As an avid Dark Souls 3 fan with hundreds of hours perfecting my dexterity builds, I‘m sharing my deep knowledge on the game‘s most lethal dex weapons to dominate PvE and PvP.
What Makes a Great Dex Weapon?
Before ranking the top 10 options, let‘s overview what gives dexterity-based weapons an edge:
- High DPS – The fastest weapons enable more hits over time, shredding foes.
- Bleed Build Up – Many dex weapons inflict bleeding status effects.
- Range – Longswords, spears and katanas strike from a safe distance.
- Moveset – Complex movesets with wide arcs or thrusting attacks open tactical options.
- Scaling – S/A tier dexterity scaling weapons become über-powerful as you level up.
Understanding these key traits helps assess the ideal dex weapons for your own playstyle and builds. Now let‘s get into the rankings!
10. Crow Talons
The Crow Talons take the number 10 spot offering dex builds lethal claws with the highest bleed build up of any weapon. Their unique moveset enables rapid slashes, kicks, and jumping attacks that strike quickly from multiple angles. Upgrade them with Titanite Scales to further boost the bleed, or use Carthus Rouge resin to inflict even deadlier bleed status effects.
| Damage | Slash/Thrust |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A (+5) |
| Skill | Quickstep |
| Weight | 2.5 units |
"The Crow Talons easily build bleed on foes while evading attacks with Quickstep. Their unique moveset catches opponents off guard in PvP as well." – Fextralife Forums
9. Brigand Twindaggers
Living up to their name, the Brigand Twindaggers offer a lethal pair of daggers with the top backstab damage to terrorize enemies. Their Quickstep weapon skill adds mobility to use hit and run tactics. When Sharp infused, they gain S tier dex scaling and can quickly bleed or poison enemies using resins/bundles. Use these to relentlessly pressure enemies.
| Damage | Slash |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A/A (+10) |
| Skill | Quickstep |
| Weight | 2.5 units (each) |
"Infuse the Brigand Twindaggers Sharp, throw on the Carthus Rouge, and go ham with the L1 attacks to shred bosses and quickly proc bleed." – r/DexBuilds
8. Pontiff Knight Curved Sword
Boasting versatile attacks that hit heavily from mid-range, the Pontiff Knight Curved Sword serves as a popular choice among dexterity builds. Its frosty crystals enable Frostbite build up to continually weaken enemies. When paired with an offhand dagger, you can use the weapon skill to spiral into enemies and instantly critical attack.
| Damage | Slash |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | C/D |
| Skill | Frost Blade |
| Weight | 3.5 units |
"The Pontiff Knight CS has deceptively long range and gets counter damage on trading while building up frost quickly!" – fextralife forums
7. Sharp Lothric Knight Sword
A favorite among seasoned players, the Lothric Knight Straight Sword offers highly damaging thrust attacks with long range that excel at counter hits on enemies mid-attack. Infuse it Sharp early on your dex builds to get A/A scaling. The versatile moveset lets you switch between standard and long-reach stance attacks to mix up your offense.
| Damage | Standard/Thrust |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A/A (+10 Sharp) |
| Skill | Stance |
| Weight | 3.0 units |
"The Lothric Knight Sword has high AR, counter damage, and range. Great balance between speed/damage with opportunity to combo R1 into R2 thrusts." – r/DexBuilds subreddit
6. Sharp Crow Quills
Transformed from the soul of Sister Friede, the Crow Quills offer dex builds a lethal rapier with versatile attacks. Lightning fast jabs and wide slashes pressure enemies while the unique weapon skill changes your moveset for mix up potential. When Sharp infused, it gains A tier dexterity scaling and S tier critical damage – making it amazing for parry + riposte fighting.
| Damage | Slash/Thrust |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A (+5 Sharp) |
| Skill | Stance |
| Weight | 3.5 units |
"The Crow Quills have amazing critical damage and guard breaking potential. One of my favorite dex weapons for parry-focused builds." – ChaseTheBro
5. Sharp Murakumo
This heavy curved greatsword lets dex builds strike with the force of ultra weapons while retaining high attack speed. Its weapon skill charges power to unleash spinning slashes that can hit heavily and break guards in PvP. Though demanding higher strength requirements, at Sharp infusion the Murakumo becomes a first-class quality build sword.
| Damage | Slash |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A (+10 Sharp) |
| Skill | Spin Sweep |
| Weight | 11.0 units |
"I put heavy gems on them for my strength build character. But Sharp infusion would make it equally deadly for dex guys as well. That A scaling dex makes it hit like a truck!" – Steam forums
4. Sharp Astora Greatsword
Discovered within the Cathedral of the Deep, this nimble ultra greatsword offers surprising mobility along with heavy hitting thrust attacks to counter enemies and bosses mid-action. Compared to heavier ultra class weapons, it better suits a more evasive dex focused playstyle. Infusing it Sharp will add S tier dexterity scaling to enable lethal damage.
| Damage | Standard/Thrust |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | S (+10 Sharp) |
| Skill | Charge |
| Weight | 8.0 units |
"The charged strong attack allows you to punish healers/chuggers from a distance. AndRoll catching folks with the horizontal swings works great since people don‘t expect ultra range." – u/Sines314 from DexBuilds subreddit
3. Sharp Sellsword Twinblades
These dual swords enable dex builds to combo successive hits with their unique spinning weapon skill that just shreds through enemies and bosses. The Sellsword Twinblades lack range, but make up for it with sheer speed and DPS to annihilate anything that gets near you. Later on, consider enchanting them with Lightning Blade to get extremely high AR.
| Damage | Slash |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A/A (+10 Sharp) |
| Skill | Spin Slash |
| Weight | 2.5 units (each) |
"Sellswords set dex builds on easy mode for PvE with that crazy DPS. Plus they look awesome doing that spin combo!" – Steam Community post
2. Sharp Crow Quills
Obtained by transposing Friede‘s soul, the Crow Quills dagger offers nimble dex builds a unique parrying dagger and thrusting sword hybrid to adapt to any situation. It gains A tier dexterity scaling when Sharp infused. Transforming to the sword stance enables wider slashes and new dash attacks while retaining parry ability. Extremely quick and versatile.
| Damage | Pierce/Slash |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | A (+5 Sharp) |
| Skill | Stance |
| Weight | 3.5 units |
"The transformed attacks roll catch consistently in PvP and have amazing range. Feels so satisfying landing the transformed charge attack leap!" – ChaseTheBro YouTube comments
1. Frayed Blade
And taking the top spot as the best dexterity weapon in Dark Souls 3 goes to the intimidating Frayed Blade curved katana! Requiring nearly 40 dexterity to wield, it also has high dark base damage to annihilate tough enemies and bosses. Every slash shoots out a damaging wave. Plus the weapon skill unleashes a series of wrathful slicers.
| Damage | Slash/Thrust |
|---|---|
| Dexterity Scaling | B/E |
| Skill | Hold |
| Weight | 2.0 units |
"The Frayed Blade is just dps heaven, especially with 60 dex. That weapon art melts enemies and the range/moveset is glorious." – GameFAQs commenter
Conclusion
And there you have it – the absolute top 10 dexterity weapons you can get in Dark Souls 3. I hope this guide gives you ideas on exciting new weaponry to try on your next playthrough. Which dex weapon stands as your personal favorite? Let everyone know down below!
