The Ultimate Damage Guide: What’s the Best Weapon in Demon’s Souls?
When it comes to conquering the treacherous world of Demon’s Souls, choosing the right weapon can be the difference between a swift victory and a crushing defeat. Damage output is paramount, and while several weapons boast impressive attack power, one stands out as the pinnacle of destructive potential. So, what is the absolute best weapon for damage in Demon’s Souls? The answer, while nuanced, leans heavily towards the Meat Cleaver.
While the Northern Regalia is often mentioned for its unique damage scaling, it is not the highest damage weapon overall. The Meat Cleaver, with its exceptional S scaling in Strength, S scaling in Dexterity, and A scaling in Faith, surpasses all others when properly built and upgraded. This makes it capable of achieving astronomical damage numbers, particularly when these stats are maximized. The Meat Cleaver’s effectiveness is derived from its ability to benefit from multiple offensive stats simultaneously, allowing for a build that is uniquely powerful. The meat cleaver has a higher damage ceiling and does not require any world tendency requirements to reach it’s full potential.
Meat Cleaver: The King of Damage
Why The Meat Cleaver?
The Meat Cleaver isn’t just powerful; it’s versatile. While it’s a massive weapon with a slow swing speed, its raw damage output and diverse scaling allow for a wide variety of builds. Players can focus on a Strength/Dexterity hybrid, a Strength/Faith hybrid, or a Quality build that boosts both attributes alongside faith, leading to the highest potential damage. This adaptability makes it a top choice for experienced players seeking to push the game’s limits.
How to Get It
Acquiring the Meat Cleaver is not straightforward. You must defeat the Adjudicator boss in World 4-1 and obtain its Hero Demon’s Soul. Then, take that soul and a club weapon to Blacksmith Ed in Stonefang Tunnel (World 2-1). Blacksmith Ed can use the Demon’s Soul to create a variety of unique weapons, and one of them is the Meat Cleaver. This requirement means you will have to get far into the game to acquire this weapon.
How to Maximize Its Damage
Maximizing the Meat Cleaver’s damage involves several steps:
- Stat Optimization: Investing heavily in Strength, Dexterity, and Faith is crucial. Aim for at least 40 in all three of those to see good results but maxing all three is optimal to reach it’s full damage potential.
- Upgrading: Fully upgrade the Meat Cleaver to +5 using Colorless Demon Souls at Blacksmith Ed. Upgraded, the scaling becomes more pronounced.
- Ring Synergy: The Ring of Strength can further boost its damage, and the Ring of Herculean Strength can help manage its weight. Other rings such as the Clever Rat’s Ring or Morion Blade, can help increase damage output when under certain conditions.
- Two-Handing: Using the weapon two-handed provides a significant strength bonus, further enhancing its attack power.
Other Contenders for Top Damage
While the Meat Cleaver is the most powerful, a few other weapons are worth considering for their damage potential:
Dragon Bone Smasher
The Dragon Bone Smasher is a very powerful strength weapon. It can be acquired in World 2-3. The Dragon Bone Smasher offers high damage and has a high strength scaling. This makes it a very popular choice for strength builds.
Bramd
Bramd is one of the heaviest weapons in the game and hits very hard. It also offers poison and plague resistance. Its powerful attacks break through most shields, and are not easily interrupted. It also has a high strength scaling. This makes it another great option for a strength focused player.
Northern Regalia
The Northern Regalia is a unique weapon that scales its damage based on the player’s Character Tendency. This weapon is made by combining the Soulbrandt and Demonbrandt alongside a False Kings Demon Soul. While it can achieve considerable damage at Pure White or Pure Black Character Tendency, It is not the most powerful weapon at any given time, and other weapons can achieve more consistent, higher damage numbers. It requires more maintenance than the meat cleaver.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is the Northern Regalia better than the Meat Cleaver?
No. The Meat Cleaver surpasses the Northern Regalia in terms of maximum potential damage, due to its triple scaling and higher base damage. The Northern Regalia relies on the player’s character tendency for damage output, while the Meat Cleaver can be built for consistently higher damage.
2. What are the scaling grades in Demon’s Souls and what do they mean?
In Demon’s Souls, weapon scaling is represented by letters ranging from E (lowest) to S (highest), with some weapons receiving a bonus for more than one stat. A higher scaling grade means the weapon benefits more from increasing the specified stat.
3. How do I upgrade weapons in Demon’s Souls?
Weapons are upgraded by Blacksmith Ed in Stonefang Tunnel (World 2-1). Regular weapons require Hardstone and Sharpstone, while special weapons need Colorless Demon Souls. Specific upgrade paths depend on the type of weapon.
4. What is the best weapon for a Strength build?
The Dragon Bone Smasher, Meat Cleaver and Bramd are considered the best options for a pure Strength build. All three of these scale strongly with strength and do tremendous damage.
5. What is the best weapon for a Dexterity build?
The Uchigatana, Hiltless and the Magic Sword “Makoto” are popular choices for Dexterity builds. Although the Uchigatana has lower base damage, it has more scaling potential.
6. What is the best weapon for a Magic build?
The Rune Sword and Geri’s Stiletto are generally considered excellent for magic users due to their magic damage. The Insanity Catalyst is also extremely good for magic builds. The Uchigatana can also be upgraded down paths that benefit from magic stats.
7. Can I make boss weapons in Demon’s Souls?
Yes, you can craft special boss weapons using Boss Demon Souls. These weapons are crafted at Blacksmith Ed after giving him the Searing Demon’s Soul from the Flamelurker.
8. What is the best early-game weapon in Demon’s Souls?
The Crescent Falchion +1, found in World 4-1, is an excellent early-game weapon. The Knight Sword is a decent standard pick up as well and can take you through most of the game.
9. What is the heaviest weapon in Demon’s Souls?
Bramd is the heaviest weapon in Demon’s Souls and also has high strength scaling. It has high damage output, but its slow swing speed requires practice.
10. What are the best stats to level up for maximum damage?
For melee builds, focusing on Strength and Dexterity is essential, and Faith if using the Meat Cleaver. For magic users, Intelligence and Magic stats should be prioritized.
11. Does weapon scaling change based on the upgrade path?
Yes, the scaling of a weapon can change significantly based on its upgrade path. It’s important to consider the scaling before picking which path to take. For example, a Sharp path on a dexterity weapon can scale much higher in dexterity, but could lose other scaling.
12. How does Character Tendency affect weapon damage?
Character Tendency mainly affects the damage of the Northern Regalia. Having Pure White or Pure Black character tendency boosts its damage, but not enough to surpass the Meat Cleaver.
13. What is the best bow in Demon’s Souls?
The Sticky Compound Long Bow is often considered the best bow due to its high damage potential. It requires dexterity and is very effective in both PVE and PVP situations.
14. Is the Dragon Bone Smasher the most powerful weapon?
While incredibly powerful, the Dragon Bone Smasher is not the most powerful when comparing pure damage output. The Meat Cleaver, with its triple scaling, can achieve a higher damage ceiling.
15. Can I respec my stats in Demon’s Souls?
No, unfortunately you cannot respec your stats in Demon’s Souls. Therefore, it is crucial to plan out your build before leveling up your character.
Conclusion
While many weapons are powerful in Demon’s Souls, the Meat Cleaver stands out due to its exceptional scaling and damage potential when properly built. Though other weapons like the Dragon Bone Smasher and Northern Regalia are viable, the meat cleaver is a testament to the power of synergy between multiple offensive stats. So, if you’re aiming for maximum damage output, make sure to acquire and upgrade the Meat Cleaver, and invest appropriately into Strength, Dexterity, and Faith. With its exceptional scaling and high damage, this weapon will make your journey through Boletaria a little bit easier.