From backstabs to parrying, daggers play a vital role in Dark Souls 3. But with 13 to choose from, it can be tricky to know which is best. In this guide, I‘ll be ranking all daggers in Dark Souls 3 from worst to best.
13. Scholar‘s Candlestick
While the Scholar‘s Candlestick can increase Sorceries damage by 10%, its low base damage and Physical/Critical rating make it more of a casting tool than weapon.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 68
- Critical Attack: 115
- Weight: 1.5 units
The Candlestick lacks scaling and has high Faith requirements. Its weapon skill, Guiding Light, is also underwhelming.
Location: Dropped by Scholars in Grand Archives. Sold by Handmaid and Greirat.
12. Tailbone Shortsword
This sword-dagger hybrid has better range and physical damage than most daggers but lower critical damage. It scales well with Dexterity and is upgraded with Titanite Scales.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 106
- Critical Attack: 110
- Weight: 2 units
While not exceptional in any area, the Tailbone Shortsword is a well-balanced dagger option. Its Weapon Skill, Unleash Dragon, releases an AoE shockwave attack.
Location: Dropped by Wretches in Irithyll Dungeon.
11. Handmaid‘s Dagger
The Handmaid‘s Dagger restores 1 FP per hit, allowing more Weapon Skill usage. It has average base damage but good Dexterity scaling.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 85
- Critical Attack: 110
- Weight: 0.5 units
Its Blind Spot Weapon Skill can bypass shields and drain stamina. However, the dagger lacks range and its low durability means frequent repairs.
Location: Dropped by Jailer Handmaids in Profaned Capital.
10. Rotten Ghru Dagger
With innate poison and a solid balance of bleed, the Rotten Ghru Dagger pressures foes through status effects.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 64
- Critical Attack: 100
- Weight: 2 units
Its Quickstep Weapon Skill enhances mobility during combat. However, its lackluster scaling hinders the dagger at higher levels. It also has short range.
Location: Dropped by Ghru in Farron Keep.
9. Murky Hand Scythe
Despite the name, the Murky Hand Scythe uses a dagger moveset focused on Slashing over Thrust. It has strong critical damage and causes Bleed build-up.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 72
- Critical Attack: 100
- Weight: 2 units
With multi-stat requirements, the Murky Hand Scythe caters to specialized builds. It also has poor scaling like the Rotten Ghru Dagger.
Location: Found in the Dreg Heap.
8. Parrying Dagger
As expected, the Parrying Dagger excels at the eponymous technique. But its pathetic damage and lack of scaling prevent it from ranking higher.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 60
- Critical Attack: 110
- Weight: 1 unit
The Parrying Dagger connects parries with wider timing windows than other tools. Buy one if you want an easy mode for parrying!
Location: Sold by Patches for 2000 souls.
7. Mail Breaker
Originally a Dark Souls 1 fame weapon, the Mail Breaker makes a triumphant return in DS3. It boasts S-tier critical damage and the excellent Shield Splitter Weapon Skill.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 89
- Critical Attack: 125
- Weight: 1.5 units
With 14.7 SP range, the Mail Breaker is one of the longest-reaching daggers. Its primary downside is somewhat lacking scaling.
Location: Starting equipment for Sorcerer. Found on High Wall of Lothric and sold by Patches.
6. Corvian Greatknife
This massive dagger can stagger enemies in one jumping attack. Its Weapon Skill goes through guards, letting you damage turtling foes.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 93
- Critical Attack: 110
- Weight: 2.5 units
In the right hands, the Corvian Greatknife can overpower enemies early on. Sadly, its poorer scaling prevents endgame viability.
Location: Dropped by Corvians throughout the game.
5. Aquamarine Dagger
The Aquamarine Dagger shapeshifts into a mini sword with its Crystal Blade Weapon Skill. This expands its range while retaining quick dagger attacks.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 67
- Critical Attack: 100
- Weight: 1.5 units
With Dexterity, Intelligence and magic damage scaling, an Int-focused build can get good mileage from the Aquamarine Dagger. It‘s also quite stylish!
Location: Found in Ringed City DLC.
4. Bandit‘s Knife
Attuned to critical damage and inflicting Bleed, the Bandit‘s Knife quickly shreds down hostiles capable of bleeding. Its Dexterity scaling is also decent.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 79
- Critical Attack: 110
- Weight: 1.5 units
Combined with the Quickstep Weapon Skill, the Bandit‘s Knife allows surgically precise strikes. It‘s perfectly designed for its niche.
Location: Starting Thief Class equipment. Sold by Greirat and Handmaid.
3. Brigand Twindaggers
The Brigand Twindaggers stand out as the only dual-wield dagger option, enabling incredibly fast successive strikes.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 70
- Critical Attack: 125
- Weight: 2.5 units
Its Quickstep Weapon Skill further augments mobility. Drawing out full damage requires high Dexterity investment though.
Location: Found on a corpse in Road of Sacrifices.
2. Harpe
Many overlook the Harpe but its leaping light attack consistently staggers enemies, allowing easy critical follow-ups.
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 62
- Critical Attack: 100
- Weight: 1.5 units
Like most daggers, the Harpe gets access to Quickstep. It can carry lower level builds through tough encounters.
Location: Dropped by Hollows in Undead Settlement.
1. Dagger
The humbly named Dagger comes out on top by having the highest critical damage in Dark Souls 3 – a whopping 130!
Base Stats:
- Physical Attack: 65
- Critical Attack: 130
- Weight: 1.5 units
Infusing it with a Chaos Gem to get Fire scaling turns this unassuming blade into a complete monster. Don‘t let its plain looks fool you!
Location: Sold by Handmaid. Dropped by Hollow Assassins on High Wall of Lothric.
The Best Daggers For Different Situations
While I ranked the daggers from worst to best overall, some excel in specific scenarios:
- Critical Damage: Dagger, Bandit‘s Knife
- Parrying: Parrying Dagger
- Bleed Build-Up: Bandit‘s Knife, Brigand Twindaggers
- Magic Scaling: Aquamarine Dagger
- Early Game Carry: Harpe, Corvian Greatknife
- PvP & Mobility: Brigand Twindaggers
So consider your build and playstyle when choosing a dagger rather than just picking the top ranked one!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best Critical Dagger in Dark Souls 3?
The Dagger has the highest Critical rating at 130, making it the undisputed king of critical damage. Infusing it with a Chaos Gem pushes this even higher.
Why does no one use the Parrying Dagger?
While excellent at parrying, the Parrying Dagger sorely lacks in every other area – chiefly damage output. Players generally prefer shields or guns for parrying.
Which Dagger has the best Weapon Skill?
I‘m most fond of the Aquamarine Dagger‘s Crystal Blade, allowing powerful ranged attacks, and the Brigand Twinblade‘s Quickstep for speedy offense/defense.
What‘s the best Dagger early game?
The Harpe and Corvian Greatknife can both carry low level characters through tough areas thanks to their ability to consistently stagger enemies after a jumping attack. Their base damage is also solid.
