As a long-time PvP enthusiast with over 1000 hours of invasion and arena duel experience, I‘ve tested the full arsenal of weapons in Dark Souls 3. While any weapon is deadly in the right hands, a few in particular have risen as community favorites due to exceptional utility in competitive multiplayer.
But first, let‘s quickly go through what makes a weapon truly great for PvP:
PvP Weapon Viability Factors
- Adaptability: How well the moveset controls space, catches rolls, and enables mix-ups.
- Speed: Fast attack, recovery, and roll catch potential.
- Range: Allows you to dictate the flow of combat.
- AR & Scaling: Attack Rating now and with high stats.
- Status Effects: Bleed, Frostbite, and Poison supplement damage.
- Unpredictability: Diverse movesets prevent repetition.
Understanding these factors allow us to objectively compare our options to determine ideal PvP weapons – the ones offering flexibility without being overly specialized. Now let us count down the top tier weapons for competitive multiplayer combat in Dark Souls 3!
#1 – The Claymore: King of Greatswords
Let‘s start with my personal favorite and arguably the most versatile weapon in Dark Souls 3 PvP – the Claymore.
Claymore PvP Overview
- Type: Greatsword
- Requirements: 16 Strength, 13 Dexterity.
- Moveset Breakdown:
- Fast thrusting light attacks.
- Wide horizontal heavy slashes.
- Vertical chop two-handed heavy attack.
- Stance Weapon Art chops upwards with hyper armor.
- Scalability: Gets A/A scaling on Quality infusion. S-tier Strength or Dex with Heavy and Sharp infusions respectively.
With this well-rounded moveset, the Claymore offers an answer to any combat scenario. The one-handed light attacks allow you to control range with fast thrusts that roll catch adeptly. Switch to two-handed heavy slashes to space opponents horizontally and bait whiffs to punish.
The Stance Weapon Art transitions smoothly into a vertical slam that breaks enemy poise easily. This diverse set of attacks enables adaptable, reactive play.
Now let‘s see how the Claymore‘s stats measure up to the competition in some key categories:
Critical Hit Damage
| Weapon | Critical |
|---|---|
| Claymore | 100 |
| Lothric Knight SS | 110 |
| Frayed Blade | 100 |
| Harald CGS | 130 |
Attack Rating (AR) Comparison
| Weapon | AR |
|---|---|
| Heavy Claymore +10 | 614 |
| Sharp LKSS +10 | 553 |
| Frayed Blade +5 | 504 |
| Heavy Exile CGS +10 | 649 |
As we can see, the Claymore brings very competitive critical damage and scaled attack rating to PvP.
When combined with the versatile moveset, this quantifiable performance cements the Claymore as my choice for the current best all-around PvP weapon in Dark Souls 3. If you‘re new to PvP, mastering the Claymore will teach you invaluable skills.
Claymore PvP Build Tips
To maximize the Claymore‘s damage and survivability in PvP, I recommend these stats and equipment choices:
- Quality Build: 40/40 Strength/Dex with 30 Vigor and 25+ Endurance. Allows weapon scalability.
- Infusion: Refined to get A/A scaling Strength/Dex.
- Armor: Black Iron or Cathedral Knight sets have excellent defensive stats and poise.
- Spells: Lightning Blade for buffing AR. Sacred Oath to simultaneously buff attack and defense.
With this setup, an AR of 614+ is easily achievable on the Claymore with the right rings and buffs. That transformed this already fearsome greatsword into an even bigger threat in the arena!
#2 – The Murky Hand Scythe: Pint-Sized Punisher
Next up we have the Murky Hand Scythe – an utterly vicious dagger perfectly suited for high dexterity builds aiming to relentlessly pressure enemies.
Boasting the highest critical damage in Dark Souls 3 PvP paired with tremendously fast step attacks and Quickstep weapon art, this tiny terror is commonly feared by veterans and newcomers alike!
Murky Hand Scythe PvP Overview
- Type: Dagger
- Requirements: 9 Strength, 20 Dexterity
- Moveset Breakdown:
- Blindingly fast slashes and quicksteps.
- Roll catches and crits extremely easily.
- Quickstep weapon art boosts mobility.
- Scalability: A-tier Dexterity scaling when Sharp infused.
- Bleed Buildup: Causes blood loss in just 2-3 hits!
Let‘s compare some key stats:
Critical Damage
| Weapon | Critical |
|---|---|
| Murky HS | 130 |
| Mail Breaker | 140 |
| Hornet Ring Bonus | +30% |
Bleed Buildup
| Weapon | Bleed |
|---|---|
| Murky HS | 65 |
| Barbed SS | 50 |
| Grave Warden | 48 |
The mere 20 dexterity requirement means you can pump the rest of your levels into Endurance and Vigor for survival while still dishing out devastating criticals empowered by the Hornet Ring.
Perseverance spell can temporarily boost its lackluster poise too. When used properly, this tiny terror absolutely devastates in the right hands!
Murky Hand Scythe PvP Build Tips
To fully capitalize on the MHS, use these stat priorities and equipment choices:
- Stats: Get base requirements then maximize Dexterity first. Secondary priority is Vigor and Endurance.
- Infusion: Sharp to get that sweet S-tier Dexterity scaling!
- Weapons: Use Murky in main hand for harassing, and another sharp infused sidearm like Lothric Knight Sword in off-hand for finishing enemies.
- Armor: Prioritize high elemental damage negation over poise. Aim to never get hit over trading.
- Spells: Carthus Beacon boosts bleed further. Carthus Rouge adds even more bleed build-up. Quickstep reduces reliance on rolls.
The key is to fully commit to a glass cannon high dexterity build to enable the Murky Hand Scythe to inflict a rapid loss of blood and health before the opponent can react!
#3 – The Splitleaf Greatsword: PvP‘s Big Bully
Despite being categorized as an ultra greatsword in-game, the Splitleaf is actually a halberd – and easily the best strength-focused heavy weapon for PvP.
Boasting high damage, range, hyper armor, and one of the most potent weapon arts in the game, it‘s downright oppressive versus shorter weapons in the hands of a seasoned player.
Let‘s break it down:
Splitleaf Greatsword PvP Overview
- Type: Halberd
- Requirements: 26 Strength, 16 Dexterity
- Moveset Breakdown:
- Wide horizontal strikes.
- Fast thrust attacks.
- Charged heavy overhead smashes.
- Guaranteed combo with weapon art.
- Scalability: S-tier strength scaling when Heavy infused.
- Counter Damage: 132, highest of all halberds.
The Splitleaf consistently achieves over 700 AR on proper strength builds. And its diverse moveset offers ranging thrusts to control space, wide slashes to catch rolls, and a lethal weapon art combo.
It trades sheer speed for just about everything else making it extremely potent in the hands of veterans, and downright oppressive versus shorter range builds.
Splitleaf Greatsword PvP Build Tips
To maximize this weapon‘s terrifying strength-focused aggression, use these stat priorities and gear choices:
- Stats: Single point into Vigor and Endurance. Offensive stats are priority.
- Infusion: Heavy Gem for that delicious S scaling in Strength.
- Weapons: Use Splitleaf two-handed with a simple Caestus in left hand for parrying.
- Armor: Havel‘s Set or other high poise armor to tank hits while attacking.
- Spells: Blessed Weapon adds a healthy chunk of additional physical AR. Sacred Oath to simultaneously buff attack and defense.
Proper stat allocation coupled with buff stacking results in achieving 1000+ AR with 50 strength on this monster of a weapon!
Now let‘s move onto the undisputed king of straight swords in Dark Souls 3…
#4 – Lothric Knight Straight Sword: The One True King
While the Longsword has dominated earlier Dark Souls titles for PvP, the Lothric Knight Straight Sword has rightfully claimed that top spot in DS3 thanks to even greater range, damage, and moveset potential.
Its speed, optimal spacing tools, and balance between offense and defense makes it extremely popular – and feared by slower weapons.
Lothric Knight Straight Sword PvP Overview
- Type: Straight Sword
- Requirements: 11 Strength, 18 Dexterity
- Moveset Breakdown:
- Very fast slashes and thrust attacks.
- Broad horizontal swings to catch rolls.
- Stance weapon art enables advanced evasion.
- Scalability: Gets S-tier Strength or Dex scaling with Heavy and Sharp infusions respectively.
- Counter Damage: 100 on 1-handed attacks, the highest of all straight swords.
With high scaling potential across various builds and a profoundly versatile moveset enabling both aggressive and reactive play, it stands at the apex of straight sword PvP performance, hence its popularity.
Lothric Knight Straight Sword PvP Build Tips
To maximize the feared LKSS in competitive PvP, follow these guidelines:
- Stats: Quality build with 40/40 Strength/Dex is ideal, otherwise pick one damage stat to boost.
- Infusion: Sharp is best for pure Dexterity. Heavy works for Strength focus. Refined is great for quality.
- Weapons: Use a parrying shield like Iron Round Shield or Buckler in off-hand.
- Armor: Favor lighter armor with high damage negation like Firelink Set.
- Spells: Lightning or Darkmoon Blade adds substantial buffed AR. Tears of Denial helps survivability.
Properly set up, the LKSS consistently achieves over 550 AR on Dexterity quality builds, cementing its top tier viability.
Rare But Deadly: Honorable Mentions
While arguably not as well rounded as the top 4, here are a couple uniquely dangerous yet overlooked weapons that deserve shoutouts:
Pontiff Knight Curved Sword
Wielded in the left hand alongside a parry tool, the PKCS enables devastating combos with its unique weapon art. Incredibly long range for a curved sword makes it harder to evade too.
Follower Sabre
Bringing Curved Greatsword range to the nimble curved sword moveset, the Follower Sabre is criminally underused. Its Weapon Skill combos enable seriously punishing roll catches.
Harald Curved Greatsword
Boasting the highest AR heavy weapon that can be buffed, a skilled Harald wielder quickly overwhelms foes through sheer brute force alone. Just beware the atrocious stat requirements.
While this covers the current best and most popular é weapons, your personal playstyle matters greatly too. I encourage spending ample time duelling with any weapon that resonates with you before passing judgement.
With dedicated practice, you can make any armament shine by deeply familiarizing yourself with its unique quirks and strengths. Here are some universal PvP tips to accelerate your progression:
Core PvP Weapon Mastery Tips
-
Rigorously drill your weapon‘s light and heavy attack movesets until engraved into muscle memory.
-
Vary between light/heavy attacks, weapon arts, rolls, backsteps and running attacks often. Never be predictable.
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Learn the optimal range and spacing needed to safely execute every attack. Control that space.
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Master manually swapping between moves to catch rolls and punish whiffs. This reaction time and mix-up potential is critical against humans.
-
Exploit enemy cooldowns after whiffs by immediately punishing. Good players rarely give you two chances.
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Dedicate time to reliably parrying smaller weapons one-handed. Nothing asserts dominance harder in PvP.
Embedding these core practices into daily play will rapidly heighten your skills with any weapon. Now go forth, Ashen One, and carve your legend across the land by mastering these exceptional armaments against your fellow Tarnished!
