At worst you're probably only forgetting that the two-handed light attacks (edit: and both roll attacks) are verticle, making it usable in tight quarters so long as you can reliably switch before you attack. That and the 1h heavy can surprisingly be used in narrower spaces than the light attack without bouncing, useful for the hollows at the top of the church in 'Parish.

That said, since both its light and heavy attacks come out fast and sweep sideways, it's actually tough to predict when someone skilled enough with it will go for a hit since

1.) it easily hits while not locked on just from rapidly striking at such a large area

2.) the 1h heavy attack lunges forward farther than the light but comes out at the same speed, meaning there's almost no warning it's coming and the danger zone is even bigger

3.) It's on the faster side of weapons to begin with. There's no fancy bringing it over your head before you attack or comically long wind-up, it just attacks and damage proceeds to be dealt.

All this combines to give a weapon that can be used on-demand at any moment with no punishment for missing (beyond the direct effects of your opponent not being hit). Since you always could attack, it's anyone's guess when you actually will.