The game Dark Souls 3 Dark Souls 3 Weapon Tier List takes pride in being hard, to explore, and having choices for the player. The best enjoyable features of this game include an immense amount of variety with weapons. So what that means is everyone offers unique play styles, abilities, and strategies. But with all those choices, which of them is powerful or, at least for a given build, most effective?
This post is going to break down a tier list of Dark Souls 3 weapons: from the overpowered to the more niche ones. We will consider everything, from damage output, scaling, and move sets to general usability in different situations, so that we can provide you guys with good insights about your choices whether you’re an old veteran looking to refine your selection or a new player hoping to find the right weapon for their next playthrough.
Table of Contents
S-Tier: Weapons that Dominate in Dark Souls 3 Weapon Tier List
On top of this pyramid are the S-tier weapons. It is the ultimate power, versatility, and scalability in terms of power. They will make you feel unstoppable. When you are after something that lets you feel such, then it will be one of the weapons you may consider.
Claymore
The Claymore is one of the most famous weapons in Dark Souls 3, and the reason for it is obvious. It scales with both Strength and Dexterity, so it’s ideal for greatsword hybrid builds. It has quite a few moves in its arsenal: a strong sweeping attack and a very reliable R2 (charged heavy attack), both for crowd control and for bosses. The weight is also manageable, so it’s not too cumbersome for most players. That makes it a reliable choice for any build.
Lothric Knight Sword
This is an excellent sword for players who are looking for a high-damage, fast-attacking sword. It has very good scaling with Dexterity, and can easily be infused with many gems, like Sharp or Refined, to add more damage to it. Its moveset is pretty fast, and the horizontal slashes are excellent; the weapon art for this sword, the Lothric stance, is great, and chains together some amazing combos. Its relatively low weight also means it’s easy to wield with a shield or for use in a more agile, dodging-focused build.
Exile Greatsword
The Exile Greatsword is a fan favorite for a reason. This behemoth of a weapon is excellent in terms of Strength scaling, and it packs massive damage. It is slower than some of the other greatswords, but the heavy-hitting attacks make up for it. This is what makes the Exile Greatsword truly stand out, though – its weapon art, “Flame of the Righteous.” It lets you throw a flame in front of you that threatens with strong damage when they are far off. So it can be very useful and lethal in both PvE and PvP elements. If you want to swing with a massive sword and style, go for this.
A-Tier: Exceptional Choices
The A-tier weapons are wonderful picks, good for utility, damage, and scalings. These are not as clearly dominant as the S-tiered weapons, but they are still versatile and powerful enough to carry most players through a game.
Black Knight Greatsword
This is a power weapon with fantastic fire scalings, good for players seeking to deal much damage while simultaneously handling fire-resistant enemies. It’s heavy, yet its weight is not too cumbersome. Its high Strength scaling makes its attacks devastatingly effective, and infusing a fire gem makes its attacks even deadlier. Its special attack heavy overhead swing is quite satisfying, and it staggers most enemies with this attack, making it one of the best options in both PvE and PvP.
Twinblades (including Sellsword Twinblades)
Twinblades are a specific class of weapons in Dark Souls 3, with fast and fluid combos and pretty high rates of attack speed. Sellsword Twinblades are mostly the best for scaling with Dexterity and are one of the fastest weapons out there. Its movement is fast, overwhelming the enemy before he even has the chance to respond. Not as hard-hitting as some weapons, they make up for it with sheer hit volume, especially when paired with buffs or bleed effects.
Dragonslayer
The other awesome big sword is another of those legendary weapons from the original Dark Souls. Its strength scaling is awesome and can cause extreme area damage due to its wide sweep attacks. It would make for an amazing choice to hold your enemies away at arm’s length, delivering constant damage. But its weapon art, “Dragonslayer,” is cool, using lightning to amplify attacks that are powerful already. No matter how the challenge was posed, bosses or cleaning up the mobs, the weapon is solid enough to consider being chosen.
B-Tier: Solid Options for Most Builds
B-tier weapons are still very viable and useful, though they might require a bit more skill or specific builds to get the best out of them. These weapons are by no means weak, but they’re outclassed by the higher tiers in specific areas.
Uchigatana
The Uchigatana is a pretty katana and also one of the best choices for Dexterity-based builds. Long reach, fast hits, poke enemies with your sword from a safe distance while your bleed damage builds up; besides, excellent scaling with Dexterity makes it pretty cool to players who like speed more than raw power. The only weakness is a somewhat predictable moveset but when wielded correctly, this will be devastating for both PvE and PvP.
Great Club
Great Club is an enormous melee that deals extremely massive damage to hit. The Strength scaling on the Great Club is top-of-the-line; power-wise, it can pretty much shatter defenses without any real difficulty. That said, Great Club is so heavy and so slow that the user must maintain stamina levels and carefully time any hit. If you have always liked high-power, hit-massive-type weapons but can handle a play-style where such speed isn’t achieved, consider Great Club. Its weapon art, “Smash,” is incredibly powerful with a large area of effect and is excellent for clearing groups of enemies.
Dark Sword
The Dark Sword is a pretty straightforward weapon that offers excellent base damage and scaling, so it’s a good choice for pretty much any build. It has a fast, reliable moveset and works pretty well for Strength or hybrid builds. Not the most versatile sword in terms of functionality, Dark Sword does a solid job at producing constant damage with its chance to stun the enemies and will do great in the hands of any player. Easy to use without a reliance on tight timing or deep skills, though.
C-Tier: Niche but Fun
C-tier weapons are those that may not be the best in terms of raw power or versatility, but they can be fun to use if you’re willing to put in the effort. They often work well in specific playstyles or builds but require more skill to use effectively.
Fume Ultra Greatsword
The Fume Ultra Greatsword is a beast of a weapon, requiring a lot of Strength to wield effectively. It hits like a truck but for that slow speed and heavy stamina cost, makes it hard to use in fast combat. However, if the players are willing to commit to a slow, deliberate playstyle, the Fume Ultra Greatsword can be an absolute monster. Weapon art “Fume Swing” lets you swing an explosion, and long-range attack, and can deal massive damage in a wide arc.
Mirrah Greatsword
Mirrah is another solid choice for hybrid builds, scaling with both strength and dexterity. It does not deliver on damage as the other great swords do, but its balanced move pool makes it easier to use in a variety of situations. It has a very nice weapon art in “Mirrah Slash,” which allows you to perform a long, powerful strike that can stagger enemies. It’s a good weapon for players who want something more balanced.
Final Thoughts
Of course, Dark Souls 3 is no exception. The weapon is a make-or-break experience in this game. Some of them are obvious: they’re powerful and versatile. Others require mastering with practice and skill. In this case, the main thing is to find a weapon that would suit your play style and build, and understand that no weapon is really “bad” if used properly.
If you are a noob or just prefer something reliable, Claymore, Lothric Knight Sword, or Exile Greatsword would be the one. Or, if you’d like to try for a challenge and experiment, go for the Great Club or Fume Ultra Greatsword for some awesome, though slower devastation. Whatever your choice of weapon, you should enjoy it and explore this rich world that Dark Souls 3 has prepared for you along with your chosen tool of destruction.
Which weapons are your go-to in Dark Souls 3? Please let me know in the comments!
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