As a Dark Souls 3 enthusiast with over 500 hours of playtime, I‘ve tested every weapon in the game extensively. And now, I present this comprehensive weapons tier list and guide analyzing all armaments in Dark Souls 3 for both PvE and PvP.
Below I‘ll be ranking and evaluating all the weapons based on the following criteria:
- Damage Output – Attack rating, DPS potential, counter damage
- Scalability – Stat scaling grades and infusion potential
- Moveset – Speed, range, attack patterns, versatility
- Utility – Unique skills, effects, passives, buffs
- Accessibility – Upgrades, materials, stat requirements
I‘ll also discuss strengths and weaknesses of individual weapons, which builds they synergize with, and their effectiveness against various enemies.
What Factors Determine a Weapon‘s Viability?
A weapon‘s performance depends heavily on your character build and playstyle. However, there are a few key metrics that decide how generally viable an armament is:
Attack Rating (AR) – The higher the AR, the more damage you deal per hit. This factors in scaling and infusion bonuses.
DPS – Damage per second. Faster weapons may inflict less per hit but deal more cumulative damage over time.
Counter Damage – Extra damage when hitting during enemy animations. Crucial for trading hits.
Scalability – Grade rankings (S,A,B etc.) indicating potential damage gains from attribute scaling.
Infusions – Special enhancements boosting elemental damage types. Quality weapons accept multiple infusions effectively.
Utility – Special skills, passives, self-buffs that give combat advantages.
Now let‘s overview popular builds and weapon synergy:
Quality Builds
These prioritize evenly raising strength and dexterity. Quality weapons with complementary scaling grades excel here.
Strength Builds
Level strength higher than other attributes. Pair with heavy infusions and choice of colossal weapons.
Dexterity Builds
Similar to strength builds but favors dexterity instead. Sharp infusions work best.
Spellcaster Builds
Sorcerers and pyromancers raise intelligence. Clerics and paladins boost faith. Some weapons also scale damage with these.
Hollow Builds
Take advantage of weapons that scale with luck. Cause bleeding and poison more easily.
With the basics covered, let‘s jump into the tier list!
S-Tier / God-Tier Weapons
S-tier weapons dominate in all criteria – damage, scalability, utility and moveset versatility. They synergize with popular builds and prove overwhelmingly effective in both PvE and high-level PvP.
Lothric Knight Sword
- 604 AR on a quality build
- S dexterity / A strength scaling
- Excellent moveset, speed & range
- Stance skill boosts evasion
Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords
- 702 AR heavy infused on strength builds
- Charged strong attack detonates for explosions
- Huge damage against bosses and crowds
sellsword Twinblades
- 593 AR sharp infused on dexterity builds
- Devastating multi-hit L1 combo shreds enemies
- Melts bosses with critical damage
Frayed Blade
- 640 AR on quality builds
- Unique stance skill lets you phase through enemies
- Self-buffable dark damage hits hard
A-Tier / Meta Weapons
A-tier weapons match the coveted S-rank in nearly every way except with a minor weakness holding them back fractionally. However, they still outperform a vast majority of options.
Onikiri and Ubadachi
- 512 AR sharp infused
- Spinning L1 combo inflicts rapid bleed buildup
- Low durability means frequent repairs
Mace
- 573 AR heavy infused
- Strike damage crushes armored enemies
- Short range struggles against groups
Dragonslayer Swordspear
- 632 AR on quality builds
- Bolt weapon skill brings ranged lightning attacks
- High faith requirement for some builds
Pontiff Knight Curved Sword
- 581 AR sharp infused
- Smooth moveset with long reach
- Occasional phantom range in PvP
B-Tier / Viable Weapons
These weapons function well enough with the right builds or playstyle catered around their niche. However, clear deficiencies exist compared to top tiers that limit their general effectiveness.
Astora Greatsword
- 728 AR on quality build
- Massive damage with heavy infusion
- Slow speed and stamina consumption
Barbed Straight Sword
- 504 AR sharp infused
- Fast moveset rapidly inflicts bleed
- Terribly short range makes crowds dangerous
Carthus Shotel
- 593 AR sharp infused
- Ignores shield blocking
- Lackluster damage without buffs
Dragonslayer Greataxe
- 703 AR strength build
- Strong attack summons lightning
- Slow and predictable in PvP
C-Tier
These weapons either only function well under very specialized conditions or provide an objective direct upgrade. Most players are better off choosing something else.
Mail Breaker
- 140 critical damage
- Dismal base damage and scaling
Lucerne
- Just a longer spear with halberd moveset
- Inferior damage and counter compared to spears
Whip
- Slow, inefficient moveset
- Atrocious damage across all builds
Torch
- 64 fire damage per hit
- Almost useless as weapon even upgraded
Weapon Category Rankings
Here are the weapon categories ranked by highest damage potential down:
Great Hammers – Huge damage but very slow
Ultra Greatswords – Powerful heavy weapons, high stamina usage
Greataxes – Brutal range and damage, lack speed
Greatswords – Versatile middle ground between speed and power
Curved Greatswords – Wide arc attacks effective against groups
Straight Swords – Reliable with quick strikes and good scaling
Thrusting Swords – Specialize in consecutive thrust attacks
Katanas – Fast dexterity weapons with bleed potential
Daggers – Excellent critical damage and quickstep evasion
Top 5 PvE Weapons
These weapons excel specifically against PvE enemies and bosses:
- Dragonslayer Greataxe – Destroys ancient dragon enemies
- Black Knight Weapons – Additional damage versus demons
- Wolf Knight Greatsword – 20% boost to abyssal enemies
- Farron Greatsword – Lion stance strong attack hits crawlers
- Irithyll Straight Sword – Frost accumulates on most enemies
Most Popular Dueling PvP Weapons
These dominate the meta for high skill PvP duels:
- Pontiff Knight Curved Sword – Long reach lets you outspace
- Estoc / Lothric Knight Sword – Deadly roll-catch with thrust attacks
- Gotthard Twinswords – Rapid multi-hits roll catch easily with phantom range
- Onikiri and Ubadachi – Bleed combos shred undisciplined opponents
- Murky Hand Scythe – Quickstep lets you backstab fish aggressively
Most Fun to Use Weapons
While perhaps not the objectively best, these weapons provide the most unique and satisfying experience:
- Friede‘s Great Scythe – Elegant moveset, sjcythe stance severs crowds
- Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords – Charged explosions obliterate enemies
- Splitleaf Greatsword – Unique halberd spin2win shreds
- Aquamarine Dagger – Cast sorceries with light attacks
- Demon Scar – Curved sword that doubles as pyromancy catalyst
Conclusion
And there you have it – the ultimate Dark Souls 3 weapons tier list and analysis, compiled from my extensive first-hand experience. I hope these rankings and weapon overviews help provide insight to guide your build and armament selections.
Some key closing takeaways:
- Quality and strength builds offer most versatility
- Prioritize weapons with higher base damage and good scaling
- Movesets and weapon skills trump everything else
- Understand your weapons‘ strengths and weaknesses
- Keep multiple upgraded options suited for different situations
Now get out there and cleave through Lothric‘s enemies without mercy, Ashen One! If you found this guide helpful, let me know in the comments which weapons exceeded your expectations.
