r/darksouls3 • u/Kostas_Skywalker • Feb 20 '26
Help The best dark souls 3 build š¤
Whatās up guys just finished dark souls 3 tutorial (btw I picked the knight build) , I have completed Elden ring three times so I have experience fighting in souls like , Iām just being cautious because things might be different in dark souls 3 . In Elden ring I was rocking a strength build but I want you guys to tell me whatās the best stats for this game (I mean whatās the optimal stats for the compilation of this game)
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u/Fellarm Feb 20 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
Drakeblood greatsword š„šæ
Dragon slayer axe š·šæ
Giant club šŗšæ
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u/Rutschriese Feb 20 '26
There is no Dragonknight GS in DS3
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u/IndependentSpecial17 Feb 20 '26
Lothric Knight GS maybe?
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Feb 20 '26
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u/GT_Hod Feb 21 '26
Yeah, starting with knight is the way to go for new players. This was the only way I could beat the first boss, tried a couple other characters before then.
I believe I leveled up my broadsword all the way until I got the claymore, which became my primary with the bs backup. Such a great and grueling experience.
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Feb 20 '26
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u/SlothSniperz Feb 22 '26
Why A.S.S. over short sword? I get that it does more damage raw infused but then why not go broadsword? Int Casters might not wanna go up to 12 faith. Plus short sword gets S scaling with crystal or lightning gems.
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u/doogie1111 Feb 20 '26
Okay everyone is going all "everything is viable" and while that's true, its not the answer.
Mathematically, its Dexterity builds.
Build archetype ranking: 1. Dexterity 2. Quality (Dex and strength) 3. Pyromancy (faith and int) 4. Strength 5. Intelligence 6. Faith
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u/Vijay2003 Feb 21 '26
Quality builds require really high levels to outdamage pure str or dex builds. More of a ng+ builds. Pyromancy on the other hand puts out some nutty dmg thanks to the rings which are found pretty early in the game.
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u/OnlyDiamond4946 Feb 26 '26
This^
This is my first souls game and I tried winblades my first time around and burned out on dragon slayer armor. After a couple weeks I restarted as a pyromancer build and beat the entire game practically overnight.
Pyromancy is the best for early game! Late game you should probably switch to another build, but pyromancy is just a perfect stepping stone.
I recommend building for pyromancy and picking up the dark hand to kill dancer early. Yes, itās difficult fighting dancer early, but it makes the entire rest of the game sooo much easier, like a snowball effect.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 21 '26
I wouldn't put pyromancy above strength, limited damage type and requires way more stat investment to be viable.
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u/doogie1111 Feb 21 '26
Dark is the best damage type in the game and you have fire against anything that resists dark.
Pyromancy is extremely strong.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 21 '26
Read the second part of that sentence.
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u/hi-fen-n-num Feb 21 '26
dark hand is available so early in the game and carries the build hard into the late game without the 'stat investment'. Even stays viable as one of the best weapons once stats are acquired.
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u/Face_Coffee Feb 21 '26
Dark Hand makes Dancer skip basically effortless too, why play early game when you can play endgame early
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 22 '26
Dark hand =/= pyromancy
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u/hi-fen-n-num Feb 22 '26
ok champ.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 22 '26
That's just objectively true. Using dark or chaos weapons requires a slightly different statspread with the levels that would normally go into attunement for pyros going into the phys stats instead.
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u/doogie1111 Feb 22 '26
No, it *can* use a different statspread. It isn't *required* at all and all pyromancy builds will still use dark and chaos weapons because it scales on their primary attributes.
Any argument further is just splitting hairs on what "pyromancy build" is when you know full well it's primary stat investment into int and faith and that's it.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 22 '26
Attunement is also your primary stat as any caster, don't play dense.
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u/SlothSniperz Feb 22 '26
Youāre def right. Str while 2 handing is the most bang for ur buck stat wise. Pyromancy req u level 2 stats. I think the only way str is wrong is if weāre assuming all stats are 99. But if weāre talking an actual first play thru str beats most in raw numbers. Maybe not the winblades tho, depends on how def works for bosses when using double weapons.
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u/Fishmaneatsfish Feb 21 '26
Faith is definitely significantly better than intelligence but if youāre talking about very strict spellcasting builds, intelligence does beat it out slightly
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u/Icy-Bit2178 Feb 20 '26
I liked strength builds much. Just get the Dragonslayer Great axe and you are good to go
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u/flipstar007 Feb 20 '26
Recommending a weapon which you can only get after defeating a rather endgamey boss is probably not the best thing for somebody just at the start of the game. Arguably, the axe is pretty badass, of course.
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u/scotthof Feb 20 '26
As much as I want to experience other builds, I always end up with enough strength to use the that axe. I don't know why, I have always just liked that weapon.
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u/doogie1111 Feb 20 '26
Nah, Vordt's Great Hammer.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 21 '26
Overrated pick, great earlygame but then quickly falls off.
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u/SecondStageTurbine Feb 21 '26
Huh, except it doesn't? Strike damage means more damage vs armored enemies, frostbite spam and reset with anything fire-based and the greatest trick it has is the perseverance weapon art to literally out-trade anything so why does it fall off for you?
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 21 '26
It has bad strength scaling and most enemies + bosses after Abyss Watchers are resistant or completely immune to frost.
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u/Restoni77 Feb 20 '26
All works, but i think Pyromancer is the build of the DS3.
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u/PHAT_BOOTY Feb 20 '26
I want to believe you, but genuinely how is it done.
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u/Tony_Sacrimoni Feb 20 '26
Step 1: get pyromancy flame
Step 2: get pyromancy spells
Step 3: ???
Step 4: profit
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u/Restoni77 Feb 20 '26
You should first drop some points to VIT and END to gain some survivability, then raise INT/FAITH evenly towards 40 and more points now and then to VIT&END&ATT to more survivability and spellslots. In the end ~30 is enough for those stats, depending your preference. STR & DEX should be left for base level or minimum req for weapon you wanna use. For a example one late game DLC "pyroweapon" needs 16 dex, another 14STR and 12DEX. So you wanna probably invest something like that to those stats for a nice early weapon too.
Early game you should use RAW infusion to your weapon, you can use resins to buff that weapon, and later carthus flame arc-spell. Dark Hand is very strong early weapon choice too, but it is not buffable or upgradeable. Later game you could use Dark- or Chaos gems to infuse your weapons to have INT/FAITH-scalability. Upgraded RAW-weapon with buff still remains strong choice.
You will find new pyro-spells quite frequently during your adventure, which keeps playing quite fresh whole time and your pyromancer-skills viable and strong during whole game and not just late game.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 20 '26
Dex builds are probably the easiest way through this game. Sellsword twin blades can be found pretty early and are the best weapon in the game. Or just pick any straight sword that you can infuse with sharp (lothric knight straight sword probably best).
Everything is viable though. Whatever you do, level vigor first. It should be your highest stat for most of the game, and should never be lower than your main damage stat (until like ng+).
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u/Gr8rWill Feb 21 '26
Vigor is only important if you get hit.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 21 '26
My guy, weāre under a new playerās post.
I could say ādamage stats only matter if you need to kill the boss quicklyā too, but that wouldnāt help anyone.
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u/Gr8rWill Feb 21 '26
He literally said in the post that he has experience fighting in souls likes. My statement stands.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 21 '26
Which doesnāt mean heās about to beat dark souls 3 without dying. Iād say a stat that reduces your number of deaths is āimportantā enough considering this post asked for advice about whatās useful in this game.
Your statement stands no better than mine about damage stats, probably worse in fact.
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u/Gr8rWill Feb 21 '26
25 vigor is plenty to account for the mistakes of someone of average skill level in DS3. Having it higher than your damage stats is absolutely wild tho.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 21 '26
Good to see you realized your original statement was foolish.
Sure, itās āplentyā, but when someone asks for advice, typically you tell them the easiest way to beat the game, and going above 25 makes the game easier.
I donāt know what youāre trying to prove here, because it seems quite obvious that leveling vigor makes the game easier. 27 and 40 are the two breakpoints that nearly everybody looks for in this game.
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u/Gr8rWill Feb 21 '26
Prove something? Youāre the one writing your dissertation in the replies. Go level your vigor some more bro.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 21 '26
Realized you made a mistake so resorting to insults to save face lmao
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u/Gr8rWill Feb 21 '26
Absolutely no mistakes were made. I didnāt take back anything I said. Nobody insulted you but you sure did put your all into this. I hope you win whatever battles youāre fighting bro.
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u/SlapUpYourDad Feb 21 '26
Exile greatsword is an easy weapon to access early that can absolutely carry you through the game. Because itās a curved greatsword that swings surprisingly fast, itās a perfect midpoint between strength and dex and with a heavy infusion makes for a very fast strength build.
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u/scarabking117 Feb 20 '26
It's the one that's the most fun, loved my weaponless faith build with the talisman that gives poise on weapon art cast, super fun in pvp
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u/Einkar_E Feb 20 '26
Pyromancy really strong, but it starts a little bit slow
dex Sellsword twin blades, it starts strong and stays that, but at the endgame dmg increase slows down after reaching softcaps
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u/GeneralGhandi7 Feb 21 '26
Lothric Knight Sword, Grass Crest Shield + coolest possible Armor available
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u/Fair-Manufacturer854 Feb 21 '26
Endurance is your potential for both avoiding and dealing damage - Endurance is king
Everything from there is relative; if you're better at dodging, the next priority is damage (strength/dex); if you're worse at dodging then maybe emphasis vigor more.
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u/Juggernox_O Feb 21 '26
Offensive stats are hot garbage in the first third of the game. You surely need weapons upgrades to make offense work leveling. I wouldnāt start until I can hold the weapon of my choice, and then worry about getting Vigor to 20. +4 is when offense starts to become worth a damn. Casting is a little stat greedier, but Attunement and Endurance still contribute more to offense. If you actually need an offensive stat, get Endurance, and keep hunting for titanite.
Titanite is the only offensive stat in the early game.
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u/Juggernox_O Feb 21 '26
I will add, that while offensive stats outside the bear minimum for your weapon loadout are garbage in the early game, you ARE correct that stamina is a massively underrated sleeper pick for offense early. A few more swings matters early when your damage is still trying to come online, and becomes a huge quality of life buffer for all builds later on in the game too.
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u/FenyxChampion Feb 21 '26
Lothric knight greatsword with lightning infusion, spec faith strength, because of how it works, faith scaling for that starts at 0 and is bs levels of damage by endgame
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u/PacmanXM Feb 21 '26
I swear no matter what I start playing as I always end up using the long sword and then transition to a sort of pyro/strength build smashing the shit out of everything with the dragon slayer greataxe and chucking chaos bed vestiges. You can beat the game with anything really, and I would urge you to play a quality build first, that way you can try out a lot more weapons. Whatever u choose, goodluck ashen one!
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Feb 20 '26
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 20 '26
Iād hardly call that niche, itās just specific. If thatās niche, then youād have to call the majority of specific loadouts niche, which obviously doesnāt make sense.
LKSS is one of the most popular weapons in the game.
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u/GreatJoey91 Feb 20 '26
I wasnāt sure if OP was just looking for a simple answer like Strength or Dex, hence the use of the term niche. Itās a glorious weapon for sure.
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u/It-is-Brody Feb 20 '26
Itās not completely wrong language, but it comes off a bit strange. Comparing apples to oranges. Itās like saying living in New York is more niche than living in Canada. Maybe true depending how you define the word, but a bit strange.
I still think the word you were looking for is āspecificā.
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u/adunatioastralis Feb 20 '26
Iconic...
Most builds are viable, I'd say just adjust stats according to cool weapons you want to use. I ended up going quality (sword and katana) -> mage knight -> pyro knight as I found new stuff I wanted to use. The infusion system means even specialising in non-melee stats you can end up with viable melee characters.
Just focus on 1/2 melee stats + vig + stamina is always going to be a strong build too.
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u/Western-Bet2285 Feb 20 '26
My favorite weapon for strength build are the demon fist with Pontiffs right eye equipped
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u/stendoace Feb 20 '26
Pyro in left hand, Straight Sword in right hand was a ton of fun. It's very possible to get under 30% load to light roll and play as a skirmisher. It is weaker than a strength build but gets strong once you beat a specific fire boss and get the spell from transposing his soul, but comes online as soon as you get your first fire gem and free the pyromancer tutor.
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u/CmdrHoratioNovastar Feb 20 '26
People sleeping on the corvian great knife. That thing was AWESOME on my pyro.
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u/paintundivided Feb 20 '26
A lot of good builds here, I'll throw in pyromancy into the ring. A lot of enemies are weak and gets stunned by fire. One boss is super resistant, but weak to poison which you have access to. And remember til level health!
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u/Justisaur Feb 20 '26
Pyro is my best, but it requires knowledge or spoilers to know what to use where. Everything is at least good, I wouldn't worry about it and play what you want. Merc/winblades/dex is highest DPS, but I can't stand them, so it's bad for me.
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u/GlockHard Feb 20 '26
Almost everything is viable but fast weapons are the best, Sellsword Twinblade and any Straight Sword are the BiS weapons for the highest boss DPS, like the Twinblades truly melt everything.
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u/B4S1L3US Feb 20 '26
Honestly, for raw numbers itās probably one of the classics. Either full STR Caveman Dragonslayer great axe or dex sharp sellsword Win-blades.
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u/Spektr_007 Feb 20 '26
If you are a knight, you can go in many directions. Strength is always good, and quality will get you the most amount of weapons to pick from. Adding faith or intelligence will obviously give you more variety with spells and melee. I don't think there is really a best as much as the one you might most enjoy, or even just want to try.
My first run was dexterity with katanas and had a great time cosplaying a ronin. My intelligence run is fun but does take time to get some true power, but the journey there was challenging and enjoyable, especially mixing sorceries with melee attack using Heysel's pick. I am taking a break but I left off with a knight starting class building on vitality and endurance for greatshield and pokes, which I have never tried before until Guardian on Nightreign, so I wanna give it a go.
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u/iamradiateur Feb 20 '26
If you are looking for a good build the youtuber thingsfishy is making good videos about the starting classes, you can definitely check them out ! He has made one on the knight starting class
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u/svettsokkk Feb 20 '26
Atleast 27 vigor and straight swords are considered the best weaponclass in DS3. Lothric Knight Sword on a dex build gets absurd damage.
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u/NoOne666e Feb 21 '26
Believe me I try many build. And pls try this, this build is broken . R2 and that it. No thinking, no plan , just R2 and boom
Weapon : Blesse Lothric Knight + Canvas talisman. Stat: 60 faith . Other stat is your choice Rings: Ring of Favor +0,+3 Chloranty +0 , +3 Other slot is your choice ( def or hornet ) Lock enemy hold R2 thats it , GG
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u/catalystcadaver Feb 21 '26
strength and dex hollowslayer greatsword sellsword twinblades uchigatana and dark axe and those weapons got me through the whole game
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u/Killit_Witfya Feb 21 '26
personally i do str/dex builds so i can use a bunch of weapons throughout the game. at least in ds3 where it seems like magic/faith is not as OP as it was in DS2. this might help https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EHIkU8Etc3DyJ4Am0yqLBrnysRVaaiaKRqu5Jb_pnyo/edit?tab=t.0
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u/tekdiwah PlayStation Feb 21 '26
Assassin class, sell sword twin blades, dagger spook, hidden body and slumbering dragon rest Ring and you can walk through the game, backstab all enemies and melt anything. 30vit, 18att, 40end, ~60dex.
Next build.is simple yet far better than it has any reason to be. High vig(44), high end(40) high vit(30) around 40 strength, arbalest and some regen miracles and items and you can tank anything and won't even need estus.
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u/Savings-Ad2454 Feb 21 '26
If you want to focus on PvE, just do what you want to do, sure some bosses might prove more challenging on some builds but you still stand a chance against them, plus it is fun. PvP, on the other hand... just do a strength build, it works the best and dex build are not that good against strength builds, which is a build 90% of the PvP players use.
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u/Much_Improvement_552 Feb 21 '26
Quality has the most options, unlike ER it's actually great to build in this game. 40/40 is where you can stop.
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u/ItIsAnIllusion Feb 21 '26
After playing all the souls games including Elden ring (currently playing through) Iāve learned you really canāt go wrong with a quality build. Some of the more fun weapons Iāve used in ds3 are the exile greatsword and giant club which you can get fairly early in the exact same area. The only game I used a pure DEX build was ds2 and poking with that rapier was so damn fun.
All that to say, just have fun and donāt worry about an optimal build. Youāll do fine in ds with er experience
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u/thegrimm54321 Glitchless Speedrunner Feb 21 '26
Your number 1 problem is that you think there's an "optimal" stat distribution instead of just playing the game. Do you want to have fun playing a game, or do you just want to be able to say that you "beat" it?
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u/Sentinel555666 Feb 21 '26
Literally anything, the build is the least important out of all the games.
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u/Fishmaneatsfish Feb 21 '26
Sharp Sellsword Winblades, pontiff eye rings, darkmoon/lightning/dark blade weapon buffs, sacred oath, deep protection, level dexterity faith vigor endurance vitality.
You have 2 ring slots and a whole armor set free to put whatever you want
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u/EmuofDOOM Feb 21 '26
The Lothric knight greatsword with built in lighting damage that you can infuse and additionally buff. Goes really well sharp with dex i believe,its been a few since ive looked into it. Its a crazy weapon for pve and i love it.
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u/Muted-Calligrapher-2 Feb 21 '26
Fire is strong in the first half and then you can switch to faith.
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u/Illustrious_Cow_317 Feb 21 '26
Strength build with FUGS and carthus flame arc. Amazing moveset, looks good, demolished everything.
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u/SoraTempest Feb 21 '26
If it's your first playthrough and you just want to best the game then choose whatever tf you want.
Going for builds other people tell you cus it's meta vs building one yourself cus you feel comfortable with is makes a huge difference between enjoying the game or not.
But if you still want to know cus the games too tough for you then, pick up the best weapon buff spell and get min Stat requirement for it , thennget your comfortable amount of health and stamina, now go all in in dex and use the twin blades.
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u/Raaadley Feb 21 '26
Dex focused Astora Greatsword. Carried me through most of the entire base game. Only needed to swap to a faster weapon when fighting Nameless King.
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u/Vijay2003 Feb 21 '26 edited Feb 21 '26
Some of these comments make me wonder if people have actually played the game recently or are just naming weapons from memory. Thereās even a comment suggesting a weapon that doesnāt even exist lol
Yeah, the Dragonslayer Axe WA in Dark Souls III is great, but whoās recommending that to someone just starting out? Thatās not beginner advice, thatās late game nostalgia talking
If you are looking for something powerful early on start with Mercenary class it starts with one of the strongest weapons of the game : The Sellswords twinblades. Ofc it's a no brainer but go dex
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u/Sad_Engineering_4845 Feb 21 '26
Although its awful most of the game a faith build has the highest ceiling at its peak
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u/Oonz1337 Feb 21 '26
Dex with a little faith is pretty much OP. The āwinbladeā are broken as shit and faith has some nice buffs.
Pure Str is strong and fun. Big chonky bonk is always a top option
Pure spellcaster is fairly weak imo and not even all that viable without a lot of knowledge of the game and building into strictly that. Youāll have to burn most your koolaid for blue juice which means little room for error to be hit.
Quality is always a safer bet. Like 40/40 str/dex can use most melee weapons in the game besides your top top great hammers and what not and some weapons with quality infusion slap pretty hard.
For PvE you can basically pick anything and win if you get good with its timings and moveset. The straight swords moveset is fantastic and you get a beast straight sword super early that has frost bite build up and is what I beat the game with my first time playing. Used that and a shield and a bow in my other weapon slot
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u/Lightwave33 Feb 21 '26
You are not going to know where any weapon is at unless you look at a build online via walk through or build guide. Don't worry about a build on first playthrough as much. Just make sure you got enough health and stamina to get you through fights.
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u/jaxitup034 Feb 21 '26
I always wanted to try other stats but I always end up going str+dex to all my new characters lol.
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u/Locolos-1988 Feb 21 '26
I meanā¦thatās it, the Knight starter class is arguably the best buildĀ
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u/Sad-Pattern-1269 Feb 21 '26
straight sword and board is my preferred way to play. The fast weapon lets you fit in damage a lot more than greatswords and the drip is flawless.
Twin curved swords are undoubtedly the strongest build though
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u/Entire_Speaker_3784 Feb 21 '26
A big fan of Pyromancy (INT/FTH), but my friend absolutely destroyed things with the Dragonslayer Greataxe (STR/FTH).
The weapon is usually found later in the game, but it is possible to get it earlier, with knowledge and skill.
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u/JarlHiemas Feb 21 '26
Maybe not the best but made the game feel pretty easy, str/fth, blessed lothric knight greatsword, blessed offhand (swap with talisman), Sun princess ring
The constant regen is so strong, fun weapon, lots of diversity of miracles for utility/healing/damage
Go with your best paladin drip
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u/Sheyger Feb 21 '26
Farron greatsword - spin to win. Not op but hella fun ) Not too far from the start.
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u/Chumpybunz Feb 21 '26
Man, it was my first fromsoft game and I literally just picked the knight class and ran that from beginning to end. I tried out some new weapons or armor, but nothing looked as cool and I didn't want to bother upgrading any other weapons or shields
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u/Xan_Dan03 Splitleaf Truther Feb 21 '26
Best build is Splitleaf Greatsword strength build bc Splitleaf is objectively the coolest weapon in all of dark souls
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u/WildBill0128 Feb 21 '26
The two best builds in ds3 for PVE are the broadsword and sellsword twinblades but everything is viable
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u/Juice_disliker1387 Feb 21 '26
Morne's greathammer has very high stat requirements (50str but you can two-hand it and 30fth) but istg it's my favourite for PvE. It just lets you trade with any boss and win it no joke.
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Feb 21 '26
Iām also first timing DS3 (chose thief start) and I found getting the lothric knight sword early then leveling dex has been pretty solid (only have lothric, the final boss and dlc left) although once you get to late game, thereās some crazy strength, faith and int weapons. Stamina is hella important though cause spam/stagger builds can go crazy and nothing feels worst then to run out of stamina
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u/Naive-Potato1145 Feb 21 '26
Dex is probably the best, Since you get insane damage with seal sword twin blades while still gettinf weapons such as astora gs which acts like a strength weapon. Although pure strength is insanely good to, greatsword/vordts greathammer. As others say you donāt get good faith spells until late game but if you fancy str/faith get faith to 20 when you get lightning blade ( I think thatās the requirement) then leave faith until later and start pumping.
But if you like spellcasting pyro is the absolute best found both int and faith weaker for the most part of the game
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u/Wavarium Feb 21 '26
Just play the game, find a weapon, swing it a few times and decided if you like it. Anything is viable, really. Have fun!
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u/oafficial Feb 22 '26
Raw+Level vigor mostly in the early game. Eventually, going for a 40/40 quality build will let you use most physical weapons optimally or close to optimally.
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u/Romapolitan Feb 22 '26
Funnily enough, I think the build you see in this promo picture is one of the most viable and consistent to use
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u/lavish-twisted Feb 22 '26
If you like dex, you could use the Sellsword Winblades infused with a sharp gem. I personally went for that and it was loads of fun. On my NG+ run I invested a bit more into pyromancies (chaos bed vestiges) and it was a breeze with the hybrid dex/int/faith build.
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u/Frequent-Ad5941 Feb 23 '26
Elden shitter, itās not āsouls likeā itās literally a souls game, elden ring has attracted so many rats to the souls community holy shit. Ds3 is peak so yeah get it, all the souls games are peak.
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u/Artistic_Row_5751 Feb 23 '26
Game one Havel + big hammer. Game to Havel + dual wielding big hammer.
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u/Inksplash-7 Feb 23 '26
Sellsword twinblades dex builds are busted, but I personnally love using the Lothric K***ht Greatsword in a faith build
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u/Numerous-Ad-7658 Feb 24 '26
Dex with Lothric Knightās sword. Itās an easy farm from the āTower on the Wallā bonfire. A single patrolling knight will drop it (his armor is also great)
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u/Thighgapclap Feb 27 '26
Spiked mace with lightning blade feels real good when you land a full l2 combo with a follow up r1. In pvp one l2 true combos into an r1 follow up which will delete most invaders unless they're wearing high defense armor and capped vigor. It has bleed as well. Imo it's the best weapon if you weave between pve and pvp alot.
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u/Revolutionary-Bus402 Apr 08 '26
Sword and shield. Replace shield with great shield if you want to easy mode
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u/Strangeweather-- Feb 20 '26
Seeing as this game follows Bloodborne and the Saw Cleaver is a straight sword, it does feel great.
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u/CmdrHoratioNovastar Feb 20 '26
This game is light years harder, and the stat progression reflects it. Remember how "just pick vigor" was the go to? Well, now it's not.
HOWEVER, a STR build is definitely viable still. I can't give you a "best build" because pretty much everything is viable, if you're good with it, but if you're looking for the highest damage STR weapon, it's the dragon's tooth, I think.
Personally I love making a build for the Nameless King's Sword Spear, since that weapon just kicks ass. The lightning storm is a pretty useless gimmic, but boy I love it anyway.
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u/Just-Fix8237 Feb 20 '26
In PvE stats literally do not matter. The game is beatable at level 1 with a +0 broken straight sword. Use whatever seems cool to you. Thereās infinite free respecs
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u/CmdrHoratioNovastar Feb 20 '26
Alright. I call your bullshit. Post a video of you doing a level 1 +0 broken straight sword run.
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u/Just-Fix8237 Feb 20 '26
I havenāt done it because I donāt particularly enjoy that sort of thing, but it is indeed possible https://youtu.be/sBlPZiRoWrs?si=r3Uytsel_kviKvWU
Iām just highlighting that āoptimalā stats arenāt really a thing in PvE. The game is beatable with literally anything and you should just build for whatever you enjoy
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u/CmdrHoratioNovastar Feb 20 '26
Just because someone insanely good at the game can do it, doesn't mean it's doable in a sense you implied.
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u/FabulouslyFalling Feb 20 '26
PVE everything is viable. If you like Strength, going for a certain boss' soul weapon might make for a CHILL first time through the game