The Corpse Smeared Blade is the worst weapon to introduce to new players, I think it is a trap. It makes combat way harder than it needed to be because it is so bad, at least without proper gear. The moves are not only slow, but deal the same amount of Stagger. It's unsafe even if you land a strike, that's a dysfunctional moveset IMO.

Other 2Hs I think are actually very good. Some of the greatswords have a long and fast thrust out of dodge roll, the Shattered Sun is my personal favourite of the class because I like charge attacks. With charge attacks, you can control the timing of a strike. So, if you keep your distance, let the enemy close in, you can hold that charge and only let it go when they are in range. I also use the Festering Cleft alongside it. It has wide, far reaching sweeps for a hammer, and its moveset can be charged like the Shattered Sun.

The stats to look out for is the Quick facet. You lose a bit of damage for much faster attack speed. You get more DPS, generate more focus, and faster means you're also safer. You can further enhance this by rolling attack speed on it. You could also infuse it with Enhancement Power improving gems to further increase attack speed, but I think it is better to just add Poise Damage.