Demystifying Enchanted Weapons in Dark Souls: A Comprehensive Guide
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The Enchanted weapon upgrade path in Dark Souls is a unique and often misunderstood option for imbuing weapons with magical properties. Specifically, it alters the weapon’s scaling, shifting its damage output significantly towards magic damage while reducing its physical damage and scaling. This makes Enchanted weapons ideal for characters with high Intelligence (INT) and minimal investment in Strength (STR) or Dexterity (DEX). Think of it as specializing your weapon to work with your primary stat: Intelligence.
Understanding Enchanted Upgrade Path
The key thing to remember is that upgrading a weapon down the Enchanted path drastically alters its damage calculation. Here’s a breakdown:
- Damage Type: Enchanted weapons primarily deal magic damage. While they retain some physical damage, the majority of their output will be based on your Intelligence stat.
- Stat Scaling: The Enchanted path significantly increases Intelligence scaling (represented by a letter grade – often an “A” or even “S” at higher upgrade levels). Simultaneously, it dramatically reduces Strength and Dexterity scaling. This means that if you pump points into STR/DEX, you’ll see very little return in weapon damage.
- Base Damage: The base physical damage is reduced compared to a standard upgrade path. This is the trade-off for the increased magical damage.
- Requirements: You’ll still need the minimum Strength and Dexterity requirements to wield the weapon, but increasing these stats beyond the minimum will provide negligible benefits.
In short, the Enchanted path transforms a weapon into a magical conduit, turning it into a potent tool for mages who want to strike in melee.
Who Should Choose the Enchanted Path?
The Enchanted path is best suited for players who:
- Are primarily focused on Intelligence-based magic.
- Have high Intelligence stats and relatively low Strength and Dexterity stats.
- Want a weapon that deals primarily magical damage, bypassing physical resistances.
- Need a melee option that scales with their Intelligence stat.
Think of it this way: if you are going to spend all your level ups on Intelligence, why not have a sword that benefits from that?
How to Upgrade to Enchanted
To upgrade a weapon down the Enchanted path, you’ll need to:
- Acquire the necessary Embers. The Large Magic Ember is needed to ascend +5 weapons to +6 Magic, and the Enchanted Ember is needed to ascend +5 Magic weapons to the Enchanted path.
- Give the Embers to the appropriate blacksmith. Andre of Astora can perform Magic upgrades once given the Large Magic Ember. To perform Enchanted upgrades, you will need to find the Enchanted Ember, and give it to Blacksmith Rickert of Vinheim in the Firelink Shrine.
- Have the required Titanite Shards, Large Titanite Shards, Titanite Chunks, and a Titanite Slab. These materials are used to strengthen the weapon at each upgrade level.
- Spend the necessary Souls. Upgrading weapons requires a significant investment of souls.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Enchanted Weapons
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the intricacies of Enchanted weapons in Dark Souls:
- Is Enchanted better than Magic? The difference lies in scaling. Enchanted offers better Intelligence scaling but reduced physical damage reduction compared to the Magic upgrade path. If you have very high INT and minimal STR/DEX, Enchanted is generally superior. The Magic upgrade path is better for a more balanced build, but still leans magical.
- What’s the best weapon to upgrade to Enchanted? Straight swords (like the Longsword) and katanas (like the Iaito) are popular choices because of their versatile movesets and reasonable stat requirements. However, almost any weapon can be upgraded to Enchanted, so experiment based on your preference.
- Does the Enchanted path affect weapon durability? No, the Enchanted upgrade path doesn’t directly affect a weapon’s durability.
- Can I buff an Enchanted weapon with spells? No. Weapons upgraded along elemental paths cannot be buffed by spells.
- How does Enchanted compare to Crystal Magic Weapon? Crystal Magic Weapon is a temporary buff spell that can be applied to standard weapons, granting them additional magic damage scaling with your Intelligence. The Enchanted path is a permanent upgrade that makes a weapon inherently magical.
- Is the Enchanted path viable for PvP? Yes, but it requires a dedicated Intelligence build. The high magic damage can be effective against opponents with low magic resistance.
- What are some good alternatives to Enchanted? If you want more balanced scaling, consider the Magic upgrade path. For purely physical damage, stick with the standard upgrade path.
- Does upgrading to Enchanted remove all physical scaling? No, it doesn’t completely remove it. However, the scaling is drastically reduced, making further investment in Strength or Dexterity largely pointless.
- Can I revert an Enchanted weapon back to a standard weapon? No. Once a weapon has been upgraded along a specific path (like Enchanted), you cannot revert it to a standard upgrade path.
- Does the Enchanted upgrade path affect the weapon’s moveset? No. The Enchanted upgrade path only affects the weapon’s damage and scaling.
- What Embers do I need to create Enchanted Weapons? The Large Magic Ember and the Enchanted Ember.
- Can I use resins on enchanted weapons? No. Resins cannot be applied to any weapons infused with elemental damage. This includes the enchanted weapon infusion.
- Does the Enchanted path work well with split stat builds? Generally, no. The Enchanted path thrives on a pure Intelligence build. A split stat build will likely result in lower overall damage compared to a standard upgrade path with appropriate scaling.
- How much does it cost to fully upgrade an Enchanted weapon? The cost will vary depending on the weapon and the upgrade level, but expect to spend a significant amount of souls and Titanite materials.
- Are there any weapons that are particularly BAD choices for the Enchanted path? Weapons with already low base damage or those that heavily rely on physical scaling (like Greatswords with high Strength requirements) are generally not good candidates for the Enchanted path.
Conclusion
The Enchanted upgrade path in Dark Souls is a powerful tool for players who want to create a dedicated Intelligence build and deal primarily magical damage with their weapons. While it requires a significant investment in Intelligence and a willingness to sacrifice physical scaling, the Enchanted path can turn ordinary weapons into formidable tools for mages traversing the treacherous world of Lordran. Understand its strengths and weaknesses, and you can effectively incorporate Enchanted weapons into your arsenal.
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