The Dark Hand: A Deep Dive into Dark Souls’ Unique Weapon
The Dark Hand in Dark Souls is a truly unique item, functioning both as a weapon and a shield with a very specific, and somewhat morally dubious, purpose. Primarily, the Dark Hand is used to steal humanity from other players (in PvP) and specific non-player characters (NPCs). This is achieved through a special right-handed attack that initiates a grab animation, successfully executed, pulls a unit of humanity from your target. The amount of humanity stolen is dictated by your covenant status; however, the basic grab will always steal 1 humanity, even if you are not a member of the Darkwraith covenant.
This dual-natured item is not your typical weapon. It doesn’t deal massive physical damage and cannot be upgraded. However, its ability to drain humanity, especially in the early game, and its surprising utility as a shield, makes the Dark Hand a worthy consideration for many builds. Let’s delve deeper into this fascinating piece of Dark Souls lore and mechanics.
The Dark Hand as a Weapon
The Humanity Drain Attack
The core functionality of the Dark Hand revolves around its unique ability to steal humanity. To perform this, you must equip the Dark Hand in your right hand and press the right trigger button (R2/RT) to execute the grab attack. Upon a successful connection, your character will latch onto the target, draining a single unit of humanity away. This effect works against both other players and specific NPCs.
This makes the Dark Hand a strategic tool for both PvE and PvP. In PvE, you can use it to gather some extra humanity to reverse hollowing. For PvP, stealing humanity from a vanquished opponent is a somewhat cruel, yet effective way to build up your own resources. Importantly, the amount stolen is not increased in subsequent playthroughs. The amount of humanity gained from the attack doesn’t increase as your character’s stats improve.
Attack Damage
The Dark Hand, while it can inflict some melee damage, is not designed to be a primary offensive weapon. It has low damage scaling and, being unupgradeable, will quickly become outclassed by other options in terms of pure DPS. This limits its usefulness in prolonged combat against late-game enemies. Its effectiveness as a weapon shines mostly early in the game because of its high base dark damage.
While it can function for a pure naked build as a melee weapon in Dark Souls 3, this is not the case in Dark Souls 1, where it has very limited attack capabilities.
The Dark Hand as a Shield
Damage Reduction
Despite its primary function as a weapon, the Dark Hand has a secondary, perhaps more surprising role: a capable shield. It boasts an 80% damage reduction across all damage types, making it a relatively effective defensive option. This makes it a useful alternative, particularly in the early game, if you want to use a shield without going through the initial steps of buying one.
Lightweight and Lightning Resistance
It has a surprisingly low weight, tying with the Small Leather Shield for the lightest shield in the game. This allows players to maintain a fast roll while utilizing its defensive capabilities. Additionally, the Dark Hand boasts high lightning damage resistance, making it a practical tool against certain enemies and bosses that utilize lightning attacks.
The Parry Function
It also allows the player to parry attacks, albeit not the best option in this regard. While you can parry with the Dark Hand, its parry timing is not optimal for frequent use in combat. Due to its low stability, successful parries are harder to achieve compared to many other shields.
The Darkwraith Covenant and Humanity
The Darkwraith Covenant Connection
The ability to steal humanity is intrinsically linked to the Darkwraith Covenant. This covenant, led by Kaathe, is built around invading other players’ worlds and acquiring humanity. While the base steal is always one humanity, you’ll find that a player’s covenant rank does not actually change this aspect of the Dark Hand’s special attack ability. However, you need to join the covenant to gain access to the Red Eye Orb, which is used to invade other players.
Increasing Covenant Rank
You increase your rank within the Darkwraith covenant by offering humanity to Kaathe. The Dark Hand is the tool used to facilitate this process. The Dark Hand’s primary function is that it allows the player to more easily collect humanities to offer, enabling quicker covenant progression.
Additional Information
The Dark Hand in Dark Souls 3
While this article is about the Dark Hand in Dark Souls 1, it is also important to note that it’s a very different item in Dark Souls 3. In Dark Souls 3, the Dark Hand receives a large damage buff from Lloyds ring, if equipped in the right hand as a sole weapon. It also has a weapon art that is useful against human enemy types. This is not the case in Dark Souls 1, where the item cannot be upgraded, and is ultimately outclassed by other weapons for direct combat.
Can You Complete Dark Souls 1 with the Dark Hand?
While it is technically possible to complete Dark Souls 1 with only the Dark Hand, it is an extremely challenging endeavor. Due to its low damage and lack of upgrades, players will find themselves facing an uphill battle, particularly during the later parts of the game. Its primary use is for humanity harvesting and early-game defense.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Does the Dark Hand make NPCs hostile?
No, using the Dark Hand to steal humanity does not make NPCs hostile as long as you do not damage them. You can repeatedly use it on the same NPC until they are depleted of their available humanity. However, some NPCs have no humanity to steal.
2. Can I parry with the Dark Hand?
Yes, you can parry with the Dark Hand, but it’s not the most ideal parrying shield. It does have the parry frames, but its low stability can make parries more difficult.
3. Can the Dark Hand be upgraded?
No, the Dark Hand cannot be upgraded. This is a key reason why it becomes less useful in the later stages of the game as a direct damage weapon, especially compared to other upgradeable options.
4. How much humanity does the Dark Hand steal?
The Dark Hand steals one humanity per successful grab attack, irrespective of your covenant rank.
5. What are the best shields in Dark Souls 1?
The best shields include the Heater Shield, Greatshield of Artorias, Black Iron Greatshield, Silver Knight Shield, Black Knight Shield, Spider Shield, Crest Shield, and Havel’s Greatshield.
6. Is the Dark Hand a good shield?
The Dark Hand is a good, lightweight shield, providing 80% damage reduction across the board and high lightning resistance. However, its low stability is a major drawback when comparing to other shields.
7. What happens if I offer humanity to Kaathe?
Offering humanity to Kaathe increases your rank within the Darkwraith Covenant. Doing this 10 times will reward you with the Red Eye Orb, which is used for invasions.
8. What is the strongest enemy in Dark Souls 1?
Some of the most powerful enemies in Dark Souls 1 include Knight Artorias, and other tough bosses like Gwyn.
9. What is the most OP weapon in Dark Souls 1?
The Black Knight Halberd is widely considered to be one of the most powerful weapons, thanks to its range, speed, and damage.
10. Is two-handing better in Dark Souls?
Two-handing a weapon increases damage and poise damage, and it also alters the moveset of the weapon. While effective in some circumstances, there’s a trade-off to consider between this and having a shield.
11. What does 99 humanity do in Dark Souls?
Having 99 humanity provides a significant boost to your defensive stats, roughly around 40 additional points in each of them.
12. What is the best light armor in Dark Souls 1?
The Dingy Robe is considered one of the best light chest pieces in terms of defense and magic resistance, with a good combination of mobility.
13. Is it worthwhile to upgrade shields in Dark Souls 1?
Yes, upgrading shields in Dark Souls 1 is very worthwhile, as it significantly increases their stability, allowing you to block more hits effectively.
14. How do you use the Dark Hand in Dark Souls Remastered?
The method is the same as in the original Dark Souls. Equip it in your right hand and use the right trigger to activate the humanity stealing grab attack.
15. Can you parry with the Golden Parry Skill?
The Golden Parry skill, found in Elden Ring, is an Erdtree Incantation that makes parrying easier and more effective by enhancing the capabilities of your shield. The parrying skill is not in Dark Souls 1, or associated with the Dark Hand.
In conclusion, the Dark Hand is a unique item that offers both interesting functionality and strategic value within Dark Souls. While it is not the best weapon or shield on its own, it is certainly a tool with its own niche use cases, making it a good and fun option for players looking to explore the depths of the game.