The weapons of Dark Souls 3 are some of the most fun and useful weapons that you can find in any game. The entire design history behind them is that Fromsoftware learnt all that they could from the previous 2 Dark Souls games and perfected everything for the third and final installment.
Dark Souls 3 has a ton of unique weapons, as well as perfected versions of a bunch of weapons from the previous 2 games, with some being grossly overpowered and others being extremely situational. In this list, we rank all the best PvE weapons in Dark Souls 3!
20. Dark Hand
The Dark Hand is what most PvP invaders use to absolutely smoke new players in the early game. The Dark Hand is like the Caestus, in that it is a fist weapon, but where it outshines Caestus is in the fact that it scales with every single stat and has no stat requirements!
It deals incredible damage in the early game and costs 0 stamina to use, so it is really a no-brainer choice. While this is perfect for early game PvP, it works just as well in PvE and can even be used to defeat the Dancer early on!
Dark Hand excels in:
- Early game PvP and PvE
- Any build can use it
- Incredible damage
- No stamina cost
- No stat requirements
How to get Dark Hand: Sold by Yuria at Firelink Shrine
19. Demon’s Greataxe
This greataxe is a very popular choice amongst hybrid and strength builds. Due to its scaling and moveset, it is also a great choice forpyromancer builds that just need another way to set their foes on fire! It isn’t the most versatile of weapons, but it surely is a great one!
Demon’s Greataxe excels in:
- B-scaling in strength
- Great for hybrid, strength and pyromancer builds
- Very satisfying moveset
- Amazing weapon art
How to get Demon’s Greataxe: Transpose Old Demon King’s soul from Ludleth
18. Irithyll Straight Sword
The Irithyll Straight Sword is one of the weapons in the game that inherently inflicts frostbite damage. Frostbite is a status effect that not only takes a chunk of additional HP once the meter builds up, but also increases incoming damage by 7% for a short time.
It is very powerful and while the ISS isn’t the strongest or most versatile of all straight swords in the game and doesn’t have as good scaling as others, it still manages to hold its ground. The unlimited frostbite it inflicts gives it an edge many other weapons do not have and most importantly, it looks so cool.
Irithyll Straight Sword excels in:
- Inherent frostbite build up
- Very fast
- Can be found very early in the game
- Looks cool as hell
- A weapon that can see you through to the endgame
How to get the ISS: Dropped by an Outrider Knight at the Undead Settlement
17. Demon’s Scar
What’s cooler than holding a literal spike covered in magma? Not many things. Demon’s Scar is a curved sword that is found very late in the game, but definitely makes up for it with its aggressive and fast moveset. This weapon is the perfect companion to a pyromancer build.
It deals entirely fire damage which is amazing against most enemies as it slowly saps damage as well and stuns them too. It even gives pyromancers the ability to use sorceries such as chaos bed vestiges which utterly obliterates pretty much most small enemies.
Demon’s Scar excels in:
- Being extremely light
- Is very fast and aggressive
- Deals a ton of fire damage
- The inherent fire damage of the weapon also stun locks some enemies
How to get this weapon: Transpose the soul of the Demon Prince at Ludleth
16. Bandit Knife
This simple butter knife is up there with the best weapons in the game? Well, the reason for this is bleed damage. Most enemies (and even some) bosses are very susceptible to bleed damage, even the final boss of the game. Due to this, the bandit knife can deal out some of the most stacked damage in the game pretty fast.
This is even better on a pure dex build, which admittedly gives very poor range but allows for you to quickly shred away the enemies health. To top it all off, this weapon can also be infused with a bleed gem for even better bleed damage!
Bandit Knife excels in:
- A ton of bleed damage
- Very quick bleed buildup
- Very fast
- Very aggressive
- Can be infused to double the innate bleed damage
- Has innate bleed damage
How to get the Bandit Knife: Starting weapon of the thief class or can even be bought from Greirat.
15. Lothric Knight Greatsword
This incredible UGS gives a ton of poise and deals insane damage. This is because it is one of the only weapons in the entire game that, despite dealing innate elemental damage, can still be buffed or infused, which means that you can stack its own lightning damage with a buff or infusion. Though it is slow, it can absolutely destroy most enemies very easily.
Lothric Knight Greatsword excels in:
- Hits like a truck
- Gives a ton of poise
- Has innate lightning damage
- Can still be buffed and infused, so lightning damage can be stacked
How to get Lothric Knight Greatsword: It is a random drop from a Lothric Knight
14. Broadsword
This is a very unassuming weapon at first, but one that is tried and tested by millions of players and can last you the whole game from start to finish. While it lacks range, it still has the highest damage of all straightswords and can be used on any build, so despite being very basic, it’s a great weapon.
Broadsword excels in:
- Very high damage in its class
- Very versatile
- Can be buffed and infused
- Can fit any build
- Can last you the whole game
How to get Broadsword: Can be looted from corpse at the high wall, behind the first spear wielding Lothric Knight
13. Zweihander
If you’re playing the game for the very first time, the chances are that you will pick a strength build. If you do go with a strength build, chances are that you will probably choose the Zweihander as your strength weapon. It is a fan favorite that gives insane poise and deals amazing damage. It can be buffed and infused and can give you an A-scaling on any stat that you want.
Zweihander excels in:
- Dishing out great damage and poise
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
- Is a comparatively versatile choice for strength builds
How to get Zweihander: Sold by Greirat after he scavenges the Undead Settlement
12. Astora Greatsword
This greatsword is very similar to the Zweihander, in the sense that it is very versatile and very hard hitting. It can benefit just about any build that wants to use it but, surprisingly, shares an S-scaling with Dex after the sharp infusion, making it a great choice for every kind of build. It has the characteristic slow swing speed of all UGS, but if you learn the moveset, you’ll be untouchable!
Astora Greatsword excels in:
- Very versatile
- Hits very hard
- Any build can use it
- Lightest of all UGS
- Very unique and strong weapon art
How to get Astora Greatsword: Can be found on a corpse in the graveyard near the cleansing chapel
11. Black Knight Sword
This weapon is a great choice for both PvP and PvE. It has one of the highest base damages in the entire greatsword class, but it is made even better because it innately deals 20% more damage to the Demon enemies in the game. It also has the ‘perseverance’ weapon art, which allows for you to tank some damage and hit your enemies without staggering.
Black Knight Sword excels in:
- Very high base damage
- Really effective against demons
- Looks cool as hell
- Great weapon art
How to get Black Knight Sword: Found in the lower parts of Smoldering Lake
10. Warden Twinblades
What would you get if you gave the bandit knife a whole bunch of steroids? This abomination. These weapons also inflict an absolute ton of bleed, but where they outshine the knife is in the sheer velocity of attacks, making bleed build up lightning quick. When this is infused with a bleed gem, just say goodbye to all bosses and enemies.
Warden Twinblades excel in:
- Making absolute mincemeat of your opponents
- Some of the highest bleed damage in the game
- Some of the highest bleed build up in the game upon infusion
- One of the fastest weapons in the entire game
How to get Warden Twinblades: Random drop by Cathedral Grave Wardens
9. Longsword
This just shows you how broken the straight swords in this game are. The reason why this basic weapon is so high up is the fact that it has incredibly fast swings, very little stamina cost and decent damage. When all this is put in 1 package, you get a standard sword that does more damage than the strongest greatsword!
There are also a ton of things you can do with this weapon, like completely mold it to fit your build. This one of, if not the most, versatile weapons in the entire game. It can fit any build with any infusions or buffs.
Longsword excels in:
- Being a weapon that can last you the whole game
- Dealing great damage
- Very low stamina cost
- Very versatile
- Can be used by any build
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
How to get Longsword: Starting weapon for the Knight class and also sold by Greirat
8. Gotthard Twinswords
Another set of twin swords, this time doing even more base damage than the Warden Twin Swords. Double handed, the L1 attacks do a ton of damage as you use both swords to attack, making the weapon great for persistent attack buffs such as Carthus Beacon or Pontiff’s Rings. Spam your enemies to death with this!
Gotthard Twinswords excel in:
- A ton of uninterrupted damage
- Working well with persistent attack items
- Can be infused
- Can be buffed
- Insanely fast
How to get Gotthard Twinswords: Found on Gotthards corpse outside the Grand Archives
7. Dragonslayers Axe
This weapon is very similar to the Lothric Knight GS, in the fact that it also does innate lightning damage, so many of the pros of that weapon also apply here. This means like the LKGS, it is also one that can be stacked with infusions and buffs on top of its inherent lightning damage. On top of that, it swings very fast, has low recovery and has an amazing weapon art that maximizes damage output.
Dragonslayer Axe excels in:
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
- Fast swings
- Low recovery
- Does pretty much everything that LKGS can but faster
- Great damage
How to get Dragonslayer Axe: Creighton NPC invader needs to be defeated outside of the Church of Yorshka
6. Claymore
Talk about versatility. Honestly, this weapon just has it all; slashes, swipes, swings, pokes etc. this is found very early in the game and tends to respond very well to infusions and buffs, on top of having the standard hyper armor that works very well for the greatswords in the game and the amazing greatsword move set. It not only fits the playstyle of pretty much every build in the game, it also works in every environment.
Claymore excels in:
- Being a great starting weapon
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
- Can be used for the entire game
- Has a very versatile moveset
- Can be used by pretty much any build
How to get Claymore: Found on the plateau under the Dragon at the High Wall
5. Wolf Knight’s Greatsword
This is one of the best quality weapons in the whole game. It has the amazing standard greatsword moveset which is super useful, on top of having very good speed for a fairly heavier weapon. This also allows for the weapon to have great poise, giving it a decent C/C scaling for strength/dex, as well as having an innate effect that does 20% more damage to abyssal enemies. This is also mixed with arguably the coolest weapon art in the game.
The weapon art consists of going into a stance which can be followed by a quick upward thrust with R1 or a flattening forward front flip with R2 that staggers well and does great damage.
WKGS excels in:
- Great poise
- Great speed
- Decent damage
- Innate buff against abyssal enemies
- Scales well with both strength and dex
- Has a diverse and very cool weapon art that is great for mix ups
How to get WKGS: Transpose Abyss Watchers soul for it
4. Lothric Knight Sword
Here we have the best straight sword in the entire game. You’ll probably recognize it as the weapon that is at the top of most of the weapon ranking lists, and it is easy to see why. This thing is a beast, S-scaling on nearly every infusion, the second highest range of all the straight swords, insane damage, early game availability, and increased criticaldamage, all in this one weapon.
It will work on every kind of character, every kind of build, every kind of play style. This is easily one of the most versatile and flexible weapons in the entire game and will always remain a great choice for whatever build you want to play the game with.
LKS excels in:
- Everything
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
- Easy to get
- Can be gotten very early on in the game
- Great range
- Great damage
- Innate lightning damage
How to get LKS: Random drop from any Lothric Knight with the sword
3. Hollowslayer Greatsword
This is one weapon that I am not personally a fan of, but it is hard to deny how good it actually is. It can be found fairly early on and has great base damage, as well as an additional 20% of damage done to hollow enemies, of which there are many in the game. The scaling is not good, but the weapon makes up for that.
This is probably the best weapon at roll catching opponents in the whole game, as well as having the awesome greatsword moveset with a decent amount of poise to it. It can’t be buffed or infused, but when it comes to the perfect 40/40 build, you can’t really find a better weapon than this.
Hollowslayer Greatsword excels in:
- Great early game weapon
- Great damage in its base
- Can be acquired very early on
- Best at roll catching opponents
How to get Hollowslayer Greatsword: Transpose soul of the Curse Rotted Greatwood
2. Exile Greatsword
Horrible range, crazy damage. This is one weapon that staggers the hell out of opponents and dishes out a ton of damage, because of which many players choose this to be the weapon they complete the game with.
This weapon on a strength, quality or hybrid build makes it unstoppable, meaning you can one or 2 shot most enemies in the game! Sure, it may not have the best reach but when you’re dishing out so much pain it hardly matters.
Exile Greatsword excels in:
- Amazing damage
- Amazing scaling in strength for different builds
- Great weapon art
- Found fairly early in the game
- Can carry you for the entire game
How to get Exile Greatsword: Is wielded and dropped by one of the 2 exiles at the entrance to Farron Keep
1. Sellsword Twinblades
Sellsword Twinblades: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsKnFIC8YYA
This is how you break Dark Souls 3. These swords will give you everything great about the previous 2 twinblades and dial it up to 11. This is because when you double hand these swords, the attacks that you do just keep coming and whittle down your opponent's health to 0. Why even bother dodging or rolling or learning your enemies move set when you can just stun lock them to death?
They have amazing scaling for dex and dex hybrid builds, on top of being able to be infused and buffed. If you build your character to work well with these swords, then just press L1 and you’ve beaten the game!
Sellsword Twinblades excel in:
- Literally everything
- Incredible damage
- Blinding speed
- Staggers enemies like crazy
- Can be buffed
- Can be infused
- Can be found super early in the game
How to get Sellsword Twinblades: Starting weapon for the mercenary class or can be found on a corpse on the Road of Sacrifices
