For the most part, Daggers in Dark Souls 3 is the least used weapon class out of the wide arsenal that this incredible game by FromSoftware makes available. However, this is not because they are useless. These short-bladed weapons merely have a niche usage.
The primary reasons to use a Dagger is for their fast attack speed, rapid parry animation, and their higher critical hit damage. Against foes that cannot be struck critically, they are understandably less than ideal, though against humanoid foes, both in PvE and PvP, they can be deadly tools. With the exception of the three mentioned by the game itself in their item descriptions as being decrepit or lacking in some other manner, the remaining ten offer great opportunities for builds geared towards fast maneuvers and sudden strikes.
10 Handmaid’s Dagger
The Handmaid’s Dagger often gets looked down upon by many for the fact that it cannot be infused, and that it only gets a maximum scaling of D-tier in both Strength and Dexterity. This remains true even after being fully upgraded, though it can be a handy tool for reasons besides damage output.
It recovers a single point of FP per hit, meaning that it can be a useful tool for a caster build, though should probably not be held at all times, as its damage is simply too low to be useful outside of recovering FP. It is worth noting that this blue-bar regeneration also occurs if one strikes a foe that is blocking. Just be wary of getting parried.
9 Murky Hand Scythe
Despite looking and acting more like a very short Curved Sword, the Murky Hand Scythe is undeniably a Dagger. Though it does not have higher critical hit damage or unique parrying advantages, it offers other great traits that are unique to it.
It has innate Dark damage, which makes it a great sidearm for casters specializing in miracles and sorceries, particularly the more sinister ones. As opposed to most other Daggers, it does not deal thrust damage, but slash-type instead. This lends it the unique ability among its kin to potentially stagger foes in a manner not dissimilar to the much-loved Katanas.
8 Mail Breaker
Strangely given to the Sorcerer class, this larger than average dagger is meant to pierce through an enemies defenses. Its weapon skill, Shield Splitter, unleashes a fierce lunge that can penetrate armor and makes the Mail Breaker’s name very appropriate.
With a Critical stat higher than most other Daggers at 125, this is a great choice for players who intend to dish out a lot of backstabs and ripostes. It doesn’t get the best scaling, achieving C-tier with Dexterity at +10 Sharp infusion. Though, with the Hornet Ring, it can more than make up for this lacking trait with some bonus critical attack damage.
7 Corvian Greatknife
This is another Dagger with less than ideal scaling, only reaching D-tier or C-tier scaling with its highest stats at +10 with any upgrade path. Interestingly, however, it gets D-tier with both Strength and Dexterity if one goes down the Refined upgrade path, making it a not-so-bad choice for a Quality build.
The Corvian Greatknife also has a Critical stat of 110 that results in some nice riposte and backstab damage. Furthermore, it possesses the rare weapon skill Blind Spot, which is excellent for getting around shields and dealing a fair bit of damage at a low FP cost.
6 Bandit’s Knife
This is the starting weapon for the Thief class and can start one down the path of a great build aimed at swift strikes and seamless dodges. The Bandit’s Knife comes with an innate bleed effect, which goes quite nicely with its agile moveset that lets players get in and out of range of enemy attacks relatively easily.
For a straightforward Dexterity build, it is not a bad choice, since it gets B-tier scaling in this stat with a +10 Sharp infusion. However, its natural potential for bloodletting also lets players make use of it as one of the best daggers to apply the bleed effect. With a Blood infusion, it applies a sizable 59 points of bleed build-up per hit that can quickly drain a foe of life essence.
5 Parrying Dagger
As the name implies, this Dagger is meant specifically for parrying foes. As such, it is meant to be used in the offhand in place of a shield. It is not recommended to try using this short blade in the main hand, as it has an abysmal attack rating and very poor scaling, even after being upgraded.
Among other such tools, the Parrying Dagger stands out for its unique use of frames during the parry animation. Although the start-up animation is the same as that of medium-sized shields, the frames where a parry is activated actually last longer, meaning that it is less likely to accidentally parry too early. This wider window can enable one to truly become a parry god.
4 Aquamarine Dagger
This exceptionally cool Dagger, found in The Ringed City DLC, is special for a few reasons. The biggest reason is that its unique weapon skill, Crystal Blade, extends the range of the Dagger and allows it to act more like a Straight Sword.
It scales moderately well with both Dexterity and Intelligence, attaining C-tier with these stats at the maximum upgrade of +5. This enables the wielder of the Aquamarine Dagger to assail adversaries with sufficiently high physical and Magic-type damage.
3 Harpe
As a tool meant for dismembering corpses, it has some peculiar traits that make the Harpe more ideal for the less-used upgrade paths. At +10 Blood infusion, it gains 52 points of bleed build-up per swipe, a fair bit higher than most other weapons, and can help in getting past a foe’s shield and thick armor.
At +10 Poison infusion, it gets 58 points of status effect build-up, again relatively higher than alternative weapons. However, if one just needs big damage on their preferred Dagger, Harpe gets a substantial boost from its S-tier Dexterity scaling when fully upgraded with a Sharp infusion.
2 Dagger
Although sold by the Shrine Handmaid for a meager 300 souls, the generic Dagger is more well known for being wielded by the pesky hollow assassins who can be found at the High Wall of Lothric as well as Farron Keep and at Lothric Castle.
Despite not having a cool name or fancy design, the Dagger is one of the best examples of how dangerous this weapon class can be. It boasts the highest Critical stat out of all Daggers at a staggering 130. When fully upgraded with Sharp infusion, it gains an incredible S-tier scaling with Dexterity. These traits, along with its Quickstep weapon skill (and the Hornet Ring), allow its wielder to one-shot many adversaries with only a single riposte or backstab.
1 Brigand Twindaggers
The only paired Dagger in the game, the Brigand Twindaggers hold a unique position that allows them to be great in both PvE and PvP. Its insanely fast light attack from the main hand can be followed up with either its Quickstep skill, for incredibly efficient hit and run tactics, or with an off-hand light attack that creates a true combo for some nice extra damage.
Gaining A-tier in Dexterity at +10 Sharp infusion allows the wielder to deliver both fast and severe damage to most enemies. Furthermore, its 125 Critical stat lets it be a prime tool for slaying adversaries with ripostes and backstabs. Since it has a very fast attack speed, using a bleed or poison buff on it can temporarily grant an excellent way to get through a foe’s shield and armor if one is having trouble landing a critical hit.
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