Yeah you, come a lil’ closer! Alright now that I’ve got your attention, allow me to talk to you for a few minutes about our lord and savior, the BONK! For those of you that don’t know, “BONK” is the onomatopoeia of hitting someone on the head, usually with a club of some sort. It’s also one of the greatest sounds that a strength-based Dark Souls character loves to hear while swinging large chunks of metal around in an area packed with enemies. And in this ranking we’re looking into the best instruments of war that a fledgling adventurer can start their journey of discovery with.
3. Mace
The humble mace might not look like much. But it’s the perfect weapon to teach someone not to judge a book by its cover. It’s no secret that strike damage is king in Dark Souls 2, due to an unreasonable amount of enemies being weak to it. For that reason, the mace will crush the armor of any hollow soldier or boss that stands in your way. And when upgraded it’ll even carry you through a good majority of the later game. If you ever get tired of it, the Craftsman’s Hammer is a nice alternative which can be obtained no further than the lost Bastille (though the mace is still stronger if you have invested points in dexterity). How to get: Starting equipment of the Cleric, sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast, dropped by Goblins, and a magic version found as a treasure in Huntsman’s Copse.
2. Greatsword
Mass destruction has never been so affordable! Do not let the false advertisement of the name fool you, for this weapon is an ultra-greatsword in disguise. It also has the stats and mass to back that claim up. Not only is the greatsword an excellent pick for a strength character to use in the early game, but it’s in-fact one of the best strength weapons in the entire game, easily decimating enemies even in the far reaches of New Game+. Also, don’t forget that contrary to weapons with steep dexterity requirements, a strength weapon can be utilized earlier than usual by simply two-handing it. How to get: Treasure in the upper area of No-Man’s Wharf, dropped by Royal guards, sold by Head of Vengarl.
1. Large Club
Looking back at the list now, I only just realized that all of our items have really bland names – which is kind of funny and entirely representative of strength weapons in general. Anyway, the top entry in our list is a large piece of wood that someone randomly picked up one day and decided to use as a weapon. It’s true. The Large Club’s damage and scaling is through the roof, and its moveset is perfect for flattening anything & turning all your enemies into pancakes. If you eventually get bored of it and want something bigger, then its cousin the Great Club is essentially the same weapon, just with slightly worse scaling but better base damage. How to get: Treasure in Lost Bastille.
