For this purpose, there are a ton of options in Dark Souls 3! Thanks to the infusion system, just about any weapon can be made viable for a strength build, if given a heavy gem. But, naturally, there are some tools just made for the job. Join me today as we go through a ton of the more viable options for all you Dark Souls Chads out there!
20. Smough’s Great Hammer
Wielded by half of the most famous boss fight duo of all time, Smough’s hammer is a returning weapon from the first Dark Souls. Often used comedically thanks to its obscene size, the hammer has great damage, the perseverance skill, and a passive that restores HP while attacking! Sadly, it’s really slow, and doesn’t see much practical use in PvP combat, outside of the memes. How to get: In a chest on the second floor of the painting room in the Irithyll.
19. Quakestone Hammer
Essentially a boulder on a stick- the quakestone hammer is perfect for players who want some oomph in their swings. Its unique weapon skill ‘quake’ has you burrow the rock into the earth with a mighty slam, to then rip it from the ground for a cataclysmic shockwave. The shockwave can also be delayed to catch players off-guard! How to get: In the craggy wastes of the painted world, guarded by a red-eyed knight.
18. Dragonslayer Greataxe
The heaviest of all the greataxes, the dragonslayer is imbued with lightning, dealing split damage and having slight faith scaling. It’s good for strength/miracle builds and does deal some great damage- 2-shotting most enemies and players until the late-game. Its unique ‘falling bolt’ skill is also suitably flashy and awesome, though it’s very hard to land thanks to the wind-up on it. How to get: Soul transposition with the dragonslayer armour soul.
17. Yhorm’s Great Machete
The longest greataxe this time, and possible of the highest physical damage number in the entire game, Yhorm’s is a strong contender. Its warcry skill boosts your attack and enables a unique heavy moveset, reminiscent of Yhorm himself. These moves are much shorter range but cause extremely frustrating shockwaves that stagger your foes. It’s low on the list, however, due to it not having a guaranteed 2-hit-combo like most other heavy weapons. How to get: Soul transposition with the soul of Yhorm.
16. Greatlance
I’m slightly biased for this one, thanks to its underdog story. Back on the release version of DS3, the greatlance was garbage- having low damage, a slow moveset and no poise on its attacks. But now, after multiple patches, it’s much faster, way more damaging, and has good poise on its thrusts! Speaking of, it’s all thrust damage, and I do love my leo ring combos. All in all, it’s a great, methodical weapon with awesome scaling that rewards a careful and planned approach to combat. How to get: Found right near the start of Lothric castle, before the dragon bridge.
15. Dragon Tooth
Fashioned from an unbreakable dragon gnasher, this great hammer is an heirloom of the knight Havel from Dark Souls 1. The dragon tooth, while slow and easy to side-step, is great for pancaking enemies to the ground, and so satisfying when a blow does land. Its use extends beyond weapon, also, as it provides an innate 12.5% boost to magic and fire damage while wielded! How to get: Dropped by Havel in archdragon peak.
14. Man Serpent Hatchet
This weapon gained a surprising amount of popularity, especially once players realized its full potential. The man serpent hatchet is fast, very long, and extremely spammable. It hits a great B scaling in strength and has the warcry weapon skill- with a twist! After using it, you can deal damage even through blocking shields- much like a shotel. Whilst not game-breaking, it’s a nice bit of utility that’s great for PvP and general gameplay! How to get: Drops from serpent men in archdragon peak.
13. Butcher Knife
Very similar to the man serpent hatchet, the butcher knife boasts all the same perks. Speed, range, and very low stamina consumption. It has a nice passive of restoring health for each hit, which can be helpful for farming routes! In exchange for warcry, the butchers has a unique skill: ‘sharpen’, which further increases the HP restoration passive effect. And whilst it may have low base damage, it sports an incredible S scaling in strength at +10! How to get: Dropped by the madwoman NPC on the road of sacrifices.
12. Exile Greatsword
An early-to-mid-game titan, the exile greatsword is a lot of players weapon of choice. Boasting the highest damage of any curved greatsword at the cost of the lowest range, the exile swings almost as fast as a straight sword whilst still dealing incredible damage. And despite its short range, it has good arcs on its swings, making it easy to catch players trying to roll or side-step! How to get: Dropped by the exile wielding it himself outside of Farron keep.
11. Black Knight Sword
Quite easily my favourite greatsword, the black knight sword has a huge host of perks that places it high on the list. For starters, the damage is great, and the range is pretty good too! It deals 20% more damage to demonic enemies and deals bonus poise damage, allowing you to stun enemies much easier. It has the greatsword-standard hyper armour on its attacks, and even has perseverance is its weapon skill, allowing you to play much more aggressively. The only downside to this blade is the max of a C-scaling in strength at +5, which isn’t the best, but still makes it a great early-to-mid-game weapon! How to get: Found on a corpse in the smouldering lake.
10. Black Knight Greatsword
The larger counterpart to the black knight sword, the BKGS is a massive ultra greatsword. It boasts huge damage and very nice reach, and a much more desirable B-scaling in strength at +5. It has the same passives as the black knight sword- 20% damage buff to demons, and more poise damage. Thanks to the poise passive, this is the most poise-shredding ultra greatsword in the game! How to get: Dropped by black knights wielding it for themselves.
9. Fume Ultra Greatsword
The weapon of choice from one of the hardest bosses in Dark Souls 2- the fume knight. The fume UGS is an extremely heavy slab of rock, and deals immense damage over a large range. It requires a whopping 50 strength to one-hand, but has an interesting secondary use- It’s quite an effective shield! It has great absorption values when blocked with whilst two-handing, and the blocking effect extends to its stomp skill – allowing you to hyperarmour through attacks without being punished as much for it! It can’t be infused, but that’s not an issue, as it can still be buffed and hits S-scaling in strength anyway! How to get: Dropped by knight slayer Tsorig underneath the smouldering lake.
8. Millwood Battle Axe
The millwood is easily the best of the one-handed axes. It has the same bonuses of all axes, namely high damage and speed for low stamina cost. It gets even better, however, when you look at its weapon skill, which is a direct upgrade to the warcry skill present on most axes. The warcry of the millwood causes you to leap forwards and charge at enemies, stunning them and pushing along your path, and then giving you the damage boost. The stun of this charge is long enough that you can immediately chain into a light combo and opponents won’t be able to roll away! It can also be buffed and hits a great A scaling in strength at max level. How to get: Looted from a corpse at the top of the archer-inhabited millwood tower, in the painted world DLC.
7. Greataxe
The name says it all. A weapon as effective as it is simple, the greataxe is a favourite among strength-builders thanks to its early game presence. If built into, it can easily take you through the whole game. It does unholy damage and can further boost itself with its warcry skill. On top of that, it can be buffed and infused, making it good for hybrid builds, too! It does have extremely low range, however, and it’s recommended to have some high-poise armour to get all up in people’s faces with this thing. How to get: Dropped by the stray demon up the elevator next to the wolf of Farron.
6. Greatsword
Another nice, simple weapon. Don’t let the boring name fool you, the greatsword is made for one thing: pure destruction. And it delivers on that well. Tons of hyperarmour, damage, and the longest range of any UGS. Reaching an A-scaling in strength, the greatsword is awesome for the entire game, and for late-game PvP. It’s very similar to the black knight greatsword, only easier to get, buffable, better-scaling and longer range, making it a preferred choice in most scenarios. It’s also easier to upgrade, requiring only titanite! How to get: Looted from a corpse on top of a broken bridge in Farron keep.
5. Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords
One of the latest weapons to acquire in the entire game, the RKPGS are not for your first playthrough of the game. What they are for, however, is pure PvP annihilation. They have insane damage, range, and combo potential, allowing you to 100-0 most opponents without them getting a word in edgeways. If you’re good at using them. Their complexity and diversity are definitely worth learning, and once you master their moveset you’ll have all sorts of devastating combos at your fingertips! How to get: Drops from the ringed knight carrying them just before the spears of the church cathedral in the ringed city DLC.
4. Splitleaf Greatsword
If you’ve read our top halberds list, you’ll know just how crazy this weapon can be. Turns out, it’s ridiculously effective in a strength build, reaching S-scaling at +10 heavy! Its helicopter weapon skill combos in so many ways that you’re going to need to look up some videos on how to use its moveset effectively. But once you master it you’ll be completely unstoppable- cleaving through foes with stun-lock combos that leave them utterly helpless. There is a reason this weapon is one of the most prevalent in PvP. How to get: Purchased from the stone-humped hag at the start of the ringed city DLC.
3. Pickaxe
I love that this weapon is so high on the list. While its description may read ‘not intended for use in battle’, that is a complete lie. The pickaxe is incredible. It deals entirely thrust damage, meaning the leo ring is a perfect fit. What’s more, attacks with the pickaxe will stagger foes, meaning the second swing is guaranteed and is considered a counter-attack! This allows leo-ring-using strength builds to easily 2-shot opponents, and- paired with its A-scaling strength- makes the pickaxe a truly terrifying weapon to behold. How to get: Located on a corpse in the Irithyll dungeon, near the giant.
2. Ledo’s Great Hammer
On the subject of incredible weapons, Ledo’s great hammer would be at the top of the strength list, if it were entirely up to me. Its earth-shattering moveset feels fantastic as you flatten enemies to the ground. It’s surprisingly fast, deals insane damage, and has an awesome unique skill. ‘Call to stone’ has you spin your hammer around in a stun-locking 2-hit combo, covering the weapon in stones and buffing the damage for 40 seconds. Using a charged heavy attack whilst buffed will cause the stones to explode, sacrificing the buff for a massive AoE damage explosion. With the highest strength requirement of 60, only big burly men can use this bad boy. But man, is it worth every stat point. How to get: Dropped by silver knight Ledo when he invades in the ringed city.
1. Great Club
So, the best strength weapon in Dark Souls 3 is… a stick. But a big stick! Thanks to its early availability, A-scaling in strength, ability to be buffed, amazing range, stun-locking moveset, crazy damage, warcry weapon skill and hyperarmour, there is really no downside to this weapon. In fact, it’s great in every souls game, and is a consistent fan favourite across the entire series! Whilst it may lack the… flair of some weapons, there is great pleasure to be derived from smacking people with a big club, caveman-style. How to get: Dropped by the exile wielding it outside of Farron keep.
