One of the most iconic aspects of the Dark Souls franchise is the bosses that inhabit the world. Each boss has a surprising amount of lore and challenges players with a deadly suite of moves. Should players be able to defeat the boss, they will drop their soul, which can be used to craft boss weapons.
The art of making boss weapons in the original Dark Souls is much more taxing than in future installments. Players must upgrade a base weapon to a certain threshold before it can be ascended at the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. These weapons should be unstoppable, and some certainly are. Sadly, just as many weapons are worth skipping. Here are the five best and worst boss weapons players can use in the original Dark Souls.
Updated February 10th, 2021 by Charles Burgar: Boss weapons in the original Dark Souls range from lackluster to absurdly powerful, granting benefits that can’t be found elsewhere. While they lack the flourish of boss weapons found in Dark Souls 2 and 3, these weapons still provide build-enabling benefits. To make these boss weapons easier to understand, a stat breakdown has been added to each entry. Understanding what makes each boss weapon good or bad should be much easier now.
10 Best: Moonlight Butterfly Horn
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of the Moonlight Butterfly
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Thrust weapon
- Attack Rating: 180 Magic
- Moveset: Spear
- Required Stats: Strength (12), Intelligence (14)
- Scaling: Intelligence (B)
- Unique Traits: Excellent reach and no Physical damage
Arguably the most underrated boss weapon in the original Dark Souls, the Moonlight Butterfly Horn is a fantastic Spear that can be infused into a +10 spear. This weapon is unique in that it only deals magic damage. At +5, this weapon has an Attack Rating of 180 with a B scaling in intelligence.
Pressuring opponents with its pokes is great for PvP. As for PvE, this weapon pairs exceptionally well with any close-range spells such as Dark Bead. Considering how early players can obtain this spear, this is certainly a great choice for intelligence builds.
9 Worst: Great Lord Greatsword
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Straight Sword
- Attack Rating: 384 Physical
- Moveset: Greatsword
- Required Stats: Strength (20), Dexterity (10)
- Scaling: Strength (D), Dexterity (D)
- Unique Traits: Quick light attacks
After defeating Gwyn, players will be able to infuse his soul into either a +10 straight sword greatsword to create the Great Lord Greatsword. Obtaining this weapon is automatically troublesome as players must beat the game’s final boss, start an NG+ cycle, and then reach the Giant Blacksmith to ascend the weapon.
As for the blade itself, the Great Lord Greatsword is solid in PvP thanks to its exceptional range, fast swing speed, and above-average Attack Rating. The Great Lord Greatsword’s problems are twofold: it is obtained after an entire playthrough and doesn’t deal fire damage whatsoever despite the Gwyn fight depicting otherwise. It can’t be buffed or infused, either, making its D scaling in strength and dexterity hard to offset. Players that want a strong straight sword have better options unless they highly value sword range.
8 Best: Dragonslayer Spear
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Ornstein
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Thrust weapon
- Attack Rating: 142 Physical, 97 Lightning
- Moveset: Spear
- Required Stats: Strength (24), Dexterity (24)
- Scaling: Strength (C), Dexterity (B), Faith (B)
- Unique Traits: One-handed R1 fires a lightning bolt; large weapon model
Virtually every build in Dark Souls can take advantage of the Dragonslayer Spear. Obtained by ascending a +10 spear using the Soul of Ornstein, this weapon is arguably one of the best spears in the game.
While it does require a massive 24 strength and dexterity to wield, the Dragonslayer Spear has a C scaling in strength, B scaling in dexterity, and B scaling in faith. Faith builds can scale the lightning damage to extreme heights, while quality builds can make the weapon’s Physical portion pack a serious punch. It can also fire lightning projectiles at targets with its one-handed strong attack, allowing it to damage targets at long distances.
7 Worst: Greatsword Of Artorias
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Sif
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Broken Sword
- Attack Rating: 180 Physical, 127 Magical
- Moveset: Greatsword
- Required Stats: Strength (24), Dexterity (18), Intelligence (20), Faith (20)
- Scaling: Strength (C), Dexterity (C), Intelligence (B), Faith (B)
- Unique Traits: +140 Divine damage; 20% increased damage against Darkwraiths, the Four Kings, and Kirk, Knight of Thorns
Three versions of this weapon exist in Dark Souls. If players want to use the legendary sword wielded by Artorias, they are much better off using the Abyss Greatsword from the Artorias of the Abyss DLC than the other two weapons available from Sif.
Regardless, the Greatsword of Artorias is a subpar greatsword due to how split its damage output is. Dealing physical and magic damage simultaneously, players will need to spec for strength, dexterity, intelligence, and faith all at once to make this weapon a powerhouse. Hybrid characters are better off scaling the Dragonslayer Spear or any infused weapon. Quality builds are better off with other greatswords.
6 Best: Quelaag’s Furysword
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Quelaag
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Curved Sword
- Attack Rating: 90 Physical, 255 Fire
- Moveset: Curved Sword
- Required Stats: Strength (11), Dexterity (13)
- Scaling: Strength (E), Dexterity (B)
- Unique Traits: Deals increased damage for each held Humanity
Ascending a curved sword to Quelaag’s Furysword is one of the best choices a player can make. This blade has incredible attack speed and deals a massive amount of fire damage per hit. At +5, expect this blade to hit for 90 physical damage and 255 fire damage a swing.
Since this weapon is in the Chaos archetype, having ten Humanity on hand will grant additional damage. Most enemies in Dark Souls are vulnerable to fire, which makes this weapon a true powerhouse for PvE and against most hostile players.
5 Worst: Crystal Ring Shield
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of the Moonlight Butterfly
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Shield
- Attack Rating: 150 Magic
- Damage Reduction: Physical (70%), Magic (90%), Fire (70%), Lightning (40%)
- Moveset: Shield bashes
- Required Stats: Strength (10)
- Scaling: None
- Unique Traits: Heavy attacks fire projectiles that deal Magic damage
The Crystal Ring Shield is automatically a subpar shield due to its inability to parry enemy targets, the only small shield in the game to lack this property. In its place is a projectile attack that deals a pitiful amount of damage with no means of scaling.
Sadly, it gets even worse. The Crystal Ring Shield also has the second-lowest physical defense for a shield and the lowest lightning resistance in the game. An exceptionally high magic resistance stat of 90% makes it invaluable against the Four Kings and Seath fights, yet that is all this shield can realistically provide for players.
4 Best: Lifehunt Scythe
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Priscilla
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Halberd
- Attack Rating: 270 Physical
- Moveset: Halberd
- Required Stats: Strength (16), Dexterity (14)
- Scaling: Strength (E), Dexterity (B)
- Unique Traits: Inflicts 50 Bleed and 40 self-Bleed with each strike; bleeds remove 50% of an enemy’s total health pool
By ascending a +10 halberd or whip with the Soul of Priscilla, players can create the devastating Lifehunt Scythe. This weapon is unique in that it inflicts extremely powerful bleeds both on hostiles and its wielder. That negative might turn some players away from trying this weapon, but it was likely put in place to offset the weapon’s insanely strong bleed status effects.
A single bleed status effect will cause an enemy to hemorrhage 50% of their health pool. That also includes the player if they get inflicted by a bleed effect, so be sure to use a Bloodbite Ring and any bleed-resistance armor to make this weapon less stressful to wield. It might not have the raw damage per swing that the Great Scythe has, although the bleeds the Lifehunt Scythe deal are so powerful that it outclasses the Great Scythe if players use it properly.
3 Worst: Dragon Bone Fist
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Core of an Iron Golem
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Fist weapon
- Attack Rating: 142 Physical
- Moveset: Fist weapon
- Required Stats: Strength (20)
- Scaling: Strength (S)
- Unique Traits: Heavy attack launches enemies into the air; grants +15 magic and fire defense
No build in Dark Souls should consider using the Dragon Bone Fist unless they are obsessed with this weapon’s heavy attack. Uppercutting targets to the moon is one of the most fun attacks in the game, yet sadly, the damage this weapon dishes out is lacking.
Despite having an S scaling in dexterity when upgraded, this weapon only has an Attack Rating of 142. This damage value is so low that similarly upgraded fist weapons, such as the Caestus or Claw, will deal more damage per hit than the Dragon Bone Fist. Only use this weapon for the style it provides.
2 Best: Chaos Blade
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Quelaag
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Katana
- Attack Rating: 216 Physical
- Moveset: Katana
- Required Stats: Strength (16), Dexterity (14)
- Scaling: Dexterity (B)
- Unique Traits: Inflicts 36 Bleed per strike; drains 20 HP per strike; damage scales with Humanity
If players would prefer to wield a katana than a curved sword, using the Soul of Quelaag to build the Chaos Blade is a better idea than making Quelaag’s Furysword. What makes the Chaos Blade a better option is its sheer damage output.
Every swing from this katana deals 216 physical damage with a B scaling in dexterity when upgraded. The blade also scales off a player’s Humanity, granting increased damage up til a player reaches ten Humanity. At 40 dexterity and ten Humanity, players can deal 450 damage a strike. This is further enhanced with the weapon’s passive bleed status effect. Considering this weapon’s great moveset and long reach, the Chaos Blade is one of the best boss weapons a player can make in Dark Souls. Just be sure to have a healing method while wielding this blade as it deals 20 HP damage to its wielder with every strike.
1 Worst: Darkmoon Bow
Weapon Stats
- Boss Soul: Soul of Gwyndolin
- Base Weapon Required: +10 Bow
- Attack Rating: 127 Physical, 127 Magic
- Moveset: Spear
- Required Stats: Strength (7), Dexterity (16), Faith (16)
- Scaling: Strength (E), Dexterity (D), Faith (D)
- Unique Traits: Deals the most damage with Moonlight Arrows
For a bow tied behind a secret boss battle, the Darkmoon Bow is easily the worst boss weapon in the game. A D scaling in faith and dexterity is terrible when compared to the Black Bow of Pharis or even a standard Compound Bow. Worse, this weapon deals a split 127 damage between physical and magic.
Enemy resistances usually reduce this weapon’s lackluster damage output even further. Players that wish to make a bow build should obtain the Black Bow of Pharis instead and infuse it with an element of choice.
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