Demon’s Souls Weapons Guide – Understanding the Game

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Demon’s Souls is a remake of the original Souls game. Not only does it bring the experience into gorgeous modern-day graphics, but it manages to retain the insane difficulty it has always been known for. Accompanying the cripplingly tough normal enemies of the game were the first batch of Souls bosses ever to grace our consoles, and what a batch they were. They required the best reflexes, the best armor, and, most importantly, the game’s best weapons.

I’ve been a Souls fan ever since Dark Souls graced my console for the first time back in 2011. The mix of amazing worlds and creepy, drip-fed lore with the downright terrifying enemies and brutal but rewarding combat system just clicked for me like it has with so many gamers the world over. When Demon’s Souls was remade, I was curious if it would retain the same sort of punishing glory that the other games in the series have given me, and I found out quickly as this game is as brutal as it comes.

To survive any encounter in this world, you’re going to need the best weapons you can find, and some of them are far less obvious to get than you might think. Let’s see what kind of weapons we can get our hands on in Demon’s Souls.

Weapon Types

Whether you’re new to Souls games or not, you know that in RPGs, everyone has a preference for what they like to use to cut up their competition with. For me, I’ve always been an oversized sword guy, so Demon’s Souls suits me perfectly there, but there are also RPG players who like quick attacks, and thankfully, there are daggers here for just that as well. Here’s what we’ve got in terms of weapon choices.

Daggers

These are small weapons that do low damage but attack with a ton of speed, allowing for multiple attacks. Their moveset features a horizontal slash as well as a stabbing attack that can do massive damage.

Straight Swords 

Straight Swords are among the most balanced weapons in the game. They are usually pretty strong while having some solid speed as well. You’ll find yourself starting with this weapon more times than not.

Large Swords

The Large Swords in Demon’s Souls are some of the best weapons in the game. They are pretty slow, but timing your attacks according to your enemy’s movement can counter this weakness, and their massive damage output is enough to put down most normal enemies in one or two hits max. You usually need to wield this with two hands to be effective, and for that reason, its blocking ability of it is less than ideal.

Very Large Swords

While the large swords are slow, nothing compares to how slow these babies are. They are comically oversized and make you an incredibly slow target, but if you can manage to time your attacks with these, especially against slow-moving bosses, you’ll find this weapon can do massive damage.

Curved Swords

These are a bit faster than Straight Swords, and most importantly, they attack at different angles, and that allows them to get over a lot of enemy and boss defenses. These are swords that aggressive players want to use as they can cause big damage in a hurry in the right player’s hands.

Katanas 

Every RPG needs a Katana, in my opinion, and here they’re among the best weapons in the game because of their ability to cause a bleed status. This makes it so every hit you deliver has a chance to make an enemy or player bleed, and the result is a constant flow of damage to them unless they fix it. These words can be used for slash and thrust attacks and are incredibly efficient at closing large gaps in a hurry. They aren’t the strongest swords out there, but they’re among the most effective.

Thrusting Swords

These swords are among the fastest swords in the game, but they serve a very particular kind of player. If your goal is to counter enemy attacks and try to parry them for backstabs, then Thrusting Swords are absolutely for you. They have incredibly fast thrust attacks that can damage enemies milliseconds after they try to attack you but fail to time these attacks properly, and you’ll find yourself in big trouble. These weapons are not recommended for fights with a lot of enemies.

Axes

Axes come in handy aplenty in Demon’s Souls as they’re among the most damaging melee weapons you can find. They’re a bit slower than Large Swords, but they pack more of a punch and tend to have massive arcing attacks that make them the ideal choice for crowd control in a boss fight or against normal enemies.

Hammers

Using Hammers against normal enemies is pretty much a waste as most are too fast to get any great hits on. The part Hammers plays in Demon’s Souls is that of a boss destroyed. For bosses that lumber around or ones that have massive bodies to hit, charging up a heavy attack with a hammer is going to cause a ton of damage. Hammers are especially effective against bosses that need their armor broken before they can be opened up for big damage. Keep one of these on hand if you get the chance to grab one.

Large Hammers

These weapons are pretty much reserved for the bold. Large Hammers are the slowest weapons in the game, but if you manage to hit anything with it, boss or otherwise, it’s going to die very quickly. These slow you to a crawl, so you better hope your dodging and rolling skills are up to par as one missed swing with this, and you’ll be opening yourself up for massive amounts of damage from enemies.

Fist Weapons

Fist weapons are another weapon type reserved for the experts of the group as their lackluster range means the only way you can deal real damage with them is by getting up close and personal. This will open you up to take a lot of damage, but if you’re in the mood for a faster Demon’s Souls combat system, these turn you into a crazy slashing madman, and while the defensive ability here is definitely left wanting, you can deliver some major damage on your own.

Spears

Spears are definitely for the thinking man when it comes to Demon’s Souls players. The reason is that while these weapons can be extremely effective and provide great reach, they are also easily blocked, and when that happens, you open yourself up for taking a ton of punishment. Spears can be wielded both one-handed or two-handed, but the smartest approach is with one hand, so you can use a shield with the other. Timing is everything with a spear, so if you can manage the distance you need between enemies along with the precise timing of your thrusts, you will become a tough combatant that is both dangerous and well protected at the same time.

Polearms

Think of these weapons as more flexible spears. They have a wider range of moveset and are far more effective at crowd control because of their massic range during sweeping attacks. They are not nearly as fast as spears, but they do considerably more damage and are the more effective weapon with two hands as well. Your defensive abilities will be worse here two-handed, but the range you get in the trade-off along with the attack speed increase is well worth it. For normal enemy mobs and boss mobs, polearms can take can of them in seconds if used properly, and although they’re a bit tougher to master than most weapons, they are incredibly rewarding to use properly.

Bows

While they aren’t as flashy as the other weapons in the game, bows are still incredibly useful, and whether you specialize in them or not, it’s always good to have one on hand with some arrows to spare, as you never know when you might come across a pack of normal enemies or a boss that requires some long-range expertise. You can aim while locked on up close or attack from afar with a manual aim. The only way to land headshots is through manual aiming, and several bosses can be taken down very quickly by hitting their weak spots. Although it can feel kind of cheap sometimes, it’s not like the game doesn’t throw its fair share of unfair moments at you as well.

Crossbows

Crossbows are more powerful versions of bows, but there are a few negatives if you’re going to be a crossbow specialist. First off, there aren’t that many great ones to find, so your benefits with these will be based on your own skill with the bow. While they do more damage per shot than an equal bow would do, they are very slow to reload, and the aiming is a bit stiff. They’re best used at medium range compared to longer range from the bows, as lining up headshots from far away with these is not going to be an effective way of dealing with combat.

Catalysts

Catalasyts are the magic staff of the game, and without one, the majority of the spells of the game are unusable to it. Speaking of unusable, the catalyst itself needs a bit of help to be useful in any way during battle. You need to either find or purchase spells to use with the catalyst, and even then, you have a mana bar to worry about, as when that runs out, so does your ability to cast spells. Once you get your hands on some powerful spells, though, many of the game’s tougher bosses become so much easier as these spells rip through them, and they usually have little in the way of defense against them. Magic users generally have a far easier time while playing most Souls games, and Demon’s Souls is no exception.

Talismans

If you’re playing with a friend or teaming up with a stranger to take on a boss, you might want to bring along a talisman with you for support. These are just like the catalysts in that they let you cast spells, but the difference here is these spells are called miracles, and they’re of the support variety, with some doing some damage as well. These spells generally heal, revive or fix a variety of other status effects. Not only can the talisman come in handy during a tough battle where you’ve run out of curatives, but it can also get rid of annoying PVP players that have invaded your game. Several spells make it either incredibly unpleasant for players to attack you or completely banish them outright, so if you’re an online player, having a talisman on hand with a few purchased spells is always a good idea.

Where To Find The Best Weapons

Although there are tons of weapons available to you in the game, finding them is a whole other story. Some are purchased, but others need to be found, and there are no hints in the game that will help lead you to them, so here’s where to get all of the best weapons in Demon’s Souls.

Moonlight Greatsword

For any veterans of From Software games, you know that they always like to fit in their signature Moonlight Greatsword any way they can. Why? Nobody is too sure, but it’s always an awesome weapon to get your hands on, and in Demon’s Souls, it’s as effective as ever.

The location of this sword is in the miserable area called the Swamp of Sorrow. This is an incredibly uninviting area that is filled with slugs that will damage you and cause status effects as well. There are multiple items in this area that are close enough to just jump in and jump out, but if you continue through the area past the items, you will find a cave, and there will be a nest of slugs waiting for you. You need to then attack the nest and make it collapse. Go to the area they fell through, and waiting for you will be a Moonlight Greatsword in all its glory.

Not only is this weapon awesome looking, but it will likely be one of the most powerful you’ve encountered to this point, and it can make a world of difference against the upcoming bosses in this area.

The Ruin Sword and Shield

If you prefer to do your combat with a side of the defense, the Ruin Sword and Ruin Shield combo is a great option to do so. In Upper Latria, you will encounter a boss called the Fool’s Idol. After she’s defeated, you will see a massive tower that has a beating heart inside of it. Go all the way to the top and then take a left. When you look down, you will see the items on the ledge below. Carefully drop down from here to get both of them, but be aware that if you fall, the drop can kill you outright. To avoid that, stick to the wall as your wall and hold the analog stick in the direction of the wall, then, as soon as you land, let go, and you should be able to grab the items with no issue.

Blind

This is one of the tougher words in the game to acquire because it currently does not belong to you. Instead, it belongs to the Black Phantom Selen Vinland, and she’s going to be in the same place where you found the Moonlight Greatsword, the Swamp of Sorrow. She isn’t in the same area, though, and you’ll find her lurking nearby the first Fog Door in the area.

This is going to be one tough fight because the weapon you seek is the one she uses, and the reason it’s so good is that it completely ignores your shield. With that in mind, get rid of the shield you have and instead two-hand your strongest weapon and get to work. She’s tough, but you can back her down into a corner and essentially trap her there, but she can also roll away into the swamp and heal herself, so get ready for a lengthy and tough battle here. Once you defeat her, you will acquire Blind, an incredibly effective weapon at this point in the game.

Isabelle

This is one of the toughest weapons to get in the game, as the requirements for it are incredibly difficult to accomplish. To do this, you need to defeat the three bosses of the Archstone of the Chieftain while not dying, which is an accomplishment on its own. Once you do that, you also need to stay alive while you take out the Black Phantoms of the area, and each of these is as tough as the bosses. You do not lose world tendency when you die in spirit form, so you can at least rely on that form to get rid of the Black Phantoms if you die in the area.

Once you’ve accomplished these tasks, you need to head to the Depraved Chasm. Once there, head to the end of the area, and you will see a ledge with rats on one side and a Giant Depraved One on the other. The middle of the ledge has a ladder, and you need to climb it. Once you get up there, kill the three Giant Depraved Ones guarding the item, and once you do, you’ll gain Istarelle, one of the better starting spears in the game.

Demonbrandt

This is one of the coolest-looking weapons in the game, and it’s more than just looks as it’s incredibly powerful as well. Because of those statuses, you could imagine you’re not going to have the easiest time acquiring it, and you’d be very right.

To get this weapon, you need to fight Old King Doran. Just getting to him is an accomplishment as to do this, you need to finish Ostrava’s storyline or face him in combat and kill him. Doing so will net you the Mausoleum Key.

Once you’ve got the key, take it to the Gates of Boletaria and go to where the Red-Eye Knight is. How you deal with him is up to you, but next to him is a door where the key can be used. Inside, talk to Doran, and he’ll tell you that you need to prove yourself to use the sword. Fight him and take his health down about 3/4ths of the way, and you’ll find yourself with one of the best weapons in the game.

Great Club

This is a great weapon, but you need to be extremely careful when trying to get it because it’s a one-shot deal. If you fail here, there is no going back, and this weapon becomes unavailable to you until you leave the area and come back. With that in mind, travel to the Smithing Grounds, and when you get there, you will see a bunch of items on a platform. Next to the platform is a small bridge, and the second you step foot on this bridge, it collapses.

To get the Great Club, you need to sprint across the bridge and roll at the last second to get to the other side of it without falling, and when you do, you’ll have the powerful Great Club in your arsenal.

White Bow

There are several ways to obtain this weapon throughout the game, and it’s a good thing because they can be easy to miss. The first method is located in the Ritual Path. Once here, go downstairs and enter the area where the Graverobber Blige is. Go through the door here and fight the Ghosts and Reaper, and then head down to where the Reaper was. Go into the stairwell on the left. Then, you need to find the hidden doorway located on the 2nd flight of stairs, and when you go through, you will need to walk until you encounter the Dual Katana Black Skeleton. Drop off the mountain that will lead you to the start of the map, and after the first drop, you will see a body with the White Bow and White Arrows on it.

This is the first method. The other two methods are easier to find, though they happen later in the game. At the King’s Tower, all you have to do is kill the White Bow Black Phantom. This enemy is tough, but a sustained melee attack should be enough to take care of them; just remember to bring a shield to this fight.

The final method is by trading a Pure Moonlightstone to Sparkly the Crow. Crystal Lizards will drop this item, so just kill one whenever you see it to acquire it.

Uchigatana

Katanas are some of the most fun weapons to use in the game, and one of the first ones you get can be made into one of the best with proper upgrades. To acquire this weapon, you need to beat the Vanguard in areas 4-1. You will find the area with the weapon in it directly after beating the boss, or you can get it by fighting as many Black Skeleton enemies as you can handle.

Crescent Falchion +1

If you’ve used Falchions before, you already know how useful they can be, and with the Crescent Falchion on your side early in the game, you will be a devastating force from that point forward. It’s found in the Shrine of Storms right after you pass the first Fog Gate.

Once you cross the fog, turn left into the nearby building and watch out for a trap that immediately triggers upon your entry. After you deal with that, work your way through the building and take a left to head back outside. You’ll find a Dual Katana Black Skeleton here guarding the Crescent Falchion +1. You can either fight him or run past him to grab the weapon. This is one of the best weapons in the game early on, and it can scale with magic, making it an awesome second weapon for magic users out there.

Scraping Spear

This is one of the more unique items in the game because it’s not a huge damage dealer based on its modest stats, but the effectiveness of the weapon becomes clear after using it. The Scraping Spear degrades the enemy’s armor and weapon effectiveness. This works on pretty much any enemy in the game, so by softening up enemies with this weapon and switching to a more powerful one, you can make your encounters end pretty quickly.

To find it, you need to defeat the Phalanx. After you obtain its soul, take the boss soul and trade it to Blacksmith Ed along with a +7 Spear, and you will get the Scraping Spear.

Ritual Blade

This is a massive ax that lets you move around way faster than other weapons of its type. It’s got pretty solid damage to start, and with proper scaling, it becomes usable throughout most of the game.

You can acquire this unique weapon from Stockpile Thomas. It cannot be upgraded, so the effectiveness of this weapon relies almost solely on your ability to scale your stats with it properly.

Blueblood Sword

This is possibly the best weapon in the game because of its unique ability to scale with physical and magic damage. It’s a massive sword with good reach, and it’s pretty fast for its size too.

To acquire it, you have to beat the game. That’s right; the only way to get this is by beating the final boss and getting the Pureblood Demon’s Soul. Once you have that and a Broken Sword, take it to Blacksmith Ed, and he can make the Blueblood Sword for you.

Magic Sword “Makoto’ 

This katana is very unique in that it causes damage to you as you use it. This happens pretty slowly, but it is constant. With this caveat comes an incredible amount of damage potential. Makoto does not scale, but its base damage is insane, and the long-range to go with it can be incredibly useful during several tough encounters during the game.

You will find the sword in areas 4-2 in the underground cave under the first Reaper room. This is the same cave that Patches will kick you into, so you’ve likely been here already. The corpse down here will have the item, though it’s only accessible if the World Tendency is Pure White.

Morlon Blade

This is one of the better swords in the game, and it can be crafted by Blacksmith Ed once you have defeated the Storm King and acquired a sword that has been upgraded to +8. Once these two things have been accomplished, hand them over to Blacksmith Ed, and he’ll craft you this insanely powerful two-handed greatsword.

Northern Regalia

This sword combines two of the swords in the game, Soulbrandt, and Demonbrandt, and once you acquire both of these, you have the formula in place to get the most powerful weapon in the game.

This weapon is extremely unique because it scales with your character’s Tendency, which is altered by your choices of who you’re allying with during the game. Whatever your path maybe, once it’s at a maximum state, the Northern Regalia sword gains an initial attack rating of 540, which is just absurd compared to most weapons in the game.

You can acquire Northern Regalia by using the False King’s Demon’s Soul from King Allant and the soul from Old King Doran. Once you’ve got both of these, head back to the Blacksmith and give him the Red Hot Demon Soul from the Flamelurker. Then you will use the Demonbrant, Soulbrandt, and False King Demon Soul to make the Northern Regalia. This is the ultimate weapon in Demon’s Souls.

FAQ

Question: Can you get every weapon in the first playthrough?

Answer: You can try to acquire every weapon the first time through, but you will likely miss a few as some can be very difficult or obscure to acquire.

Question: Can I play Demon’s Souls with a friend?

Answer: Yes, you can play Demon’s Souls with a friend by either joining their game or inviting you into yours, and the whole game is playable in this fashion.

Question: Is Demon’s Souls the hardest Souls game?

Answer: Due to the World Tendency mechanic that punishes you for dying a lot, Demon’s Souls is definitely one of the toughest Souls games out there and might just be the hardest one.

Conclusion

Demon’s Souls has some devastating bosses and normal enemies for you to deal with on your journey, and if you want a fighting chance, you’re going to need the best weapons available. Hopefully, this guide has helped out in showing you where to get the best weapons.

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