I know i created a thread exactly like this but it was in the wrong section. Now this is the right section...
It is pissing me off now, I was never defeated in skyrim that bad and literally i was in rage and felt like throwing my skyrim gamebox out of the window. I played on master many times, first as a pure mage with impact, which is pretty easy since impact keeps the enemy at bay.
Archery is the best, since i can just jump around and shoot while that dumb enemy with his warhammer swings around and cannot hit me, not to mention Sneak is overpowered at lv 80+. So basically i was having the time of my life, owning everyone with my bow/spells

Then i started a new char and went for 2 handed greatswords. that was hell. I die many times, decapitated by bandit chiefs, or 2hkoed by magic users, not to mention paralysed by archers. And Lydia is standing there being a milkdrinker and doesnt help a f....This left me wondering, why is 2 handed melee so hard? Tips??? Lvl 32 atm

The exclusion of block/parry makes it less viable, and doesn't make much sense when you think about it.

Two handed weapons can block, it's dual-wield that lacks blocking.

Are you playing conan style 2-handed ? loin cloth - heavy weapon.

You need lots of armor and magic resistance to tank, and or lots of health.

Skyrim isn't exactly about giving you choices to play subsets of styles...

Well, I suppose it depends on how good you are at blocking - which is harder without a shield, or so I've been told - or else evading enemy strikes.

2-handed is easy you can kill enemies in a couple swings.

You dont need to block or parry when using any kind of melee in Skyrim unless your build is terrible. You don't even have to abuse Smithing and Enchanting for it to be easy mode.

I've been playing a two hander since release and I love it. You just have to be more careful I guess.

I had a warrior char I made from a High Elf. I made him as dark as possible, gave him red warpaint and named him Dremora Lord. That guy was a monster. You have to be able to take a lot of punishment. Health / Smithing / Daedric armor and weapon taken to Lengendary status. You probably got that part, huh?

Use your environment for strong enemies. Let them come to you.

I agree with CiDZillA. However, since my 2 hand skill is a little low for my level, I just use it on weaker enemies, and will continue to do so until I get my skill up to par. For more powerful enemies I just use 1 hander and shield.

The 2H Greatsword is a solid choice. I prefer the little bit of extra speed over the damage of the slower weapons.

You are at level 32...
What are your stats and perks at?
Do you have any perks banked?

2H is very viable. Blocking is still important, I suggest at least getting the quick reflex perk, I frequently power bash to disrupt the enemy. I use light armor for extra stamina needed for more power attacks, but it may be easier to use heavy instead to soak up damage. I'm RPing a Stormcloak soldier, so I'm still using the Stormcloak armor you pick up at the beginning of the game. I'm also playing on Expert, so if you're playing on Adept and taking advantage of the best armor you can find and also investing in Smithing & Enchanting, you really shouldn't have any probs.

i play a 2-h, heavy armor nord on master and it not only makes sense from a rping perspective, but, is fun and completely viable, since, it has a block tree.

combined with a bit of archery and my shouts the 2-h weapon delivers the death blow by decap.

i'm excited to get some of the other perks like sweep and charge to just destroy everything in my path. fun gameplay.

btw, i haven't even touched smith/enchant/alch, yet.

It's not hard, just different. You can block, just not as well as a shield. Get quick reflexes ASAP and your game will dramatically improve. Grab Steed Stone early and enjoy critical charging foes. The decapitating animation is fun to watch too. Make an Orc and be proud walking around tall, bulky, with a 2h monster of death - quite intimidating and satisfying. I will say it takes more practice, but timing is just another challenge and part of the fun.

First, I'd recommend not doing anything that would result in you going into a "rage" and causing damage to electronic equipment or yourself. Second, don't neglect the bash perks in the block tree. Bashing with two-handed weapons will do http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1313851-complete-character-design-freedom-damage-resist-caps-and-ridiculous-damage-thread-7/page__st__120__p__19787969#entry19787969 than with a shield and is a quick way to stagger your opponent, allowing you to deliver a power attack. Third, invest in heavy armor and smithing to maximize the defensive quality of your armor.

Two-handed is a very satisfying skill, but requires more finesse and can be more difficult in some situations such as dealing with mages or dragons.

i figured out the blocking part. its just that the enemies can wipe out 1/3 of my HP or even 1/2 of my HP with a power hit. Like that bandit mauruder....
and i didnt put any enchantment yet, only 15 frost on my greatsword.
edit: i dont have bash on my block perk, didnt pay attention to it much.

Perks:
i currently put points into heavy smithing, archery, block, 2 handed, restoration and sneak. The others are just meh. Didnt pay attention to enchantment much until my level is about 25ish. Problem is my block is only 21... i dont block much so maybe thats the problem, since previously i used dual 1 handed swords and basically just slashed through every enemy i see.

edit 2: for enchantments, i have 50% two handed atk boost, 50% archery, 20 HP on armor and 14 feathers. Currently no magic resistance though. My method of attack is using the bow and try to sneak kill as many enemies as possible then use the sword and break everyone. Doesnt work all the time on other melee people, but against mages, the bow basically owns them all, so you can say i am a 1/2 archer and 1/2 2 handed. Now, if i were to put magic resistance, which part of the armor and what enchantment should i sacrifice

Stick with the two handed my friend. You can block. You can use any of the block perks that do not mention a shield. You can also bash but the range is very short.
Get some magic resistance on your armour. Try the atronach stone or the lord stone too. How about an enchanted greatsword that absorbs health? I have different great swords for different purposes.
Got my stamina damage one. Magika damage one. Soul trap one. Fire one. Ice one. Silver one. Fear/undead bane one.
Try an unenchanted great sword with the elemental fury shout.

When you are two handed you need to be aware of your surroundings. You are fighting close quarter. SOmetimes you need to run. Sometimes you need to hide. You can't always go out swinging. Sometimes you can though.

By the way, the illusion magic school has good synergy with two handed. Courage for your friends. Fury/Calm for your enemies.

I went down the 'Block' tree first before finally deciding to pick up my Two-Hander. Being able to know when the target is about to initiate a power-attack via the slow time while blocking is very useful indeed.
Other than that, just make sure you got a decent set of gear and smack things until they are dead.
(I'm obviously not an expert on this style of combat, as my light footing and glorious tail make me more of a 'cunning' type!)

I carry a 2 hand Glass sword 189 Damage Enchanted with 45% Fire and Soul Capture for filling Gems and 2 Glass maces 45 Damage Enchanted with 45% Fire and Lighting Damage I made them with a Ring and Necklace 27% Smith Fortify with a Blacksmith Potion and dual enchanted them
I have no need to Block
My Gauntlets are also Enchanted with Fortify 1 and 2 Hand Weapons at 45%
1 swipe with 2 hand or a nice spin with maces usually takes them out even great on Dragons once you use Dragon shout to ground them takes maybe 4 to 6 attacks no more Dragon

All forms of Melee are pretty much exactly the same. Use heavy armor, get max Magic resistance, and use your melee type strengths.

For two handed your block is almost useless. So don't use it unless your buying time. You will probably want much more health then stamina because you won't have the speed of dual wield or the defense of a shield. But you still want to power attack as much as possible. Fortify stamina enchantments is useful, and carry stamina potions as well. This works for me anyway.

I prefer Sword & Shield though Massive fortify block enchantments means I'm invincible with my shield up.

Also, I would use a Battleaxe, better chance of stagger, but not to slow.

My two handed characters (I have 2) are my strongest characters by a good margin. One is a total munchkin woood elf light armor two hander that uses smithing, enchanting, and alchemy (aka borderline cheater without cheating ... cue bruce lee "the art of cheating without cheating").

The other is a Nord, proud strong, fierce opponent of magic who only usees an amulet of Talos, Skyforged steel greatsword, and steel plate with a steel horned helm (this nord is my most devastatingly OP character as he only really uses two handed, block, and heavy armor with 50 points in smithing meaning his overall level is quite low while his primary skills are all over 80 and this makes him capable of enjoying what is best in life, which obviously is: CRUSH HIS ENEMIES, SEE THEM DRIVEN BEFORE HIM, AND HEAR THE LAMENTATION OF THEIR WOMEN).

Block is totally rad, like 1989 style, with two handers. Anyone who says otherwise is doing it wrong.

I found it hard initially, but quickly getting easier, and by about level 40, godlike. More than half my enemies go down with a single power hit, and most take no more than two. But yes, getting started was an eye-opener after 1H/shield.

thanks for the comments guys, i will stick to 2 handed. But any tips against dragons, giants, mammoths, those bandit chiefs and the centurion as a 2 handed melee combat? I need about 10 swings to get a giant down and the giant basically 2 hit ko me.

just realised i am wearing light armor. Prob is i disliked the ingame heavy armors except daedric but i cant craft it yet. Currently using the assassin's creed armor mod for light armor.

That doesn't make much sense either [to me]... A duel wielding opponent should be able to parry while attacking, or attack in two places and be very hard to parry.

smells like irony.

but yeah, timing, and hotkeying your weapon and healing spells is a good idea. equip a healing spell in both hands, then equip your sword, hotkey it, and in emergencies, just hit your weapon hotkey, and it instantly will switch to your spells. (works with bows too.) it's a strategy i've learned on my 2h female imperial.

as stated above me, bash, bash, bash. it grants block experience, and staggers enemies.