15 Most Overpowered Weapons In Dark Souls 3

There are many weapons to choose from in Dark Souls 3, so regardless of one's preferences, it is always possible to find something that fits the Ashen One's style. Depending on the player's build, there are different things one will look for in armaments. Stats play a huge role in the effectiveness of a weapon, therefore it can be useful to plan ahead. Or at least consider what one wants to accomplish.

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Thankfully, the variety of ways to slash, burn, or blast one's adversaries are numerous and can be mixed and matched for one's specific needs. Be it during PvP or in PvE portions of Dark Souls 3, there are a few that stand out as particularly impressive.

Updated October 28, 2024 by Erik Petrovich: Knowing the most powerful weapons Dark Souls 3 players can get is one thing – knowing how to get the best Dark Souls 3 weapons is another thing entirely. Some of the best DS3 weapons can be obtained right at the start of the game, but some require players to complete lengthy questlines or go through tedious exploration of specific zones. This guide has been updated to include more detailed location information for all of these overpowered DS3 weapons alongside some other minor changes to other DS3 weapon information.

15 Long Sword

Long Swords in Dark Souls 3 are some of the best basic weapons in the game. They deal good damage, swing fast, have good range, and are usable by almost every starting class with little investment. There are a variety of longswords in Dark Souls 3, but the classic is just as serviceable as the unique versions.

The normal Longsword is starting equipment for the Knight class, but it also drops from Hollow Soldiers throughout the lands of Lothric. Longswords are just a type of Straight Sword in Dark Souls 3, and there's plenty of unique boss Straight Swords to pick up as alternatives.

How To Get The Long Sword In Dark Souls 3

To get the Long Sword, Dark Souls 3 players must either start as the Knight Class, or kill any Soldier-type enemy in the first half of the game. You can also purchase it from Greirat for 1000 Souls.

14 Broadsword

The standard Broadsword is one of the most powerful weapons in Dark Souls 3 because of how easy it is to acquire and its scaling when infused. Though the Broadsword doesn't boast a particularly eye-catching or powerful weapon skill (just the Stance weapon art), its simplicity is part of its appeal.The Broadsword has a good attack pattern that varies between different angles, including a low sweep with the Strong Attack, making it an easy pick over weapons with much more limiting attack animations.

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The Broadsword can be infused with Raw, Fire, and Deep for extraordinary damage bonuses, but just remember to upgrade it to +10 as fast as possible. At +10, with the Fire or Deep infusion, the Broadsword hits for 400 damage split between Physical and Fire/Deep damage.

How To Get The Broadsword In Dark Souls 3

To get the Broadsword, Dark Souls 3 players must go to the High Wall of Lothric. A little way into the area, past the Tower On The Wall Bonfire, players will find a room with a Lothric Knight patrolling and several Crossbowmen just outside. The Broadsword is found on the ground in a side room connected to the Lothric Knight's room.

13 Anri's Straight Sword

Anri's Straight Sword is a pretty standard weapon except for one thing: when wielded, Anri's Straight Sword is one of the few items in Dark Souls 3 that regenerates HP. About every 2 seconds, Anri's Straight Sword will heal 2 HP. It's not much, but in the grand scheme of things, having multiple sources of healing is always a plus in Souls games.

This weapon becomes especially powerful if players abuse an exploit to heal faster – just rapidly equip and unequip the weapon with the D-Pad to trigger the healing effect every time it becomes re-equipped.

How To Get Anri's Straight Sword In Dark Souls 3

To get Anri's Straight Sword, players must complete the questline for Anri of Astora, after which Ludleth will give the player her sword at his throne above Firelink Shrine. You start this quest by talking to Anri right before the Road of Sacrifices, but be warned that Anri's questline can be difficult to complete quickly.

12 Zweihander

The Zweihander is one of the most iconic weapons of the Dark Souls series. As the go-to weapon for the classic Giant Dad PvP build, the Zweihander hits hard over a wide area and can reliably kill almost any enemy in just a few swings. It's one of the highest damage weapons DS3 has available, and it becomes one of its most OP weapons in the right player's hands.

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How To Get The Zweihander In Dark Souls 3

The Zweihander is sold by Greirat after progressing his questline past the Undead Settlement, specifically his solo looting adventure through there. If you kill Greirat, his ashes can be used to give the Shrine Handmaiden the Zweihander in her inventory instead.

11 Dark Hand

The Dark Hand is like Dark Souls 3's version of the Lifesteal Fist from the original Dark Souls. It's a bit tough to use, but when you hit with its Weapon Art (Lifedrain), you're rewarded with one of the coolest animations in the whole game – it's especially rewarding to use in PvP.

The Dark Hand is one of Dark Souls 3's few Fist weapons - but it's one of Dark Souls 3's highest DPS weapons when used in the right hands. It might not have the highest flat damage in Dark Souls 3, but it does hit rapidly, scale with every stat, and can be used to absorb health from enemies with its weapon art.

How To Get The Dark Hand In Dark Souls 3

The Dark Hand is sold by Yuria for a whopping 12,000 Souls. Yuria will appear in the Firelink Shrine after completing Yoel of Londor's quest, which itself begins right outside the Undead Settlement before the gated entrance - head to the end of the bridge and you will see Yoel around his dead kin.

10 Pontiff Knight Curved Sword

This blade is one with a deceptively long reach; because of its shape and animation, it is hard for human enemies in PvP to gauge how to approach their target. Its weapon skill has a surprising range as well and can catch foes unaware. This makes it a decent choice for PvP dexterity builds that prioritize speed and maneuverability.

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In the PvE portion of Dark Souls 3, it is about as effective as most other one-handed curved swords. At the maximum upgrade level of +5, the Pontiff Knight Curved Sword reaches 214 physical attack along with D-tier scaling in Strength and C-tier in Dexterity.

This may not seem like much, though this is but one aspect of its power, for its Frost Blade skill grants the potent ability to apply the overpowered frost effect, which takes a chunk out of the foe's health bar, reduces stamina regeneration, and also lowers all of their damage absorption stats. If one hits their target with both the actual blade and the Frost Blade extension, they can apply a massive 110 frost build-up per hit; more than any other innate frost-capable weapon in the entire game.

How To Get Pontiff Knight Curved Sword In Dark Souls 3

To get the Pontiff Knight Curved Sword, Dark Souls 3 players must go to Irithyll of the Boreal Valley and defeat the Pontiff Knights that spawn throughout the zone (but especially near the start, after the bridge). You can also purchase it from Greirat for 6000 Souls once you complete the first step of his quest chain.

9 Ledo's Great Hammer

This powerful weapon was once wielded by Ledo, the eccentric silver knight who roamed the outskirts of the world and befriended giants. He was even pals with the famous Havel the Rock and employed a similar combat method: smashing foes into the ground with a huge hammer. This foe-felling implement has a weapon skill that sends out a shockwave of stones to greatly damage opponents. The range of this weapon skill is also larger than one would expect, making it handy for both PvE and PvP.

Be prepared to do some soul-farming and level-grinding (or re-allocate stats) if one wants to wield Ledo's Greathammer, as it is the heaviest great hammer in the game at a massive 55 weight and also requires a huge 60 Strength to even be used properly.

However, if one meets these requirements, they can expect a significant 296 physical attack combined with A-tier scaling in Strength at the maximum upgrade level. It should also be mentioned that this hulk of metal possesses greater poise health than most other weapons, allowing its wielder to tank through even greater attacks than other great hammers.

How To Get Ledo's Great Hammer

To get Ledo's Great Hammer, Dark Souls 3 players must defeat Silver Knight Ledo in The Ringed City DLC. After climbing a long ladder in the Ringed City itself in the swamp area, go left past a Ringed Knight and drop off the ledge to its right. Follow the path to get to Silver Knight Ledo.

8 Harald Curved Greatsword

The gargantuan and grotesque harald knights are abundant in The Ringed City, so the might of their blades is likely something many players are familiar with. In the hands of the Ashen One, this greatsword can be similarly deadly. With some of the best dark-scaling of any weapon, this is an ideal choice for those warriors interested in a more sinister playstyle. Like other greatswords, it has decent range and damage; Strength builds with some faith and intelligence can make this a formidable tool.

There are two main upgrade paths that offer the best damage output: Heavy and Dark. For those rocking a pure-Strength build, the Heavy upgrade path is the most desirable, as at +10, the Harald Curved Greatsword gains 259 physical attack and a monumental S-tier scaling with the Strength stat.

For less-traditional builds that have lots of Intelligence and Faith, though also possess the 22 Strength and 18 Dexterity to wield this huge blade, the Dark upgrade path can be great as well, for it results in 159 physical and 166 dark attack alongside C-tier scaling in Strength and Dexterity as well as very useful A-tier scaling with Intelligence and Faith for a devastating dark weapon.

How To Get The Harald Curved Greatsword In Dark Souls 3

To get the Harald Curved Greatsword, Dark Souls 3 players must go to the Earthen Peak Ruins bonfire in the Ringed City DLC and look for an area covered by a gigantic root to the west. The Harald Curved Greatsword can be found on the ground under this canopy.

7 Splitleaf Greatsword

Not actually a greatsword, this halberd can still deal out great damage. Its weapon skill allows players to spin it over one's head and bring it down in savage slashes that can be unleashed continuously. Furthermore, each consecutive strike will become stronger and stronger. As one of the weapons able to unleash a true combo, the Ashen One can land multiple damaging hits on staggered foes who can do little but curse their own ineptitude.

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As appropriate for being the heaviest halberd in the game, the Splitlead Greatsword gains the most damage potential from going down the Heavy upgrade path, for at +10, it attains 244 physical attack and an excellent S-tier scaling in Strength.

Players wielding this weapon who are having trouble with ranged foes will be happy to know that the Splitleaf Greatsword can actually deflect arrows (though not great arrows) and bolts with its Wind Wheel weapon skill.

How To Get Splitleaf Greatsword In Dark Souls 3

To get the Splitleaf Greatsword, Dark Souls 3 players must enter The Ringed City and purchase it from the Stone-Humped Hag vendor. She can be found near The Dreg Heap bonfire, and sells this weapon for 11000 Souls.

6 Crystal Sage's Rapier

This boss weapon can be transposed from the soul of the mysterious Crystal Sage and is a boon to any Intelligence-focused build. With the best possible scaling for this stat, it can be a lethal sidearm for both sorcerers and pyromancers. It is agile, has potential for great damage, and possesses a versatile moveset to confound and outmaneuver foes. Additionally, if paired with a shield it can allow the user to block while doing light attack pokes to keep tricky foes at bay.

At the max upgrade level of +5, the Crystal Sage's Rapier gets 100 physical and 150 magic attack as well as D-tier scaling with Strength and Dexterity and an expectedly high A-tier scaling with Intelligence.

This split-damage will make it tough for most foes to defend against it, though this thrusting sword also has a use outside of battle, for equipping this weapon increases one's Item Discovery by 50, allowing the player better chances to get drops from foes.

How To Get Crystal Sage's Rapier In Dark Souls 3

To get the Crystal Sage's Rapier, Dark Souls 3 players must defeat the Crystal Sage boss (in the Crucifixion Woods) then Transpose its Soul back at the Firelink Shrine. It costs 3000 Souls to transpose the Soul Of A Crystal Sage into the Rapier or the boss' Hat.