The 10 Best Dark Souls 3 PVE Builds(2)

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The Dark Souls series is infamous for how difficult it is, making even the most patient of players throw their controllers at the wall. With a game that requires so much patience, it can be beneficial to use a powerful build to make the game less frustrating.

Creating a build in Dark Souls 3 can be intimidating when starting out. A large range of stats, items, and spells can make finding a build somewhat difficult. To help you create a good PvE build, each build in this article had its stat and gear breakdown reorganized. They're now listed in tables at the start of the entry, making it much easier to parse. We've also done a review of some of the builds on this list, noting alternate weapons or rings you might want to use.

10/10Bleed and Hollow

Stats And Gear

Both Bleed and Hollow are included in the same entry because there is quite a bit of overlap between the two. If you talk to Yoel of Londor at the Foot of the High Wall Bonfire, he will return to Firelink Shrine and allow you to gain a free level. In exchange, you gain a Dark Sigil, allowing you to become Hollow. That's perfect for this build, as Hollowing increases the damage of Hollow-infused weapons.

Bleed is a status effect you can inflict on enemies and some bosses, dealing a percentage of damage to their health bar and staggering the target. Rapid attacking weapons usually come with this effect intrinsically, so most bleed builds spec for some Dexterity atop Luck to scale the damage of their initial hits and Bleed procs. Luck is what scales your bleed damage for this build, so spec heavily into that stat and increase your Hollowing stat. When done properly, you can stagger most bosses in the game and rapidly defeat tanky enemies. It's pretty good in PvP too. Just note that some enemies and bosses are completely immune to bleed, so be prepared for some boss fights to take ages.

9/10Hexes

Stats And Gear

Hexes have seen a significant nerf in Dark Souls 3 compared to the second entry, distributing these unique spells throughout every school of magic instead of being a dedicated magic archetype.

With that in mind, Hexes are still fantastic for players who want plenty of utility with their build. Want to prevent a boss from using any special attacks? Use Vow of Silence. Want to make an enemy instantly bleed? Using Dorhy's Gnawing. It's a very versatile school of magic that veteran players should try.

Upgrade your Faith and Intelligence evenly, trying to hit at least 30 in each stat. Your chime and catalyst will determine which stat scales your Hex. For this build, we'll be using Caitha's Chime for miracles and the Izalith Staff for sorceries—both of which scale with Faith and Intelligence evenly. The soft cap for both stats is 30, although you'll still gain a sizable damage boost for raising both stats to 45. This build comes online towards the end of a playthrough, although its versatility and ease of use make it a great choice for PvP and NG+ playthroughs.

8/10Mage

Stats And Gear

Pure mage characters take a long time to come "online"—capable of finishing the game comfortably. When they do, mages can do nearly anything you would want.

You can either focus on a pure mage build, allocating most of your levels in Intelligence and Attunement, or you can run a hybrid build with Strength or Dexterity. For the former, look out for the Crystal Sage's Staff and any Crystal spells; they're the best for this build. If you are playing a hybrid build, check out the Moonlight Greatsword. This sword's damage scales off your Intelligence and can shoot projectiles with its heavy attack. Whichever route you take, you'll be one-shotting most enemies by the end of a Dark Souls 3 playthrough and subsequent NG+ playthroughs.

7/10Dexterity Build

Stats And Gear

Dexterity might not be as powerful in Dark Souls 3 as in previous installments, but you can absolutely make a Dexterity build work in DS3. In fact, some of the best weapons in Dark Souls 3 scale incredibly well with Dexterity, making Dexterity builds a solid choice for beginners that aren't sure what to play.

Once you reach Firelink Shrine, defeat the Sword Master that roams near the Firelink Shrine Tower. Killing him will grant the Uchigatana, a fantastic starting weapon that will carry you through the rest of a playthrough. Alternatively, start as the Mercenary to get your hands on one of the best weapons in the game (detailed in our final build entry).

Scale your Dexterity to 60 as soon as possible to get the most out of your weapons. Sharp Gems are also excellent for Dexterity builds, enhancing their Dexterity scaling. Rings are entirely up to you, although you might want to consider the Ring of Favor and Chloranthy Ring to help with Stamina management. Attacking and dodging will chew through your Stamina bar if you aren't careful.

6/10Dex/Faith Hybrid

Stats And Gear

This build is focused on using Dexterity weapons and miracles to turn the tide. Utilize the power of lightning and Blessed weapons to smite your foes.

For this build, your two main stats are Dexterity and Faith. The Dragonslayer Swordspear is a good choice for this, as it scales off of both your Faith and Dexterity quite well. For an earlier alternative, get any weapon you favor and infuse with a Blessed or Sharp Gem to get even more damage. Your miracles allow you to heal and cast lightning-based miracles, giving you a solution to every problem you'll face. The versatility on offer is some of the best you can find in Dark Souls 3.

Dec-19-2022