See our top ten picks for the best weapons in Dark Souls: Remastered.
The weapon you pick in Dark Souls: Remastered defines your character. Some weapons are slow and brutally powerful, while others require more finesse and skill to master — there are tons of different weapons in Dark Souls, and we’re going to do out best to weed out ten very awesome weapons that are worth checking out. Some of them are hard to find, some of them are actually really common, but all of them are awesome in their own unique way.
There are no “best” weapons in Dark Souls. You can beat the game bare-handed, or using the worst weapon in the game — it’s all possible, and the weapons (for the most part) are pretty well balanced for PVE. And this guide is all about the PVE function of weapons. If you’re all about PVP, you might want to look elsewhere — or just focus on upgrading the most scalable weapons to their max level.
With only ten weapons totally on our list, it’s pretty likely we missed one of your favorites. Let us know what weapons are your personal bests in the comments section below.
More Dark Souls: Remastered guides on Gameranx:
- Dark Souls: Remastered – How To Beat Every Boss In Lordran | Strategy Guide
- Dark Souls: Remastered – All Illusory Walls Locations | Secrets Guide
- Dark Souls: Remastered – All Keys (And Doors They Unlock) Locations Guide
- Dark Souls: Remastered – How To Upgrade Your Healing Items | Fire Keeper Souls Guide
- Dark Souls: Remastered – How To Farm Rare Titanite | Slabs, Demon, Twinkling Locations Guide
- Dark Souls: Remastered – 5 Best Spots To Farm Souls (All Levels) | Farming Guide
10 Best Weapons You Won’t Want To Miss | Locations Guide
[NOTE: The “best” weapons don’t really exist — all weapons can be the best, and most unique weapons have low scalability, so they won’t be that useful as you level up. The ‘best’ weapons are really the weapons that continue to increase in power as you level up. There are lots of weapons with high scalability, so check every weapon you get.]
#1: Drake Sword [Straight Sword]
One of the earliest, strongest weapons you can find very early in the game. By this point, it’s a well-known secret that you can attack the hanging tail of the dragon guarding the bridge leading to the Undead Parish.
For those new to the series, if you keep attacking that tail — preferably with a bow and arrow — you can eventually break the red dragon’s tail off. The dragon will always drop this powerful straight sword after cutting off the tail, and it’s a huge boost when you’re very early in the game.
There’s just one problem. This is true of every unique weapon — it doesn’t stay strong for long. Even if you upgrade, it won’t match the power of other, better scalable weapons. This is still a great “secret” weapon for the pre-Sen’s Fortress section of the game.
#2: Moonlight Greatsword [Greatsword]
The magical Moonlight Greatsword is a staple of From Software, the developers behind Dark Souls. The sword is magical in nature, and will only drop if you cut off Seathe the Scaleless‘ tail. That isn’t easy, but it’s worth it for a piece of From Software history.
The massive Greatsword is a late-game acquire. You’ll need to get the Lord Vessel and reach the Duke’s Archives, then the Crystal Cave to find this powerful, magical sword. You need to cut off the middle section of Seathe’s tail to acquire the sword, which provides +40 magic defense, and can launch a magical shockwave that explodes on impact and deals splash damage.
#3: Ghost Blade / Jagged Ghost Blade [Dagger / Curved Sword]
The unique Ghost Blade (or Jagged Ghost Blade) can only be found in the New Londo Ruins. Kill the ghosts, and one of these weapons might drop if you’re lucky — they can only be acquired from ghosts, which require curse or transient curse to kill.
That’s where the Ghost Blades come in handy. These special blades aren’t particularly powerful, but they do allow you to harm (and defeat!) ghosts in combat without using transient curses. That will really help keep your costs down.
#4: Uchigatana [Katana]
One of the literal best weapons in the game. Upgrade this weapon, and the health will just melt off the toughest bosses. It scales relatively well, but you will need a Dexterity build and lots of materials to make this weapon especially useful. It helps to also use this weapon two-handed for a +50% damage boost for every quick attack.
To get this weapon, join the Forest Hunter covenant (talk to the cat Alvina in Darkoot Garden) and then you’ll be able to purchase it from Shiva of the East in the
Like most tips you’ll get in Dark Souls, it’s much better to be nimble and fast than slow and heavily armored. This weapon is ideal for that playstyle. It’s fast, relies on a speedy character, and there’s plenty of action that isn’t peaceful at all.
#5: Gravelord Sword [Curved Greatsword]
It isn’t the most powerful greatsword, but it is curved, and has relatively low requirements to wield compared to other greatswords. It also inflicts toxic, one of the rare weapons that can inflict that status effect. Even bosses, with enough build-up, will succumb to toxic — a deadlier version of poison.
To get the sword, all you need to do is join the Gravelord Servant Covenant. To join, grab an “Eye of Death” item in the Catacombs, near one of the Prowling Demons. In the same area, there’s also an open coffin you can interact with. Use it and ride the coffin, and then interact with the Gravelord Nito sarcophagus. Trade one of the “Eye of Death” items and you’ll join the covenant.
If you’ve already killed Lord Nito, there’s nothing you can do. It’s impossible to join the covent.
#6: Rapier [Thrusting Sword]
The Rapier, and all those other Piercing Swords, don’t seem that great at first. They don’t do that much damage, and their attacks take some getting used to. If you’re willing to put the time and effort in, Rapiers are amazing for one simple reason — they do the most damage when you riposte.
You can purchase this weapon from the Undead Merchant in the Undead Burg for 600 souls, right at the start of the game.
Riposte is one of those tricky techniques beginners usually ignore. You can complete the game without performing a single riposte. I recommend practicing against human-like enemies — unfortunately, Dark Souls: Remastered isn’t Bloodborne, you can’t riposte every single enemy or boss, but practice will help you master the technique, which is even more useful in PVP.
#7: Great Club [Great Hammer]
The most brutally efficient weapon in the game is the Great Club. Don’t weigh yourself down with useless heavy armor — the Great Club is all about staying nimble while wielding a massively oversized club and smashing enemies. What makes the Great Club so powerful is really simple. Almost every enemy in the game will be stunned by the impact of the Great Club, making it super easy to stunlock them.
The leaping attack is pretty impressive too. You’ll find the Great Club at the bottom of Blighttown, in the disgusting swamp. The club is guarded by Infested Barbarians in the southwest corner of the swamp. You’ll want to get your hands on it — if you max out your strength and intelligence, the Great Club is the most powerful weapon in the game.
#8: Claw [Fist]
Next we have the claw. No, this isn’t the most powerful weapon in the game, but it is a great choice for nimble fighters that don’t need much range. The bleed build up extremely high, and the weapon has a very low strength / weight requirement, so you can stay nimble pretty easily the right equipment loadout.
Get this weapon from Shiva of the East for 5,000 souls. To find him in the Darkroot Garden or the Blighttown water wheel lift, you’ll need to join the Forest Hunter covenant by talking to the cat in the small ruin, past the locked door with the seal.
#9: Demon’s Greataxe [Great Axe]
Here’s another weapon you can purchase from Shiva of the East for 10,000 souls. Again, the merchant will appear in Darkroot Garden or Blighttown near the waterwheel if you talk to the cat in the Darkroot Garden and join the Forest Hunters. You can also get the greataxe as a drop from Taurus Demon enemies — or by killing the Taurus Demon boss battle with magic spells only.
If you’re looking for high durability and high normal damage, the Demon’s Greataxe is the best in the game. It’s also one of the few weapons you might actually want to convert into a Crystal Weapon. It’s durability is high, and you can always purchase more from the merchant after it breaks (Crystal Weapons cannot be repaired) — you’ll just have to be strong enough to use it two-handed.
#10: Black Knight Halberd [Halberd]
Halberds can be awkward weapons to you. Even if you have enough strength, you’ll stumble when thrusting and missing, but they’re still worthwhile for their great range and thrusting jump attack. You can also use them one-handed with a shield, if you’re good at swapping to two-handed mid-battle for those great sprint attacks.
There are three Black Knights that never respawn that will drop this Halberd. One is near the Darkroot Basin bonfire, another is near Patches in the Tomb of the Giants, and the last Black Knight is in the Kiln of the First Flame.
The Black Knight Halberd has the highest poise, and like all Black Knight weapons, deals extra damage to demons. If you want to farm Titanite Demons in Lost Izalith, this is a pretty good choice.
Zweihander [Ultra Greatsword]
An amazing weapon that you can acquire right at the start of the game, the Zweihander has strong scalability so it stays relevant for the entire game. You probably won’t be able to use it early in your adventures through Lordran, but eventually you’ll have the strength to two-hand this monster and demolish everything in your path. As long as you keep it upgraded, it can stay with you for the entire game.
To get it, run into the cemetery near the Firelink Shrine. Sprint to the end and open the chest behind the giant skeleton. If you don’t mind doing a suicide run, it’s very possible to grab this sword now, instead of waiting until you tackle the Catacombs much later.
So, what weapons are your favorites? Those are just some of our top picks, and there are plenty of other awesome weapons out there.
