Is Lightning Worth It in Dark Souls 1? A Comprehensive Guide
Yes, lightning is absolutely worth considering in Dark Souls 1, especially for certain builds and playstyles. While it’s not a universally superior choice, its unique properties and accessibility make it a potent tool for both PvE and PvP. The key lies in understanding how lightning damage works, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it compares to other upgrade paths and elemental damage types. Let’s dive deep into why lightning can be a game-changer in Lordran.
Understanding Lightning in Dark Souls
The Nuances of Non-Scaling Damage
Unlike standard weapon upgrades which scale with your Strength and Dexterity stats, lightning weapons have fixed damage values. This means the amount of damage they deal won’t increase as you level up your physical stats. While this might seem like a disadvantage, it opens up opportunities for builds that prioritize other stats like Vitality, Endurance, or Faith without sacrificing offensive power. This makes lightning weapons exceptionally strong early to mid-game, before scaling becomes a dominant factor.
Lightning’s Pervasive Weakness
One of the most significant advantages of lightning damage is its widespread effectiveness. A large portion of enemies in Dark Souls 1 are vulnerable to lightning, including many bosses and tough enemies. This makes lightning weapons highly reliable for navigating various areas and challenging encounters. Even other players tend to have relatively low lightning defense, making it a potent choice for PvP.
Upgrade Paths and Material Costs
Upgrading a weapon to lightning requires a +10 weapon and the use of a lightning ember, found in the Sen’s Fortress. It takes Titanite Chunks to go from +6 to +9 and a Titanite Slab to make your weapon +10, then upgrading to lightning will max it out. This can be a considerable investment of resources, especially early on. However, the payoff can be substantial, providing a significant damage boost that remains consistent throughout your playthrough.
Lightning vs. Other Upgrade Paths
Standard Upgrade Paths (+15)
The standard upgrade path to +15 focuses on scaling with your stats. At high levels, this can result in superior damage compared to lightning weapons, especially with weapons that have excellent scaling (A or S scaling). However, achieving that level of scaling requires significant investment in Strength and/or Dexterity. This can be a disadvantage for builds that focus on other stats.
Fire and Chaos
Fire weapons are similar to lightning weapons in that they have fixed damage. However, many enemies resistant to fire damage exist. Chaos weapons scale with your Humanity, but reaching high levels of Humanity can be risky and doesn’t always guarantee significantly more damage than lightning.
Divine and Occult
Divine weapons scale with Faith and are effective against undead enemies. Occult weapons also scale with Faith, dealing extra damage to enemies aligned with the gods. While useful in specific situations, their effectiveness is limited compared to the broader applicability of lightning.
Build Considerations
Hybrid Builds
Lightning weapons are perfect for hybrid builds that combine physical damage with other damage types. For example, a character with high Faith could use lightning weapons for melee combat and miracles for ranged attacks and support.
Low-Stat Builds
Lightning weapons shine in low-stat builds because their fixed damage output eliminates the need to invest heavily in Strength or Dexterity. This allows you to focus on Vitality, Endurance, and other stats that enhance survivability and utility.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What is the best lightning weapon in Dark Souls 1?
While subjective, the Dragonslayer Greataxe is often considered one of the strongest lightning weapons due to its high base damage and unique moveset. Other notable options include the Lightning Spear (though this is more a ranged miracle) and weapons upgraded to lightning such as the Zweihander or Claymore. The best choice depends on your preferred weapon type and playstyle.
2. Does lightning damage scale with Faith in Dark Souls 1?
No, lightning damage on weapons does not scale with Faith in Dark Souls 1. Faith only affects the damage of miracles that deal lightning damage, such as Lightning Spear and Great Lightning Spear.
3. What enemies are weak to lightning in Dark Souls 1?
Many enemies with stone armor or stone skin are weak to lightning, including the Belfry Gargoyles and certain drakes and dragons. Enemies such as Silver Knights and Anor Londo Gargoyles are resistant to it.
4. Should I upgrade my Zweihander to lightning?
If your build does not focus on Strength or Dexterity, upgrading the Zweihander to lightning can be a viable option. Since lightning weapons don’t scale with stats, it allows you to maximize damage output without investing in those stats. However, if you have high Strength and Dexterity, a +15 Zweihander with proper scaling may ultimately be more powerful.
5. Is Lightning Spear worth it in Dark Souls 1?
Lightning Spear is a useful miracle, especially in early to mid-game. It provides a ranged damage option and can be effective against enemies weak to lightning. However, as you progress, more powerful miracles become available.
6. What is the best shield for lightning defense in Dark Souls 1?
Good shields for lightning defense include the Giant’s Shield, Eagle Shield, and Lothric Knight Shield.
7. What is the best armor against lightning in Dark Souls?
The Dragonslayer Greatshield, Havel’s Greatshield, and Lothric Knight Shield are all good choices for armor, particularly for their shields, offering reliable lightning protection.
8. Is flame better than lightning in Dark Souls?
While both fire and lightning are powerful, lightning generally has wider applicability due to fewer enemies being resistant to it.
9. Why is dark souls lightning yellow?
Yellow lightning represents the power of Sunlight, harnessed by Gwyn and used in miracles like Sunlight Spear.
10. Does the Nameless King do lightning damage?
Yes, the Nameless King in Dark Souls 3 deals significant lightning damage, making lightning resistance essential for that fight.
11. Is Artorias weak to lightning?
No, Artorias is resistant to lightning and other elemental damage types. It’s best to use physical damage against him.
12. What makes lightning good in Dark Souls?
It makes it good because lightning is a fixed stat and most enemies in the game are weak to lightning which makes it extremely useful.
13. What should I upgrade my weapon to?
That depends on your build. But if you have very low stats in your Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence or Faith then your best bet is to upgrade to lightning.
14. What makes a good build in Dark Souls?
A build is good when you optimize your play style and use your weapon accordingly. The goal is to learn the game, and create the character you want to play.
15. What is the purpose of playing Dark Souls?
The purpose of playing Dark Souls is to have fun and test your skills and resilience. It’s all about the journey of overcoming challenging obstacles.
Conclusion
Ultimately, whether lightning is “worth it” in Dark Souls 1 depends on your specific build, playstyle, and goals. However, its consistent damage output, widespread effectiveness, and suitability for low-stat builds make it a valuable tool for many players. Experiment with different lightning weapons, consider your build carefully, and unleash the power of the heavens upon your enemies in Lordran!
Remember, Dark Souls is a game about experimentation and learning. Don’t be afraid to try different builds, weapons, and strategies to find what works best for you. You can find great insights and discussions on game mechanics and learning at the Games Learning Society, available at https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. Good luck, and praise the sun!