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Dark Souls 3 Wiki Guide: Weapons, Bosses, Armor, Magic, Builds, Maps, Walkthroughs and more for Dark Souls III — the third installment in From Software's Dark Souls Series!
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Dark Souls 3 Wiki: Everything you need to know about Dark Souls 3
The Dark Souls 3 Wiki covers everything about Dark Souls 3, the third installment in the Dark Souls franchise developed by FromSoftware and published by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. Find all you need to know from Basic Combat Mechanics and Controls, Weapons, Armor, Skills, Magic, Lore, to Crafting & Cooking Guides, tips for Bosses, Location Maps, Game Completion Guides & Walkthroughs and much more for Dark Souls 3.
When did Dark Souls 3 Release?
Dark Souls 3 was released for consoles in Japan on March 24, 2016. It was then released on all platforms worldwide a month later on the 12th of April, 2016.Is there DLC for Dark Souls 3?
Dark Souls 3 has 2 expansion DLCs — Ashes of Ariandel released on October 16, 2016, and The Ringed City released on the 28th of March, 2017. Both DLCs add hours of new content with new Locations, NPCs, storylines, and Enemies & Bosses.What platforms are Dark Souls 3 available on?
Dark Souls 3 was initially only available for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One during it's release. Dark Souls 3 became available for the PC about a month after it's release. There are currently no plans to release Dark Souls 3 for current-gen consoles (PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X|S), however, the game can be okayed on these consoles due to backwards compatibility with it's predecessors.Dark Souls 3 System Requirements
Minimum Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i3-2100 / AMD® FX-6300
- RAM: 4 GB
- OS: Windows 7 SP1 64bit, Windows 8.1 64bit Windows 10 64bit
- Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 750 Ti / ATI Radeon HD 7950
- Directx: Directx 11
- Storage: 25 GB
- Sound Card: DirectX 11 sound device
Recommended Requirements
- CPU: Intel Core i7-3770 / AMD® FX-8350
- RAM: 8 GB
- OS: Windows 7 SP1 64bit, Windows 8.1 64bit Windows 10 64bit
- Video Card: NVIDIA® GeForce GTX 970 / ATI Radeon R9 series
- Directx: Directx 11
- Storage: 25GB
- Sound Card: DirectX 11 sound device
International Dark Soul 3 Wiki
Check out our Dark Souls 3 Wiki in other languages:
Japanese Wiki | 
Polish Wiki | French Wiki 
German Wiki | 
ItalianWiki
| Dark Souls 3 Wiki | |
|---|---|
| |
| Publisher | BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. |
| Developer | FromSoftware Inc. |
| Players | Single-player |
| Genre | Action RPG |
| Platforms | PlayStation®4, XBox One, PC |
| Rating | RP – Rating Pending |
| Localization Voice Over | English |
| Subtitles | English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Portuguese-Brazil, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean |
Latest Dark Souls 3 News
Review - The Ringed City - No spoilers
Review - Ashes of Ariandel - No spoilers
All Dark Souls 3 Maps finished!
Sortable Tables on Magic & Armor categories
When did Dark Souls 3: Fire Fades Edition Release?
Dark Souls 3: Fire Fades Edition is a compiled released version of Dark Souls 3. This included both the Base Game and the Two expansions Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City It was then released on all platforms worldwide on the April 21, 2017.
An Introduction to Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 Wiki Story Overview
Yes, indeed. It is called Lothric. Where the transitory lands of the Lords of Cinder converge. In venturing north, the pilgrims discover the truth of the old words. “The fire fades, and the lords go without thrones.” When the link of fire is threatened, the bell tolls, unearthing the old Lords of Cinder from their graves. Aldrich, Saint of the Deep.Farron’s Undead Legion, The Abyss Watchers. And the reclusive lord of the Profaned Capital, Yhorm the Giant. Only, in truth... The Lords will abandon their thrones, and the Unkindled will rise. Nameless, accursed undead, unfit even to be cinder. And so it is. 'That ash seeketh embers.
Dark Souls 3 takes place in a transitory place, revolving around the first flame and the cycle of fire and dark. You play as a protagonist whose goal is to find and return the five Lords of Cinder to their thrones at Firelink Shrine in order to link the flame again. The protagonist is known as an Unkindled, a kind of Undead, beings of ash unworthy to ascend to become a Lord of Cinder. The five Lords of Cinder are Ludleth the Exiled, Aldrich, Saint of the Deep, Farron's Undead Legion, the Abyss Watchers, the reclusive lord of the Profaned Capital, Yhorm the Giant, and Holy King Lothric, Last Hope of His Line. Lords of Cinder are past beings who were successful in linking the flame, being burned remnants of their past selves.
Dark Souls 3 Combat & Gameplay
Combat Moves
- Dashing
Push the left stick all the way in a direction and hold the ☓/B button while in motion to dash.
Dashing consumes your stamina. Push down on the left stick (L3 button/LS) while dashing to jump in the direction you're going.
You can set this for either the L3/LS button or ☓/B button in the main menu.
- Rolling
Push the left stick in any direction and press the ☓/B button to execute a roll in the direction you pushed. Rolls have i-frames, which temporarily make the player invulnerable at the beginning of the animation. Most players would advise rolling against attacks to help newcomers get the timing right.
A roll can also be performed while the player is getting up after being knocked down, providing the same i-frames as a regular roll but moving a much shorter distance and using a different animation. This roll can only be perfomed during the start of the getting up animation, which is when the player can be stuck again. This is a better alternative to letting the animation finish.
- Backstep
Press the ☓/B button while you aren't pushing the left stick in any direction to quickly step backward. Backsteps do not have i-frames.
- Using Ladders
Go up to a ladder and press the ○/A button to climb or descend it.
To descend more quickly, hold down the O/B button and push the left stick downward.
While on a ladder, press the R1/RB button to attack upward and the R2/RT button to attack downward.
Attack and Defense
- Target Lock-on
Push down on the right stick (R3/RS button) to target (lock on to) a nearby foe.
If multiple enemies are nearby, move the right stick around while locked on to change your target.
Once you lock on to a foe, you'll continually face the foe as you move around.
If there are no enemies nearby, pressing the R3/RS button will reset the camera.
Locking on requires a minimum distance from the target.
- Right-hand Weapon Actions
Press the R1/RB or R2/RT buttons to use the weapon in your right hand to attack.
Press the R1/RB button for a regular attack, which has a smaller stamina cost and does less damage, and the R2/RT button for a strong attack, that takes more stamina but deals more damage. They also can possibly deal different types of damage, the Estoc being an example.
Hold down the R2/RT button to launch a charged attack, which does extra damage. Holding does not need to be done all the way, and can be dropped earlier to change the strong attack's timing.
If the weapon's strong attack has a 2-hit combo, you can also choose to charge only the first, the second or both attacks.
- Left-hand Weapon Actions
Press the L1 button to use the weapon in your left hand to attack.
If you have a shield equipped, hold down the L1 button to take a guard stance. A guard stance allows the player to tank through hits and reduce their damage by a percentage depending on the shield, at the cost of stamina. How much stamina a shield takes to block an attack is dependent on its stability, and heavier weapons tend to take more stamina to block.
- Dual-hand Weapon Actions
Press the △/Y button, and you'll use the weapon in your right hand to take a dual-wield stance.
Press the △/Y button again in dual-hand mode to return to single-hand mode.
Holding the △/Y button lets the player dual-hand the weapon in his left hand.
Dual-handing allows for the use of new movesets, weapon skills, an L1/LB special attack/block, and multiplies the player's strength by 1.5, allowing him to wield more weapons and get better scaling from them.
Bonfires in Dark Souls 3
Bonfires in Dark Souls 3 are key checkpoints and hubs of activity for the player. They serve as rest points where you can recover health and FP (Focus Points), refill your Estus Flask charges, and cure status ailments. Bonfires also act as fast travel points, allowing you to warp between discovered bonfires.
Exploring the World in Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls is a game deeply rooted in exploration, rewarding players who take the time to investigate every corner of its intricate, interconnected world. By thoroughly exploring each area, you’ll uncover hidden shortcuts, minibosses, and secret items that can greatly enhance your journey. Shortcuts are especially valuable, providing easier access to bonfires or safer routes through challenging zones.
Exploration also helps reveal environmental storytelling and subtle hints about the game’s lore. Whether it’s a hidden path behind a breakable wall or an item tucked away in a hard-to-reach location, taking the time to delve into every nook and cranny ensures a richer experience and might just turn the tide in your favor when faced with the game's many trials.
Covenants in Dark Souls 3
Covenants in Dark Souls 3 are multiplayer-focused factions, similar to those in previous games but with added flexibility. Much like in Bloodborne, players can freely switch between covenants without penalties, allowing them to join, leave, and level up multiple factions at their convenience. This makes it possible to collect all covenant items and rewards over the course of the game.
Special Actions
- Roll/Backstep Attacks
Immediately after rolling or backstepping, press the regular attack button for a quicker attack.
- Skills
Pressing L2/LT will execute the Skill of a weapon/shield/catalyst two-handed or equipped in the player's left hand. Skills are individual to weapons, though many weapons share Skills, and require focus to be performed. Attempting to perform a Skill without Focus will result in a failure, or in a weakened/partial version of the skill.
- Parrying
Most of the smaller shields, some of the medium sized shields and some weapons share the skill Parry. When seeing an attack coming, the player can choose to parry the attack and, if he gets the timing right, the enemy becomes vulnerable for a Riposte. Many attacks cannot be parried, however.
The parrying animation has startup frames, parry frames, and ending frames. To properly parry, the attack must hit the player during the animation's parry frames.
- Dead Angling
Dead angling is the act of hitting another player with the side of an attack's arc rather than the middle, making the attack un-parriable. Doing this typically requires not locking on, and moving to the side while attacking. Weapons with small attack arcs, such as Thrusting Weapons, cannot dead angle. The other player can still get a partial parry. Like the poise, it's here but work partially.
- Pushback Attack (Kick)
Press the R1/RB button as you push the left stick forward to execute a kick that deals stamina damage on opponents using shields. The stamina damage is affected by the shield's stability and may or may not guard break, allowing a Critical strike.
According to quite a few Forum users, the amount of stamina damage a kick deals is dependent on the weapon equipped.
- Jump Attack
Press the R2/RT button as you push the left stick forward to execute a jump attack.
- Plunging Attack
Press the R1/R2/RB/RT buttons while falling to attack your enemy from above.
•The plunging attack is the most reliable move in the game
- Ripostes
Ripostes are special attacks performed on enemies that have been guard broken or parried with the R1/RB button. They deal special damage and are influenced by a weapon's critical multiplier. Many enemies cannot be Riposte'd.
- Backstabs
Backstabs are special attacks performed from behind enemies with the R1/RB button. They deal special damage and are influenced by a weapon's critical multiplier. Many enemies cannot be backstabbed. Backstabs take a moment to begin after the R1/RB button is pressed - you become unstaggerable during the very end of this animation, allowing you to make trades via backstabs if positioned and timed correctly.
- Using Sorceries/Miracles/Pyromancies
In order to use magic (sorceries/miracles/pyromancies), you must have the corresponding catalyst (Sorcerer's Staff/Talisman or Chime/Pyromancy Flame) equipped.
Use the directional buttons (up) to select a magic, and use the regular attack of the hand in which the catalyst is equipped to cast it.
Using magic consumes your focus. Magic cannot be done without focus.
Hold down the button while casting various spells, such as "Heal" or "Sacred Oath" miracles to remain in casting mode, delaying the magic until you're ready.
- Sweet Spots
Sweet spots are the concept that some weapons deal more damage when attacks hit with a certain part of the hitbox. Emphasis on Halberds. Sweet Spots may have influence over stagger.
Hyper Armor, Poise and Stagger
Stagger is when a weapon's hit allows for a follow up. Whether or not a weapon can stagger or for how many hits it can stagger is dependent on the weapon. As of now, poise hasn't been confirmed to have an effect on stagger. As a special note, equip load seems to affect whether or not the player can be staggered at the ending of a roll animation.Bigger weapons in Dark Souls 3 have Hyper Armour towards the ending of their attack animations. Hyper Armor makes the player immune to stagger temporarily, making their attacks uninterruptible. The amount of Hyper Armor an attack has is influenced by the player's poise, so equipping heavier armor when using bigger weapons is recommended, while it won't make much of a difference for players using lighter and faster weapons.
NPC Encounters in Dark Souls 3
As in previous games, you’ll need to locate and speak with NPCs to unlock their services at the Firelink Shrine hub. Be sure to explore thoroughly and revisit areas, as NPCs often move to new locations or return to familiar ones.
Weapon Variety in Dark Souls 3
Dark Souls 3 boasts the most diverse weapon variety in the series to date, thanks to the introduction of Weapon Skills. These unique abilities significantly impact gameplay, offering players a wide range of strategies and playstyles. It is advisable to avoid committing to a specific build too early, as countless weapons and spells can be discovered throughout the game, many of which may inspire experimentation.
It's also important to note that certain weapon types cannot be infused, including Bows, Greatbows, Crossbows, Sacred Chimes, Talismans, Staves, Pyromancy Flames, and weapons upgraded with Twinkling Titanite or Titanite Scales. However, most other weapons can be infused to provide scaling bonuses or add physical or elemental damage, offering players extensive customization options for their builds.
Dark Souls 3 Wiki Builds
The Fextralife Dark Souls 3 Wiki community has meticulously compiled an extensive library of player-created builds, ranging from optimized meta-setups to unique, thematic playstyles. To help you navigate this wealth of information, the builds contributed are categorized into distinct categories based on their intended usage. For the Category Builds page of the Dark Souls 3 Wiki , go to Builds
Disclaimer: Builds listed here aren't necessarily well-made nor always created by their claimants. Anyone can post builds of varying effectiveness fitting various playstyles. Don't expect these builds to be min-maxed or optimized, for general usage or your own playstyle.
- PvE Builds are character and equipment recommendations that focus your character on solo and cooperative play against regular AI enemies and bosses. Builds listed in this page are created and categorized by players, therefore you should not assume they are all optimized.
- PvP Builds is the page for builds that have been created by Dark Souls 3 players, designed for Player vs. Player combat. Feel free to share and add yours to help other people, or to simply show off your awesome creativity! You can add your build to the table in the page as well as make your own Wiki page for it.
- Fashion Souls is a term used to describe aesthetically pleasing and cosplay outfits that show player creativity in approaching builds in Dark Souls 3. This page is dedicated to showcasing such creations.
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