The iconic and defining challenges in theDark Soulsseries have made a cultural impact over the years and have inspired a new genre of “Souls-like” games likeCode Vein,The Surge,andRemnant: From The Ashes. Renowned for its difficulty, the series is now often used as a base comparison formore modern challenging games.
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Since its first release over eight years ago, its PvP community has continued to be active and long-lasting after all these years. Players have had years perfecting overpoweredDark Soulsbuildsin PvP, some scarier than most bosses. So, let’s take a look back at some classic PvP builds, as well as some newer ones.
Updated June 06, 2025 by Erik Petrovich:While maximizing one’s damage output as a PvP player in Dark Souls Remastered is the key to winning, sometimes PvP isn’t just about victory – it’s about the journey you take to get there. There are several alternative builds out there that don’t look to make a player as efficient as possible in online play, but rather to make the experience as fun as possible instead. Roleplaying as a Dark Souls character, for example, can lead to some hilarious interactions rather than combat with other players, as can using two Bonewheel Shields and no other equipment. Dark Souls PvP is a grind, and it’s always fun to try out something off the beaten path rather than solely stick to min-max guides.
13Pretending To Be An NPC
One of the most entertaining methods of engaging in PvP combat is to roleplay as a character from the story.Using the Warriors of Sunlight set lets one roleplay as Solaire, for example, while equipping the Ornstein set (including the Dragonslayer Greatbow) lets you fight other players as the Dragonslayer themself.
Another surprisingly viable strategy is to pretend to be an unengagable NPC, like by equipping low-tier armor dropped from regular enemies. Making a character of the right physique is important to complete the disguise, which when fully put together can make invaders walk right past the player as they stand still waiting for the chance to reveal themselves.
12Havelmom
The Havelmom build is very similar to the infamous Giant Dad build forDark Souls Remastered, though it comes packaged with better survivability and better poise. The build of course uses theMask of the Motherin place of the Mask of the Father, as well as theHavel chestpiece, Havel’s Ring, and Ring of Favor and Protection.
It differs from Giant Dad for its lack of reliance on two-handed weapons like the Chaos Zweihander, making the Havelmom a more versatile, less memey version of the same idea. While the items in the set do have significant stat requirements, it’swell worth giving a shotin the PvP environment.
11Naked Bonewheel Dude
When it comes toDark Soulsbuilds, nothing is more simultaneously intimidating and hilarious as the Naked Bonewheel Dude. It utilizestwo Bonewheel Shields in each weapon slot, but that’s about as deep as the build goes. Being the Naked Bonewheel Dude is not going to net many PvP wins, but it might make the opponent laugh for just long enough to get some good hits in.
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The Bonewheel Shield drops from Wheel Skeletons throughout the game at a very low 2 percent drop rate – Bonewheels can be found primarily in The Catacombs and the Painted World of Ariamis. They have a requirement of 30 Strength to wield, but it’s best to infuse a Bonewheel Shield with lightning for maximum DPS.
10Obsidian Faith Build
TheObsidian Greatswordis a powerful weapon in the hands of lower-leveled characters, as it only needs 20 Strength and 16 Dexterity to wield. It does not require a single-stat dump early on in the game. However, what makes this sword so powerful is its heavy attack, which creates a full 360-degree Area of Effect of flame around the user.
This flame attack can be buffed by spells to change its damage type and increase its overall damage. In particular, Faith builds a good pair up for under level 70 characters. Synergize with theCrown of Duskand lots of repair powder to fix your weapon after heavy AOE usage.
9Lightning Falchion Poise Build
This build is best for lower-level characters ornewer playerstoDark Soulsinvasions. This build is very straightforward; with lower stats, theFalchionwill cut through weaker characters like paper. The only requirements needed are 9 STR and 13 DEX, letting you use the rest of your levels freely, but leveling Endurance and Vitality will make you shrug off blows.
It is a good build for newer players to begin their first invasions or an overall low-level soul build to farm lower PvP fights. Either way, this build is good, albeit very predictable and repetitive in terms of combat.
8Chaos Blade Dexterity Build
For the more experiencedDark Soulsplayer, chaos weapons are always a risk-reward playstyle, often better used by fully maxed out characters and very high soul levels. Chaos weapons scale based on how much humanity the player currently has active; the more humanity, the more damage.The Chaos Blade is a swift DEX weapon that trades a little of the player’s health with every attack.
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Using the Mask of the Mother and some light DEX gear will complement this very risky yet straightforward build. Be very careful when using chaos-basedDark Soulsbuilds, as when you die you lose all of your humanity and have but one chance to retrieve it. Fighting near bonfires or having a Ring of Sacrifice ready is recommended.
7Moonlight Great Sword Sorcerer Build
Sorcery builds are very strong inDark Souls Remastered,and one that remains particularly strong is a hybrid build using theMoonlight Greatsword. This sword scales for Intelligence and comes with its own heavy ranged magic attack to top it all off.
Along with this sword usingThe Big Hat set with Logan’s Catalyst, the player now has a choice between their mix of spells and a reliable melee weapon. Some sorceries that pair well in this build are the standard Homing Crystal Soulmass or Great Heavy Soul Arrow—maybe even Crystal Soul Spear and Great Magic Weapon, the choice is up to them.
6Abyssal Sorcerer Build
While other magicDark Soulsbuildsplay it safe and well-balanced, the dark sorcerer build is a powerful glass cannon. Using theAbyss’s darkened spells, they are few but powerful, especially when using aManus Catalyst. When using this catalyst, it also converts STR scaling into their spells along with the regular INT scaling.
Massive STR weapons are a fantastic hard-hitting secondary choice. While the user cannot take much damage, it is possible to two orone-shot bosses or even playersif done right. A soul level of about 125 will work best for this build and some lighter armor so the player can roll quickly.
5Classic DEX Build
Sometimes all you need is to return to the classics. Arguably one of the best classic DEX weapons is the simpleGreat Scythe. The scythe is unique with its own weird and confusing, long-range move set that potentially catches players off guard or worse, dead.
This weapon is best paired with a short weapon to make up for its lack of close-range control. If someone is looking for something with more damage over time, this weapon doubles as an excellent primary weapon for bleed builds. Try to be quick on your feet as well as with your scythe swings, or you may become overpowered quickly.
4Tank Build
If a player is looking to overpower their opponents and walk through their attacks,Dark Souls Remasteredhas lots of different gear sets to let them achieve that dream. Havel’sarmor is the textbook tankbuild sporting a full armor and shield made from stone.
Even one piece of this set is enough to increase lightweight build’s poise by a reasonable amount. This armor lowers the user’s stamina recovery, and high endurance is a must when using the full armor set. Not being able to close the gap is one of the tank build’s most significant weaknesses, so be sure to use Havel’s shield to match the set, or, if possible, use theHeater Shield.
