The art of being nimble and graceful, in real life that is. Because in Dark Souls it equates to stabbing your enemies, riddling them with holes, showering them with arrows, and many other fun activities for both parties involved. Today I’ll be focusing more on the “pure” side of things, meaning the weapons that require their minimal investment in other stats in order to be good. As a rule of thumb, when picking a Dex weapon, you’ll want to avoid anything that has a scaling lower than B. So let’s get to it!
10. Drakeblood Greatsword
First on our list is a counter-attacking beast. The Drakeblood Greatsword has two innate elemental damage types (plus the physical of course), and an amazing counter-strength of 140. Dextrous clerics and sorcerers might consider the idea of an infusion, since the greatsword keeps it’s A scaling while gaining C in whatever you infuse it with. How to get: In the Dragon’s Sanctum, found on a corpse left of the elevator room.
9. Syan’s Halberd
Following that, we’ve got a spear and halberd hybrid. The Syan’s Halberd has a unique moveset that’s a mix of both weapon types, offering good defensive and offensive options. You’ll also have the ability to attack with your shield raised for additional protection. Lastly, it’s yet another good candidate for most infusions. How to get: Dropped by halberd-wielding Syan Soldiers.
8. Blacksteel Katana
It wouldn’t be a real Dex weapons list without a katana somewhere! I honestly don’t have much to say about this. If you like katanas, then in my opinion this is the best one there is. It does a very nice amount of damage, and keeps it’s scaling through many infusion paths. Just be careful because 40 durability isn’t exactly what I’d call “a lot”, despite what the flavor text says.” How to get: Dropped by Allone Knights and Allone Knight Captains.
7. Warped Sword
As one of the strongest curved swords, the Warped Sword might not look very impressive at first glance. But what this weapon lacks in AR, it compensates in attack speed and poise damage. In addition, it possesses unique power stance spin-attacks, similar to what the Flexile Sentry did when you fought him. For the spin attack to work you’ll need to pair this with a dagger or a thrusting sword when wielded in either hand, or a straight sword/curved sword/katana while wielding it in your right hand. Do NOT use this weapon before upgrading it to +5. How to get: Trade the Flexile Sentry Soul with Straid of Olaphis.
6. Puzzling Stone Sword
Following that, we’ve got a particularly perplexing entry in our list. The Puzzling Stone Sword is a weapon that, when swung, breaks and bends to its controllers will, before quickly reshaping itself again and again. It’s the only straight sword that thrusts when using the two-handed light attack. Unfamiliar opponents will definitely be caught off-guard by this weapon. Although the attacks might look similar to a whip’s, they are parryable, so be careful. How to get: Dragon’s Sanctum, in a metal chest in a room unlocked by a button puzzle. Rare drop from the giant millipede in the Cave of the Dead. Rare drop from the Cave of the Dead bossfight (more common when summoned).
5. Fume Sword
For all the dark lovers out there, this is the choice for you. Apart from its S Dex scaling, the fume sword has some built-in dark damage and scaling. In other words, it’s perfect for any hexer. It also has the best range out of any straight sword, buuut it uses more stamina than normal. Infusing it with dark might look like a good choice, but you’ll actually be better by just using a Dark Pine Resin instead. How to get: Trade the Soul of the Fume Knight with Weaponsmith Ornifex.
4. Curved Dragon Greatsword
Okay, dexterity doesn’t always translate to fast and nimble. Sometimes it might just mean “big-big sword that does big-big damage”, or something like that. The Curved Dragon Greatsword takes the title for “heavyweight dexterity champion”, since swinging it around feels like controlling a weapon of mass destruction. It also possesses an incredible special attack that fires high-damaging projectiles. It will always hold a special place in my heart for carrying me through my first journey through Drangleic. How to get: Trade the Ancient Dragon Soul with Weaponsmith Ornifex.
3. Loyce Greatsword
Some of you might have seen our DS2 Greatswords ranking, where this bad boy claimed the number 1 spot. Now it’s back, marking itself as one of the top 3 Dex weapons in the game. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: The Loyce Greatsword is in my eyes the king of all greatswords, sporting an amazing moveset that is a combination of many other weapons, to cover for it’s “average” damage. Though it might not be the best, it’s definitely one of the most fun to use Dex weapons out there(I might be a bit biased)! How to get: Trade Soul of Lud,the King’s Pet to Weaponsmith Ornifex.
2. Hunter’s Blackbow
As another familiar face, the Hunter’s Blackbow makes its appearance as the only ranged weapon in our list. Why is it so good, you ask? It has the highest damage, range, fire-rate, and lowest stamina consumption out of any bow, plus that amazing scaling, of course! Thanks to its incredible speed, it’s very easy to build up poison or bleed through the use of poison or lacerating arrows. A must have companion for any eagle-eyed adventurer. How to get: Drangleic Castle, in a chest before the Double-Dragonrider bossfight.
1. Rapier(s)
Every single entry in our list could have been replaced with a rapier and nobody would have batted an eye. Due to their speed and damage, rapiers will make quick work of any enemy. To clarify, I’m saying rapiers because most of them are incredibly strong. The best two out of them are the normal Rapier and the Espada Ropera, which are basically interchangeable. The normal rapier can be found extremely early in the Dark Souls II and can carry you through all of the game, while the Espada Ropera can be found later and has a cooler name. So go ahead and grab some fencing lessons, cause you’re gonna need them if you want to mingle with the best! How to get: The rapier is sold by Blacksmith Lenigrast. Espada Ropera is a reward from Chancellor Wellager after defeating the Giant Lord.
