional strikes with each attack input. Due to this, there's no clear benefit to dual-wielding Bearded Axes as having a different kind of weapon in the secondary hand offers higher health and stamina damage, which are objectively more useful than the increased attack speed.
Players seeking to make the most out of their Bearded Axe-wielding should pair their favorite one-handed axe with a Dane Axe or another weapon that one fancies, for this is the best way to bring out the Bearded Axe's true potential in combat.