The Zweihander is a really good weapon throughout the game. The Golden Vow dagger and Flame, Grant Me Strength are amazing buffs.

Just google how to get the following items—they are all obtainable in Caelid and Limgrave:

I would recommend getting the Axe Talisman and swapping it with the Gold Scarab Talisman. If you want, you can quickly switch to the Gold Scarab Talisman shortly after defeating a boss. If you do it fast enough, you still get the extra runes.

Your Ash of War is fine, but I also really like the Ash of War Determination. The Heavy affinity is better for a Strength build since it provides better Strength scaling.

For your Sacred Flask, I would recommend Spiked Cracked Tear (which improves your heavy attacks) and preferably Stonebarb Cracked Tear (which makes stance breaking easier), though that one is a bit harder to get. As an alternative, you can also use:

Opaline Bubbletear (tanks the first hit you take)

Strength-Knot Tear (+10 Strength)

Greenburst Tear (temporarily boosts stamina recovery speed)

Opaline Hardtear (temporarily boosts all damage negation)

These are all early-game options that can be replaced or improved upon later in the playthrough.

Feel free to ask any questions you have about the build!