The Warrior is one of the basic classes of Dark Souls Remastered and is one of the most chosen classes of the game. He is easy to use, and the stats of this class are all around balanced. If you are new to the game or the series, this class is the way to go unless you want a challenge.
If you are struggling with another class, I would highly recommend changing to this one for an easier time. The aim of this guide isn’t to tell you how to build your character but to give you advice on how to effectively create an effective Warrior that suits your playstyle.
That being said, here’s everything you need to know about getting started with the Warrior Class:
Related: DS3 Pyromancy Guide
What is the Warrior Class?
The Warrior is one of the most well-rounded starting classes, with high Strength and Dexterity, allowing them to use a lot of the equipment they come across. They also start with a solid shield, an easy-to-use weapon, and fairly light armor that sacrifices Poise for mobility.
Their balanced stats make them a good choice for new players, with their main disadvantage being their initial lack of magic stats, forcing them to rely on melee attacks. They are the optimal choice for a player who does not wish to use any magic whatsoever.
His set is also found on the Gaping Dragon boss arena, showing that the warrior was an adventurous traveler who fought his way while exploring. He encountered the Gaping Dragon and probably was defeated by the giant creature, the Channeler, or maybe he was killed from a distance by the dead body, who holds a crossbow.
Here is a great way to explain this class from Miyazaki himself:
For the warrior we wanted to move away from the traditional soldier class seen in Demon’s Souls and instead aim for something more like an adventurer, we used the relatively simple image words of leather armour with metal plating, and I suppose, a little of Parn from Record of Lodoss War.
I assumed that players would spend a significant portion of the game using this armour so we actually paid special attention to the back as it’s the part the players will be looking at the majority of the time. It’s the same with armoured core, we have to ensure that each and every camera shows the player some little detail or point of interest. We tried a number of different ideas but in the end we actually settled on something very close to the initial idea. The final design walks that line between warrior and adventurer so I’m really happy with it.
Effective Warrior Combat
The Warrior is the easiest class because his stats are all-around balanced. It is the easiest class to make a melee build from. His armor is a great set you can use for the entire game, and his sword and shield can also be used for a while. Depending on your build, you have some decent tools to get you where you want to go.
While it is less optimal for pure Strength builds than the Bandit early on, it is better for pure Dexterity builds than the classes that start with high Dexterity. This is because many Dexterity weapons still require at least a little Strength to equip, as well as the Warrior’s low stats in Attunement, Intelligence, and Faith.
Naturally, the best use of the Warrior is with builds that combine strength and Dexterity, but at lower levels, it’s usually better to focus on one or the other first.
The Warrior starts with one of the better shields in the game and has high enough stats to use many decent weapons immediately. It’s a good class for people who want to jump into the game with weapons and melee.
This class is tied for the lowest combined casting stats among starting classes. This is ideal for min-maxing if you want to make a purely weapon-focused character but is less than optimal if you want anything to do with spells.
Essential Steps
Here are some important goals to have when starting your Warrior class playthrough. They are all crucial, except the last one if you are not into PVPing. Following everything else is important if you want a fun and somewhat easy playthrough.
1. Find the weapon you want to use – This is important for understanding what your future build will be
2. Put points into either Dexterity or Strength, whichever build you want to go for – Whatever build you are doing, put your attributes into whatever section the weapon you are using scales with
3. Always upgrade your health and stamina – Health and stamina are the best things to upgrade besides your other two main attributes, obviously
4. Upgrade your weapon as soon as possible – Upgrading your weapon is crucial, so always explore, even if the area is difficult. Take your time, and be patient with the enemies
5. Join the Darkwraith Covenant – This is only necessary if you are going to be playing a lot of PVP fights
Best Warrior Builds
There are many different builds you can make with this class, and the most important thing to keep in mind when creating your character is that whatever attributes you put points into, there is no way to reallocate them to another section. If you make your upgrade, you cannot go back like in the next two games.
Make sure you research the best thing to do so you don’t mess yourself up and have to start all over again just to make it through the game. Dark Souls 1 is not an easy game for starter players, so take your time and learn from your mistakes. Thousands of builds branch off from a few main builds, and everyone might not like the same build.
Here are the three main builds for the Warrior class and what attributes to put your souls into:
Dexterity Builds
Reason: To focus more on mobility while attacking and dodging.
Dexterity builds are very good with mobility and attacking, and they have some of the best scalings in the series. Many people say it is best to get the Great Scythe because it has great Dexterity Scaling. With the Warrior, you don’t need to change your armor, giving you some leeway to put souls into upgrades and weapons.
Here are the best stats for a Dexterity build if you decide to go that route in your playthrough:
- VIT – 30
- END – 30
- DEX – 40
- STR – 15
Strength Build
Reason: To be tankier when attacking or dodging. It is also great for stunning enemies with bigger weapons.
These builds are best for having a ton of health and being powerful with your attacks. Most of your attacks stun the enemies and deal a ton of extra damage when they are down. I have heard that the Zweihander is one of the best Strength weapons you can get; make sure to try it.
Here are the best stats for a Strength build if you decide to go that route in your playthrough:
- VIT – 30
- END – 30
- STR – 40
- DEX – 15
Divine Build
Reason: To carry powerful weapons while wearing medium to heavy armor and use Miracles.
These builds are for a mix of using melee weapons with Miracles. Many times, Miracles are great to have, especially if you find the right ones. I will not go over the different Miracles, but I will tell you that the Silver Knight Spear is great to use with this build. It does very well with the different stats. You can also use a Dexterity weapon if you level up DEX and STR.
Here are the best stats for a Divine build if you decide to go that route in your playthrough:
- VIT – 30
- END – 30
- STR – 25
- DEX – 25
- FTH – 30
Best Warrior Weapons
These are all the best weapons for each of the three builds that are great for Warrior. Sorry if there are any weapons you like to use that aren’t on this list, but these are from what I have seen, and a ton of other people have said. These are all the best weapons for each build, and they scale very nicely compared to other weapons.
Here are all the best weapons for each Warrior build:
Best Dexterity Weapons
Dexterity controls the player’s Attack Power for weapons that scale with Dexterity and increases casting speed for most spells. Some weapons require a minimum dexterity level to be wielded properly.
Dexterity is especially useful for Daggers, Katanas, Thrusting/Piercing Swords, Curved Swords, Spears, Whips, and Bows.
Uchigatana: Dropped by the Undead Merchant in the Undead Burg. Also sold by Shiva of the East for 5,000 souls.
Great Scythe: Found in The Catacombs, above lever to the second closed door. The entrance is accessed by jumping off the second spiked rotating bridge.
Scimitar: Sold by the Undead Merchant in the Undead Burg for 600 souls. Also drops from the skeleton with a scimitar & shield.
Estoc: Corpse in the lower section of Firelink Shrine, along the path towards New Londo Ruins.
Falchion: Blighttown treasure, found along with Wanderer clothes. An Enchanted version drops from a Mimic in the Duke’s Archives.
Rapier: Sold by Undead Merchant. Also drops from Balder Knight with Rapier.
Best Strength Weapons
Strength is required for the majority of the weapons to wield. It is a weapon damage modifier and controls the player’s Attack Power which increases your damage output for weapons with strength scaling.
More strength points are required for larger and heavier weapons to wield. Strength does NOT affect your weapon swing speed.
Zweihander: Obtained from a corpse in the Graveyard area, in front of one of the large tombstones near Firelink Shrine.
Demon Greataxe: Dropped by Taurus Demons. Sold by Shiva of the East for 10,000 Souls.
Great Club: Found in Blighttown near Quelaag’s Domain. Pocket island with Rock-Tosser Barbarians.
Man-Serpent Greatsword: Rare drop by the Man-serpents in Sen’s Fortress and The Duke’s Archives.
Mace: Sold by Patches the Hyena at Firelink Shrine for 3,000 souls. Also, in the Catacombs on a corpse before the Pinwheel boss fog.
Best Divine Weapons
Faith governs the Miracle Power and also increases the Magic Defense. It also controls the player’s attack power for weapons that scale with Faith, any weapon upgraded down the Divine Upgrade or Occult Upgrade paths. Most miracles damage are also increased with faith.
Astora’s Straight Sword: Found in front of the Undead Dragon in the Valley of Drakes.
Crescent Axe: Sold by Patches the Hyena at Firelink Shrine for 10,000 souls. It is also dropped by him if you kill him.
Grant: Dropped by Paladin Leeroy in the Tomb of Giants.
Silver Knight Spear: Dropped from Silver Knight.
Conclusion
The Warrior is one of two classes that can pull off the 50 Vitality, 40 Endurance, 40 Strength, and 40 Dexterity build at level 125, along with the Bandit. This build can use virtually all weapons, has high defense, and can easily handle anything the game or even other players can throw.
If you think you like the Warrior class, give it a shot. Create that build you hoped you could make that can kill everything pretty easily.
I hope that guide has helped you understand how the Warrior class works and the best way to make the ultimate build. If you keep playing on a single character for multiple playthroughs, you might even be able to make every build the game has to offer if you play the game enough. I hope you have good luck in your Dark Souls playthrough.