I’m a huge fan of the Quick Hands utility perk. Most people give 2-hander troops either the billhook, great sword or large axe. I would recommend giving them Quick Hands and 2 2-handed weapons, one being the billhook. I can’t even guess the number of times an enemy was 2 spaces away, effectively neutralizing my 2-hander for 1 turn. But with quick hands and a billhook in reserve you can still make an attack. It also allows your 2-hander to keep a safe distance from orc warriors and remain useful.
Quick Hands also makes your archers tough and downright vicious. There is a lot of perk overlap between an offensive archer build and a 2-hander build. So at level up I increase both ranged and melee attack and then alternate between initiative and stamina. At level 4 or 5 give your archer the Quick Hands and a Great Sword. A Great Sword because it hits hard enough to destroy nearly any armor, is the most versatile large weapon, has increased accuracy, has light stamina cost for a large weapon, does the most HP damage and leaves 1 item slot open for an extra quiver. Enemy usually have to move 3 or more spaces to get at your archer which gives you a turn to switch weapons and lop off their head. Leather armor works for this type of archer but basic chain or full chain are best. There is now less danger in closing to within 2 spaces of the enemy (usually just behind your front lines) and taking advantage of your 50% damage close combat archery bonus. It also eliminates the need for the archer to equip a billhook. In one fight I had an archer kill 2 ghouls before switching to his great sword and going on to kill another 4 undead by himself. The last 2 advantages this archer build provides are that enemy archers are less likely to move out of 4 space melee range vs your archer which allows you to quickly switch weapons and close the distance, avoiding a long chase. And in reverse the enemy will expend all of their action points to close with your archer, sometimes putting themselves at the bottom of an elevation change or another terrible position which allows for a powerful first strike or a quick surround by your other units.
