How Many Shots Does It Take to Get the Drake Sword in Dark Souls?
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The question of exactly how many shots it takes to acquire the coveted Drake Sword in Dark Souls is a common one for new and returning players alike. The simple answer is, it’s not about a precise number of shots. It’s about dealing enough damage to sever the Hellkite Dragon’s tail. While the popular theory often cites “approximately 50 arrows,” this is not a hard and fast rule. Instead, the amount of damage required varies depending on your weapon damage stats and the type of projectile used. The goal is to inflict enough cumulative damage to the dragon’s tail, triggering a cinematic severance and rewarding you with the Drake Sword. Let’s delve deeper into how this mechanic works and some strategies to ensure you obtain this powerful early-game weapon.
The Mechanics of Tail Severance
It’s important to note that the Drake Sword isn’t obtained simply by hitting the dragon a specific number of times. It’s achieved by inflicting a particular amount of damage on its tail. This damage is cumulative. So, a higher damage output per hit means fewer required shots overall. Conversely, weaker attacks will necessitate more hits to sever the tail. The game does not display a specific health bar for the tail; instead, the tail severing is a trigger activated upon reaching a damage threshold. This system can feel a bit unpredictable, especially for newer players, but understanding that it’s damage-based and not simply a hit count is crucial.
Factors Affecting Damage
Several factors affect how much damage your projectiles inflict:
- Weapon Damage: Your bow’s base damage, modified by your stats and any relevant item bonuses, plays a key role. A bow with higher base damage will mean fewer shots needed to reach the severance threshold.
- Arrow Type: The type of arrows used is crucial. Large arrows generally deal more damage than standard arrows, making them more efficient for this task.
- Stats: Your Dexterity stat, which primarily influences ranged weapon damage, also influences how much damage you deal with each shot. Higher Dexterity will improve the damage, requiring fewer arrows.
- Distance: The distance at which you’re firing can sometimes slightly affect damage output, although the change is usually minimal with arrows. Try to find the optimal range where you’re doing the most damage.
Best Strategies for Acquiring the Drake Sword
The most common method for getting the Drake Sword involves standing beneath the Hellkite Dragon on the right side of the bridge and firing arrows at its tail. This position is considered the easiest and safest for several reasons:
- Protection: The bridge offers some cover from the dragon’s fire breath. You can fire from relative safety and retreat if needed.
- Tail Accessibility: From this vantage point, the dragon’s tail is a reasonably easy target to hit consistently.
- Consistency: The dragon’s AI generally keeps it in a predictable position for you to fire upon.
Using the bridge position combined with large arrows and a decent bow (and Dexterity stat) will significantly reduce the number of shots needed to claim the Drake Sword.
While some might claim the sword takes around 50 arrows to obtain, this is a general approximation. The key is to focus on dealing substantial damage to the tail. If you’re having difficulty, consider trying a higher-damage bow, using large arrows, or investing some souls in improving your Dexterity to improve the ranged damage output.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About the Drake Sword
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to provide more insight into the Drake Sword and the mechanics behind obtaining it:
1. What are the Requirements to Obtain the Drake Sword?
To obtain the Drake Sword, you must deal sufficient damage to the Hellkite Dragon’s tail to sever it. This is most easily achieved by standing under the dragon on the bridge in the Undead Parish and shooting its tail with arrows.
2. Can You Get the Drake Sword Easily?
Yes, using the strategy described above—shooting from under the bridge—is generally considered the easiest way. Large arrows can speed up the process significantly.
3. Is It Worth Leveling Up the Drake Sword?
It’s generally not recommended to invest heavily in upgrading the Drake Sword. While it can be upgraded using Dragon Scales, it does not scale with any stats. It will be less effective than a weapon that does scale with your core stats by the time you reach Sen’s Fortress. It is typically used as an early-game weapon.
4. Is the Claymore 5 Better Than the Drake Sword?
Yes, the Claymore is significantly better in the long run due to its scaling with Strength and Dexterity. By the mid-game, a well-upgraded Claymore will usually outperform the Drake Sword.
5. Can You Get Two Drake Swords?
No, you can only obtain one Drake Sword per playthrough. Although the Hellkite Dragon’s tail will respawn if you reload the area, you cannot obtain the sword again.
6. Is the Zweihander Better Than the Drake Sword?
The Zweihander is more effective for a Strength-oriented build due to its superior scaling. The Drake Sword is only useful if you plan to stay at the base requirements to wield it, as it lacks stat scaling.
7. How Many Large Arrows Does It Take?
While often quoted as 50 arrows, this is an approximation. The actual number of large arrows will depend on your Dexterity stat and the damage output of your bow.
8. Does the Drake Sword Break Easily?
The strong attack of the Drake Sword, which is a vertical cleave, consumes 30 weapon durability. Using this attack frequently can lead to breakage, so be mindful of its durability.
9. Is the Drake Sword Missable?
No, the Drake Sword is not missable. Even if you don’t get it when you initially encounter the Hellkite Dragon, it will always be available for the player as long as the tail is accessible.
10. When Should You Stop Using the Drake Sword?
Generally, you should consider moving away from the Drake Sword after you acquire a weapon that scales better with your stats and can be upgraded using Titanite instead of Dragon Scales. This typically occurs by the time you reach the Depths and complete Blighttown.
11. Can the Drake Sword Be Upgraded?
Yes, the Drake Sword can be upgraded using Dragon Scales. However, this is its only upgrade method and is not highly recommended given its overall lack of scaling benefits.
12. What is a Good Weapon to Switch to After the Drake Sword?
Good alternatives to the Drake Sword include the Zweihander, Man Serpent Greatsword, Black Knight Axe, Gargoyle Halberd, or the Claymore.
13. Does the Drake Sword Scale with Dex?
No, the Drake Sword does not scale with any stats, including Dexterity. Its damage output remains static, regardless of your stat distribution.
14. What Does a +1 Sword Do?
A +1 weapon in games similar to Dark Souls overcomes resistance by adding a small bonus to damage. For example, a +1 sword would be a better physical attacker, but still does slashing damage.
15. Can You Repair the Drake Sword?
Yes, the Drake Sword can be repaired at any blacksmith, such as Andrei of Astora in the Undead Parish.
Final Thoughts
While the Drake Sword is a highly sought-after weapon for newcomers to Dark Souls, obtaining it relies on understanding the damage threshold for severing the dragon’s tail rather than a specific number of arrow hits. By focusing on strategies like using large arrows from under the bridge and understanding the factors that influence damage output, you can acquire this powerful early-game weapon. However, keep in mind it is best replaced later on by a weapon that has scaling benefits with your character build.