Dark Souls 5 Strongest Weapons In The Franchise & 5 Weakest

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Dark Souls 5 Strongest Weapons In The Franchise & 5 Weakest

As Dark Souls' weapon system can be overwhelming, here is a guide on the franchise's best and worst weapons. The series has established an almost cult following. Brutal gameplay with a deeply complex but absorbing story makes it a love or hate game series, as players either love its intricacy or leave because of it. The complexity is partly made worse by the game's weapon variety and lack of tutorials. For any player wanting to take a go at the series, knowing the best and the worst weapons helps. The Dark Souls trilogy has a range of weapons for every kind of playstyle. Some of the best, and the worst, span all three games. THEGAMER VIDEO OF THE DAY

Best Zweihander

One of the best weapons to exist in the Dark Souls series, the Zweihander’s best iteration is in the original Dark Souls. Although it has a slow swing, the greatsword's move set and animations compensate for its flaws. Its wide swinging arc can help players land double hits in each swing as players get used to the weapon, making the Zweihander a great horde clearing beast. With a minimal stat requirement of 24 strength and 10 dexterity, the Zweihander is an accessible weapon. The parameter bonuses for this weapon aren’t great, but it scales well with Str, making it a worthy all-game companion. It has decent upgrade paths as well, making it good for both PvE and PvP. Don't forget Chaos scaling for the ultimate Base Cannon.

Worst Drake Sword

The Drake Sword is wrongly lauded as one of the better weapons of the game. It’s a crutch, especially for new players. Almost all special weapons that start with great early stats land with this problem. Combine a poor moveset, heavy weight, slow animation, and costly upgrades, and the end result is a weapon that loses its usefulness fast. That too after having taught players all the bad habits early in the game. The Black Knight Sword is another culprit, although its Halberd counterpart scales better.

Best Uchigatana

The Uchigatana is arguably one of the best weapons of the Dark Souls series. A lightning-fast animation with an efficiently versatile moveset, the Uchigatana applies bleed damage, has very good range for a sword, and it out-damages other slower weapons as it can deliver multiple hits in quick succession. The only downside to the Uchigatana is its fragility. The weapon requires frequent repairs, but not enough to avoid using. Its “A” Dexterity scaling offers early game accessibility and sustained mid to late game damage, while the sword also has alternate upgrade paths if players want to go for Faith/Int builds.

Worst Sorcerer s Twinblade

Fashion Souls brigade claims this Dark Souls II weapon. The Sorcerer’s Twinblade looks cool and players can role-play their fantasies with this. For sparring though, calling this weapon garbage would be an understatement. It has terrible damage and scaling: 100 damage with +10 regular upgrade and an E rated Str and Dex scaling. It has the shortest reach of the Twinblades. The Sorcerer's Twinblades' terrible casting damage makes it unviable for spell usage as well. The Sorcerer's Twinblades can't stagger frail and old Sewer Rats with its appalling 15 poise damage. It has an L2 attack that does not combo, and the weapon requires a heavy stat investment for a cool and useless weapon Skill moveset. It does Magic and Hex damage but starts with “E” Str/Dex scaling. It is perhaps the worst weapon in the Souls series.

Best Fume Ultra Greatsword

Arguably one of the best weapons in the game dropped by one of the , the Fume Ultra Greatsword (UGS) is a top-tier contender, especially for Strength builds. It has a ridiculous 50 Str requirement on top of being the heaviest UGS in the game, but its superior “S” rated Str scaling (with upgrades) ensures titanic devastation on any foe. The UGS has a fantastic moveset that covers a large area and a special skill that gives increased poise. The sword can act as a makeshift shield that blocks 80% of incoming damage making it a better shield than most. The only downside is the heavy Str requirement and the Stamina cost for each swing, which are nothing that cannot be managed for a great weapon.

Worst Mail Breaker

The Mail Breaker seems to only serve an aesthetic purpose. Walk into a particularly gaudy officer's study in the 1700s and there is bound to be a blade that looks very much like the Mail Breaker. Its purpose? Slicing open letters. It is a Mail Breaker all right, just not the one the game warranted. For all intents and purposes, it's a meme. A fast but inconsequential moveset that will not stagger, no status effects, and abysmally low damage even with a "B" Dex scaling, the Mail Breaker offers nothing in the way of combat.

Best Sellsword Twinblades

A weapon so good, it’s often referred to as the noob weapon. A hand that wields the Sellsword Twinblades well doesn’t need the opinion of others. offers a variety of infusions for weapons which makes the Sellsword Twinblades a great choice for most builds. Players can go for a minimum Dex investment and use magic buffs, preferably Crystal Magic Weapon, to compensate for whatever they lack. The weapons scale phenomenally with Dexterity and are known for their one-handed and paired attacks that combo fluidly. With some experience, players can stun-lock enemies from a distance. When paired, if a player lands both hits, the weapon does bonus damage. The paired bonus damage applies to spells as well.

Worst Great Wooden Hammer

This weapon’s description reads that it is not meant for combat, which is quite telling of the Great Wooden Hammer's effectiveness when sparring with enemies. It has the lowest Strength requirement and Stamina consumption of any Great Hammer. It has a great weapon Skill and a recent patch increased it's damage slightly. Why is it still so bad? Because it’s a Great Hammer that has the lowest damage. Lowest of not just Great Hammers, but of all regular hammers as well. Players are better off using Clubs, which give more damage and have a forgiving Stamina consumption. The Great Wooden Hammer has none of the greatness of hammers, but all of the memes of them.

Best Claymore

Much like the Zweihander, the Claymore is a well-rounded all-game companion that players can claim early in Irithyll of the Boreal Valley. Unlike the Zwei, the Claymore does not have a stern Str requirement. Players can follow almost any upgrade path for this weapon due to its versatility. It is one of the longest Greatswords in the game that deals 138 base damage, has a great weight to Stamina-consumption ratio, and a pretty useful Skill that breaks enemy guard. The claymore has an even “C” scaling for most stats, making it a viable Dex/Str weapon without needing heavy investment in either one. It offers a balanced gameplay build with wide, arcing swings ensuring potential stun-locking and area clearing in both .

Worst Whip

Whips are a fun change to the pace of Dark Souls, but it's no fun to tote a wet noodle. The simple Whip in Dark Souls has grade "A" dumpster tier scaling in almost every upgrade path, criminally low damage, and it doesn’t do well against shields and . For all its novelty, the whip shouldn’t exist. All the other whips in the game at least apply status effects. The normal Whip is – by far – one of the most underwhelming weapons in the game. Quite unlike the Sorcerers Twinblades and the Great Wooden Hammer, the Whip doesn’t even have a cool moveset to compensate for its well-rounded lack of everything.