After obtaining your first boss soul, you might be tempted to consume it immediately for the extra souls. While these powerful souls will dramatically increase your number of souls, you can also use them to create unique weapons.
To create these boss weapons, upgrade a primary weapon of your choice to +10, and then ascend it using the boss soul. Each boss soul has specific weapon types that you can use.
Check out the wiki to see a list of which weapons can be used with each soul.
The entire process confused me initially, but I’ll explain the best ways to create these weapons.
1. Upgrade your weapon to +5
After you have chosen which weapon you’d like to create, you need to upgrade it to the +5 level. To do this, you’ll need a total of 9 Titanite Shards.
The easiest way to get these shards is to buy them from Blacksmith Andre for 800 souls each. Of course, all the blacksmiths sell Titanite Shards, but Andre is the first one you’ll encounter.
You may not want to spare any souls for purchasing the shards just yet, and if so, you can farm the shards instead. My favorite way to farm them is to kill the Balder Knights in the church by Blacksmith Andre.
The easiest way to get to that location is to take the elevator shortcut from the Firelink Shrine to the church. Fortunately, these shards are easy to obtain.
Once your weapon sits at +5, move on to the next step.
2. Upgrade your weapon to +10
Upgrading your weapon to +6 requires a couple more steps than it took to get to +5, but it’s a pretty simple process.
Obtain the large ember
When I upgraded my first weapon to +5, I found that the game wouldn’t let me upgrade to +6. This is because I hadn’t given the Large Ember to Andre yet.
You need to venture to the kitchen in the Depths to obtain this ember. There is a chest that contains the ember near the first butcher you encounter.
Ascend the weapon past +5
Once the ember is in your inventory, you must give it to Blacksmith Andre. You will notice that the weapon still doesn’t appear on the upgrade screen. To fix this, press the Ascend option, which allows you to upgrade it to +6.
Farm for some shards
Now that you have everything set up, it’s time to get more shards. This time, you’ll need 8 Large Titanite Shards. There are a few ways to get these shards, but both require some farming.
The first way is to buy them from Crestfallen Merchant in Sen’s Fortress or Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. The better price is offered by Giant Blacksmith, who sells them for 3,800 souls each. On the other hand, Crestfallen Merchant sells them for 4,000.
The second way is to farm them from the Berenike Knight. This enemy is found on the rooftops of Sen’s Fortress and is close to the bonfire for quick respawning. They have a high chance of dropping Large Titanite Shards, so it’s worth it to farm them.
Upgrading the weapon to +10
With your shards in hand, it’s time to upgrade your weapon to the appropriate level. Of course, you’re welcome to upgrade the weapon as you obtain the shards, but that will require running back to the blacksmith for each upgrade.
You will also need many souls to fully upgrade the weapon, so consume some souls you’ve picked up along the way. Other boss souls you don’t plan on using are also great to consume. just make sure you keep the ones you want.
3. Ascend to a boss weapon
Now it’s finally time for the easiest step – ascending your boss weapon. This is the part where you turn your base weapon into the powerful boss weapon.
To do this, simply visit the Giant Blacksmith in Anor Londo. Go to the ascend option, and you should see your weapon in the list. Your weapon can be ascended for the price of the boss soul and 5,000 souls.
4. Upgrade your boss weapon
With your new boss weapon finally complete, it’s time to upgrade it! The way you upgrade this weapon is by using 10 Demon Titanite. This type of titanite is more challenging to get than the other 2, but there are some excellent ways to get some.
The best way to get a large amount is by farming the Titanite Demon in Lost Izalith. The Titanite Demon in Anor Londo will give you two titanite, but he doesn’t respawn.
The one in Lost Izalith respawns, and each kill will net you 2 Demon Titanite. These enemies are often tough to defeat, so a low-level character will probably have a lot of trouble farming them.
There are other methods of obtaining Demon Titanite, such as trading with Snuggly. Trading Dung Pies or Prism Stones will give you 1 Demon Titanite.
Two can also be found inside a room in Anor Londo. This room holds 3 Silver Knights that watch over a chest with the titanite inside.
Are these weapons worth getting?
Whether these weapons are worth, the effort or not comes down to your motives and personal preference. Some people think the boss weapons are fantastic, and others just want to have them for their collection.
In Dark Souls, you can use any weapon you want for the game. If you like the look and feel of a particular boss weapon, you should definitely use it.
Some of these weapons have extraordinary powers, such as the Dragonslayer Spear, which launches lightning bolts. Most of them just have powerful attacks that are better than average weapons.
Since it can take a while to farm all the materials, many Dark Souls players consider boss weapons not worth the effort. Do a little research on the weapon you are considering before you create it. That way, you won’t be disappointed if it isn’t as great as it looks.
You can always consume the souls
If you decide that none of the boss weapons appeal to you, you could always use them to increase your soul count. The number of souls these give you ranges from 1,200 souls to 20,000.
Consuming several of these at once will give you thousands of souls you can use to level up and sometimes provide more benefits than boss weapons.
This is the best option if you never plan to use any boss weapons. I find myself consuming them more often than not. The boost in level can help you progress even faster and requires much less time than farming for a bunch of titanite.
Conclusion
Boss souls are a straightforward aspect of Dark Souls: you consume them or use them to create weapons. Consuming them is the easiest path possible while creating boss weapons will take a few steps more.
The farming process can be complex, especially when it comes time to get the Demon Titanite. If you know that the weapon you are going for is perfect, farming it can be well worth it.