Why, oh why do you keep coming back to Lordran? Is it the sense of purpose in an endless maze of hopelessness and abyss? Or perhaps you only feel the rush of life among the dregs of fallen kingdoms? Whatever the reason, we won't judge you for wanting more power and flame. There is no more familiar home and haven for those indoctrinated into the masochistic embrace of Souls-like games than the original Dark Souls.
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Posts 1As a veteran Chosen Undead, you'll not settle for candlelight when you can grasp the whole firestorm. Nothing makes subsequent runs in Dark Souls more exciting than being able to unleash vengeance upon those adversaries that oppressed you during your neophyte days. So reclaim that flame once more using these powerful, thematic, and occasionally hilarious builds.
Updated on March 04, 2024, by Marco Vito Oddo: Thanks to a clever mix of PvE and PvP challenges, every game in FromSoftware's beloved line of action RPGs remains extremely popular. That includes Dark Souls, the first entry in the studio's groundbreaking trilogy. Thanks to the unprecedented success of Elden Ring, many players are returning to Lordran or discovering the fallen kingdom for the first time. It's dangerous to go alone, so you should plan ahead and stick to a build that will help you slay mighty bosses and destroy your opponents as an invader or host.
13 MLG Sorcerer
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
38
Attunement
19
Endurance
25
Strength
16
Dexterity
40
Resistance
11
Intelligence
44
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Moonlight Greatsword, Balder Side Sword, Tin Crystallization Catalyst
Armor
Crown of the Dark Sun (Helmet)
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring
Spells
Crystal Magic Weapon, Crystal Soul Spear, Homing Crystal Soulmass
MLG stands for Moonlight Greatsword (not Major League Gaming). But beyond that, this is a pure sorcery build. You'll mostly rely on the spells, before buffing up your weapons with Crystal Magic Weapon to push back anyone who gets close using the MLG or Balder Sword.
12 Faith Build
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
44
Attunement
23
Endurance
35
Strength
16
Dexterity
14
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
50
Required Equipment
Weapons
Divine Claymore, Balder Side Sword, Darkmoon Talisman, Heater Shield
Armor
Crown of the Dark Sun (Helmet)
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Wolf Ring
Spells
Great Lightning Spear, Emit Force, Sunlight Blade, Wrath of the Gods, Replenishment, Great Magic Barrier
This build plays out similarly to the MLG sorcery build, except you hurl miracles at your enemies instead of sorceries. Great Lightning Spear is your main damage source. If anyone comes close, use Emit Force or buff your weapon with Sunlight Blade and make their flesh grossly incandescent.
11 Pure Pyro Build
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
50
Attunement
28
Endurance
36
Strength
13
Dexterity
45
Resistance
11
Intelligence
10
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Quelaag's Furysword, Pyromancy Flame, Heater Shield
Armor
Crown of the Dark Sun (Helmet)
Rings
Dark Wood Grain Ring, Bellowing Dragon Crest Ring
Spells
Great Chaos Fireball, Power Within, Great Combustion, Fire Tempest, Fire Whip, Poison Mist
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PostsFor something a bit hotter, but also more offense-focused, this Pyromancy build will not disappoint. If the target is far, use the Chaos Fireball. If they get near, burn them with everything you got. If they're still not dead, skewer them with Quelaag's burning sword and turn them into a kebab.
10 Dexterity And Bleed
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
50
Attunement
12
Endurance
50
Strength
16
Dexterity
45
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Lifehunt Scythe, Gold Tracer, Bloodshield, Pyromancy Flame
Armor
Gauntlet of Thorns (Gauntlet)
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Havel Ring
Spells
Black Flame
Oh no, Dexterity? Well, it's a Bleed build, so you can excuse that. In any case, it's not as annoying or as tedious as Dark Souls 3's Bleed build, where you have to keep reapplying the Bleed infusion on the weapon. The Scythe does that for you already. All you have to do is keep landing those attacks to build up the bleed stacks. The target will eventually drop.
9 Quality Build
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
41
Attunement
12
Endurance
40
Strength
40
Dexterity
40
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Halberd, Gold Tracer, Tower Kite Shield, Pyromancy Flame
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Wolf Ring
Spells
Great Chaos Fireball, Fire Tempest
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Posts'Quality' is Dark Souls jargon for a healthy combination of the Strength and Dexterity stats. This opens up many opportunities for both weapons and armor, so armor choice is really up to you — and you can even opt for the Zweihander instead of the Halberd. The playstyle requires that you learn to dodge and poke enemies. The damage is reliable enough to carry you through most duels and fights and pyromancy spells are great as panic buttons.
8 Kirk Knight Of Thorns
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
45
Attunement
16
Endurance
40
Strength
27
Dexterity
45
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Barbed Straight Sword, Spiked Shield, Pyromancy Flame
Armor
Thorns Armor Set
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Havel Ring
Spells
Great Chaos Fireball, Fire Tempest
The beauty in cosplay builds that work both in PvE and PvP is that you get to look stylish. It beats donning min-maxed armor that looks like a fantasy character trope. This is by far one of the most intimidating builds in Dark Souls. On top of the shock factor, the Kirk build also has the potential for a Bleed setup.
7 Knight Artorias
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
43
Attunement
12
Endurance
42
Strength
31
Dexterity
27
Resistance
11
Intelligence
18
Faith
18
Required Equipment
Weapons
Abyss Greatsword, Cleansing Greatshield, Pyromancy Flame
Armor
Artorias Armor Set
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Wolf Ring
Spells
Power Within, Black Flame
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PostsAnother cosplay build that will surely put fear into the hearts and minds of your enemies is the legendary Corrupted Knight Artorias. With this one, you'll also have to play offensively, since it doesn't have as many tricks as the spellcaster builds or Bleed builds. The things it does have going for it are staggering capability and good damage. Black Flame is a backup that many PvP players won't expect from something like this.
6 Slow-Walk Build
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
60
Attunement
8
Endurance
30
Strength
50
Dexterity
25
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Stone Greatsword, Dragonslayer Spear, Havel's Greatshield
Armor
Giant Armor Set
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Bloodbite Ring
The Slow-Walk build, courtesy of JerpDoesGames, is the very antithesis of the current and most popular meta in Dark Souls PvP. Instead of all the flipping ninja Havel moms and dads, this one is content with a slower movement speed. Poise is still great due to the giant set, and trading blows is one of the most effective tactics here.
5 Ayriak's Quality Pyromancer
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
45
Attunement
16
Endurance
40
Strength
32
Dexterity
40
Resistance
12
Intelligence
10
Faith
8
Required Equipment
Weapons
Black Knight Halberd, Caduceus Round Shield, Ascended Flame
Armor
Thief Mask (Helm), Hollow Thief's Leather Armor (Body), Knight Gauntlets (Hands), Hollow Soldier Waistcloth (Legs)
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Wolf Ring
Spells
Great Fireball, Fire Tempest, Fire Surge, Great Combustion
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Posts 1For a Pyromancer that can still do a bit of everything — including fighting in melee range, then this build from Ayriak does the job well. As always, you'll have to pelt and pepper your enemies with fire spells from a distance, and then skewer them with the halberd once they get close. It can catch some PvP players by surprise, especially if they think you're a helpless Pyromancer in melee.
4 Crestfallen Warrior
Required Stats
Soul Level
120
Vitality
45
Attunement
8
Endurance
40
Strength
40
Dexterity
40
Resistance
11
Intelligence
9
Faith
9
Required Equipment
Weapons
Longsword, Heater Shield
Armor
Chain Armor (Body), Leather Gauntlet (Hands), Chain Leggings (Legs)
Rings
Ring of Favor & Protection, Wolf Ring
Everyone knows by now that the Longsword is a powerful meta weapon in Dark Souls. The best thing about this weapon is that it still allows cosplay builds like this to function properly. This time around, you're the Crestfallen Warrior, and you're getting tired of just sitting around in the Firelink Shrine. So, you might as well collect some Humanity or kill some gods.
