What Should I Infuse My Dark Sword With?
The Dark Sword, a formidable weapon in many games, particularly souls-like titles, thrives when paired with the right infusion. The optimal infusion often depends heavily on your character build and playstyle. However, generally speaking, for most builds relying on Strength and Faith, a Heavy or Blessed infusion is usually the best choice. For builds leaning towards Dexterity and Intelligence, a Sharp or Crystal infusion is more advantageous. This allows the weapon to scale effectively with your primary stats, maximizing your damage output.
Understanding Infusions
Before deciding on the best infusion for your Dark Sword, it’s crucial to understand what infusions are and how they work. In essence, infusions alter a weapon’s base damage, scaling, and sometimes, even add elemental or status effects. The “best” infusion isn’t universal; it’s inextricably linked to your character’s statistics and combat approach. Therefore, a thoughtful consideration of your build is essential.
Raw Infusion
A Raw infusion boosts the weapon’s base physical damage but drastically reduces its scaling with stats like Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Faith. This infusion is generally suitable for low-level characters or those who haven’t invested heavily in damage-scaling stats. However, its effectiveness diminishes significantly as you level up and increase your core stats. In most cases, Raw infusion should be avoided for Dark Swords at higher levels.
Heavy Infusion
The Heavy infusion enhances the weapon’s scaling with Strength, making it an excellent choice for Strength-focused builds. The base damage might be slightly lower than a Raw infusion, but the superior Strength scaling will ultimately result in higher damage output as your Strength stat increases. If you are building a character prioritizing Strength, this is a primary option to consider.
Sharp Infusion
Conversely, the Sharp infusion is designed for Dexterity-based builds. It improves the weapon’s scaling with Dexterity, allowing you to deal substantial damage with a Dexterity-focused character. Similar to the Heavy infusion, base damage might take a slight hit, but the increased Dexterity scaling will more than compensate for it as you level.
Refined Infusion
The Refined infusion aims for a balance between Strength and Dexterity scaling. It’s a decent option if you have invested equally in both stats. However, in most cases, it’s usually better to specialize in either Strength or Dexterity and choose a Heavy or Sharp infusion accordingly for more focused scaling. It excels when your strength and dexterity levels are relatively close.
Crystal Infusion
The Crystal infusion transforms the Dark Sword into a magic weapon, adding Magic damage and scaling with Intelligence. This infusion is perfect for mage characters who primarily rely on spells but want a reliable melee option. It significantly reduces physical scaling.
Lightning Infusion
Similar to Crystal infusion, the Lightning infusion adds Lightning damage and scales with Faith. This is a great choice for Faith-based characters who use miracles and want a weapon that complements their spellcasting abilities. It dramatically lowers physical scaling.
Simple Infusion
The Simple infusion adds Magic damage and increases FP (Focus Points) regeneration. It primarily scales with Intelligence. This infusion is useful for characters who rely heavily on weapon skills or spells and need a consistent source of FP.
Blessed Infusion
The Blessed infusion adds Physical and Faith-based damage and increases HP regeneration. It scales primarily with Faith. This infusion is ideal for Faith-based characters who prefer a more defensive playstyle and want passive HP regeneration. Additionally, this weapon excels versus undead.
Fire Infusion
The Fire infusion adds Fire damage but removes all stat scaling. This can be a viable option at very low levels, before stat scaling becomes significant, but it falls off dramatically later on.
Chaos Infusion
The Chaos infusion adds Fire damage and scales with both Intelligence and Faith. It’s a good choice for Pyro builds that invest in both of these stats. It will likely require a significant respec for most builds.
Dark Infusion
The Dark infusion adds Dark damage and scales with both Intelligence and Faith, similar to Chaos. However, it deals Dark damage instead of Fire damage. This is another popular option for Pyro builds, or characters leaning more towards dark sorceries or dark miracles.
Poison Infusion
The Poison infusion adds a chance to inflict poison, and reduces damage scaling. It is generally considered weak.
Blood Infusion
The Blood infusion adds a chance to inflict bleed, and reduces damage scaling. It is generally considered weak.
Hollow Infusion
The Hollow infusion is unique. When you are hollowed (at 15 hollowing), it boosts luck. It reduces damage scaling. It is generally not a primary damage infusion, but it can be useful for item discovery if you are farming.
FAQs: Infusing Your Dark Sword
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the best infusion choices for your Dark Sword:
1. Is Raw infusion ever a good choice for the Dark Sword?
Generally, no. Raw infusion is only suitable for very early game or characters with extremely low Strength and Dexterity. As soon as you start leveling these stats, the scaling offered by Heavy or Sharp infusion will quickly outpace the flat damage bonus from Raw.
2. I have equal Strength and Dexterity. Should I use a Refined infusion?
A Refined infusion can work, but often it’s still better to slightly favor one stat and go with a Heavy or Sharp infusion. Experiment and see which yields better results based on your specific stat distribution.
3. What infusion should I use if I’m a Faith-based character?
A Blessed or Lightning infusion would be your best bet. Blessed provides HP regeneration and deals physical and faith-based damage, whereas lightning provides lightning damage.
4. What infusion is best for an Intelligence-based character?
A Crystal or Simple infusion are your best options. Crystal focuses on dealing magic damage, whereas simple provides magic damage and FP regeneration.
5. Can I change my weapon infusion later?
Yes, you can change your weapon infusion by using a Refined Gem, Sharp Gem, Heavy Gem, Crystal Gem, Lightning Gem, Simple Gem, Blessed Gem, Fire Gem, Chaos Gem, Dark Gem, Poison Gem, Blood Gem or Hollow Gem at the blacksmith.
6. Does infusion affect weapon skills?
Yes, infusion affects the damage output of weapon skills, scaling them according to the infusion type and your character’s stats.
7. Is there an infusion that is good for all builds?
No. The “best” infusion is heavily dependent on your character’s stats and playstyle.
8. How do I get different infusion gems?
You can find infusion gems scattered throughout the game world, as drops from enemies, or purchase them from certain vendors.
9. Should I infuse my Dark Sword with Poison or Blood?
Generally, Poison and Blood infusions are considered weak, especially compared to the damage output of Heavy, Sharp, Crystal, or Lightning infusions. They are situational and may only be useful in specific PvP scenarios.
10. What is the Hollow infusion good for?
The Hollow infusion increases your Luck stat when you are hollowed (at 15 hollowing). It’s useful for item discovery when farming and can also synergize with certain builds that benefit from high Luck.
11. How does infusion affect status effects like bleed or poison?
Infusing with Poison or Blood increases the buildup rate of those respective status effects on enemies, but it also reduces the weapon’s damage output.
12. Can I revert a weapon infusion?
Yes, you can revert a weapon infusion using a Shriving Stone. This will remove the current infusion, returning the weapon to its original, uninfused state.
13. Does weapon level affect the effectiveness of infusions?
Yes. Higher weapon levels will see more significant returns from damage scaling infusions.
14. Where can I see the scaling letters for each infusion?
The scaling letters for each infusion are displayed at the blacksmith or infusion menu. S is the best scaling, followed by A, B, C, D, and E. “-” indicates no scaling for that stat.
15. Can I apply buffs (like resins or spells) to an infused Dark Sword?
It depends on the infusion. Weapons with elemental infusions (Crystal, Lightning, Fire, Chaos, Dark, Simple, Blessed) generally cannot be buffed with resins or spells. Weapons with physical infusions (Heavy, Sharp, Refined, Raw, Hollow) can usually be buffed unless otherwise specified.