The Dark Souls series is one that has charmed countless players with its unruly difficulty and unforgiving punishment. While they all present a significant challenge, they can be overcome with any weapon. Despite this, there are many ‘meta’ weapons that make the games easier than others. Given the third entry’s steep learning curve, it is unsurprising that many players haven’t tried out the game’s full arsenal.

Newcomers often flock to the ’easiest’ weapon with which they think they can beat the game. Naturally, this means dexterity weapons such as the Sellsword Twinblades and Straight Swords are most used due to their ability to spam light attacks. However, in Dark Souls 3 any weapon is viable.

10 Smough’s Great Hammer

Smough’s Great Hammer hits as hard as it is obnoxious. It is so large that it will obstruct much of your screen when wielded. Players tend to prefer Morne’s or Ledo’s Great Hammer, even though Smough’s has the second most AR of the three when two-handed at 66 Strength.

This Great Hammer also offers much poise, allowing you to tank your way through a lot of attacks and trade blows. It even has unique one-handed and two-handed heavy attacks. Plus, it is incredibly fun to beat bosses down with.

9 Greatsword of Judgement

Players who use Intelligence builds often choose to wield the Moonlight Greatsword. However, the Greatsword of Judgement is a worthy alternative overlooked by many. It utilizes a similar move set as the Bastard Sword but its Weapon Art behaves differently.

Using the Weapon Art will provide you with a flat +80 Magic AR, regardless of the weapon’s level. The Weapon Art’s attacks will also deal more damage when both the thrust and magic beam hit the target. Additionally, it does not degrade as fast as the Moonlight Greatsword, making it perfect for Intelligence builds with an emphasis on physical attacks.

8 Warpick

You would be forgiven for thinking the Warpick isn’t an ideal weapon choice in Dark Souls 3. It can be easily purchased from Greirat of the Undead Settlement. Some choose to level up a Refined Mace instead due to both weapons having similar damage output when leveled.

However, the Warpick has a nice Weapon Art that temporarily boosts Stamina recovery speed, allowing you to attack more frequently. It even provides a single hit of hyper armor to enable you to tank your way through an enemy’s initial attack.

7 Old Wolf Curved Sword

The Old Wolf Curved Sword is a weapon not many find because they need to rank up their level in the Watchdogs of Farron Covenant to unlock it. But it is a pretty effective weapon that synergies well with popular items. It has two inherent effects; one which boosts damage as long as attacking persists and one that recovers life with consecutive hits.

These effects stack with both the Pontiff’s Left Eye and Pontiff’s Right Eye Rings alongside the Carthus Beacon Pyromancy. They are also active when hitting with another weapon, providing the Old Wolf Curved Sword is equipped. You don’t even need to meet the minimum stat requirements for these effects to activate.

6 Immolation Tinder

Immolation Tinder is an obscure weapon that doesn’t look particularly useful. Given that most players tend to focus on a quality build in their first playthrough, they often overlook this weapon because it isn’t suited for that playstyle.

However, Immolation Tinder is a great choice for Intelligence builds. This is because it can cast Sorceries. While it cannot cast Pyromancies, it does offer hyper armor when two-handed and a spell buff of 220 at 60 Intelligence. Thus, it is a nice option to have for magic builds who want something a little different.

5 Yorshka’s Spear

Spears have never been overly popular in Dark Souls 3, despite how useful they can be. They have a generous range that allows you to stay back from enemies and they inflict thrust damage. Yorshka’s Spear was overlooked by many until Patch 1.13, where it was given Faith scaling.

This meant that players with Faith builds had a more useful physical weapon to attack with alongside their Miracle spells. This weapon also has a unique Weapon Art called ‘Pacify’ which temporarily reduces an enemy’s FP after every successful attack.

4 Spiked Mace

The Spiked Mace can be acquired relatively early on and it does not need a huge stat investment. It is a peculiar weapon because unlike traditional Great Hammers, it requires points in Dexterity. The weapon naturally inflicts Bleed damage on enemies when hit, which when paired with a Luck build, makes for great fun. It even has two ’true combos’ which many weapons lack in Dark Souls 3.

3 Lucerne

Halberds are popular in Dark Souls 3, but it is rare to see players rocking with Lucerne. Even in the PVP world, many choose to use different Halberds and Glaives. This is because weapons like the Black Knight Glaive outclass it in almost every way possible.

However, Lucerne rewards a more passive playstyle. Due to the weapon exclusively having thrust attacks, it can be paired with the Leo Ring. This means when you use a thrust counter attack, you will receive a 15% damage bonus. You will end up trading blows, but you’ll be dealing very nice damage in return.

2 Heysel Pick

The Heysel Pick is another solid choice for Intelligence builds. It lacks a heavy attack due to it being both a physical weapon and a catalyst for Sorceries. However, its Weapon Art buffs both the spells you cast alongside the weapon’s physical damage. Further, it can ’true combo’ into either Old Moonlight or Soul Greatsword providing your casting speed is fast enough.

1 Partizan

Spears may not be the most popular, but the Partizan can be really effective in the hands of a skilled player. It has the advantage of having both standard and thrust attacks. This is beneficial as Spear users are no longer boxed into one type of attack. The added versatility of the weapon makes it a solid choice for PVE and PVP.

Interestingly, its heavy attacks occur as horizontal sweeps. This is unique in the sense that only Yorshka’s Spear and the Ringed Knight Spear share this in common with the Partizan. Additionally, a two-handed heavy attack will allow you to ’true combo’ into its Weapon Art.

NEXT: Dark Souls 3: 10 Things To Do After You Beat The Game