Butcher Knife is a Weapon in Dark Souls 3.
Butcher's knife with an oddly large blade wielded by the madwoman haunting the Road of Sacrifices.
Squarely-landed hits restore HP.
Back in the Undead Settlement, the woman acquired a taste for human flesh, of which she took glee in partaking.
Skill: Sharpen
Sharpening the blade increases HP restored with each successful hit.
Notes and Tips:
- Cannot be Infused but can be Buffed using its Weapon Art.
- Reinforced with Titanite.
- Has relatively low base damage compared to most axes, but has excellent scaling in Strength and is tied with the Man Serpent Hatchet for having the highest range out of all the axes.
- Has unique R2 attacks.
- While two handed, the charged R2 has hyper armor.
- Light attack, heavy attack and fully charged heavy attack restores HP, see table and graph below.
- HP restoration scales with max HP. Being Enkindled counts.
- The sharpen skill greatly increases HP restoration (see dedicated page for complete data).
- HP restoration is the same whether wielding the Butcher Knife with 1 or 2 hands.
- Any hit will proc the healing effect whether it deal damage or not, for example staggers.
| Max HP | Light attack | Heavy attack | Fully charged heavy attack |
| 500 HP | +1HP | +7HP | +13HP |
| 1000 HP | +2HP | +10HP | +19HP |
| 1500 HP | +2HP | +13HP | +24HP |
| 2000 HP | +3HP | +16HP | +30HP |
Location/Where to find:
- Drops from the Madwoman NPC wielding this weapon in Road of Sacrifices. (Watch the Item Location Video Guide)
Moveset and Videos:
(If your name is not on THIS list, please do not post videos here. If you wish to post videos, please click the link and apply in the thread)
Butcher's Knife Upgrade Table
| Attack ValuesBonus | Parameter Bonus | Auxiliary Effects | Damage Reduction (%) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name |
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| Regular | 95 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +1 | 104 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +2 | 114 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +3 | 123 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +4 | 133 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +5 | 142 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +6 | 152 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +7 | 161 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +8 | 171 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +9 | 180 | - | - | - | - | A | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
| Regular +10 | 190 | - | - | - | - | S | - | - | - | - | - | - | 60 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 40 |
Table Key
| Requirement | Parameter Bonus | Attack Values | Damage Reduction % | Auxiliary Effects | Others |
 Strength |
Strength |
Physical |
Physical |
Bleeding |
 Durability |
 Dexterity |
Dexterity |
Magic |
Magic |
Poison |
|
 Intelligence |
Intelligence |
Fire |
Fire |
 Frost |
|
 Faith |
Faith |
Lightning |
Lightning |
 Curse |
|
| Dark |
Dark |
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 Critical |
 Stability |
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 Spell Buff |
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 Range |
Parameter Bonus: Strength, Dexterity,Magic, Fire, Lightning and Dark bonuses - The scaling multiplier applied to the [Attack: stat]. Scaling quality is from highest to lowest as follows: S/A/B/C/D/E.The higher the player's [Str, Dex, Mag, Fire, Light] stat, the higher the [Attack Bonus: Stat] is (found on the player status screen). The higher the scaling letter, the higher the percent multiplier applied to the [Attack: Stat].This resulting bonus damage is added to the base physical damage of the weapon and is shown in the equipment screen in blue numbers as a "+ X".
Durability: The weapon's HP, when the durability hits 0, the effectiveness of its attacks become weakened to the point of almost uselessness. When an items durability is low, a message will come up saying "Weapon At Risk!" at this point the weapon does not perform at it's best.
Weight: How much the item weights when equipped.
Stability: How well the player keeps stance after being hit
Attack Type: Defines what kind of swing set the weapon has: Regular(R), Thrust(T), Slash(Sl), Strike(St)
Anonymous
Seems pretty decent at first glance, until you realise it can't ve buffed (legitimately) or infused. The HP return is so marginal, rarely make a difference, and that 1-2 HP per hit is what they took the buffing capability away for. In addition, by the time you can access this weapon, the Great Club isn't much farther, and the Farron Coal for Heavy infusion can make better overall weapons than the Butcher Knife ever could.
What a shame :(
- Anonymous
Is it too much for us to get a butcher knife that isn't chipped or rusty? I get quite the eons have passed, but it's a quite simple piece of iron and the blacksmith is right here, for fck's sake!
- Anonymous
Not my favorite weapon, but probably my favorite axe. It's got a fun little gimmick and enough reach crowd control to be servicable on a Strength Build, especially early game.
- Anonymous
This is probably the closest thing to a second recurring weapon alongside the Moonlight Greatsword. From DeS to DS3, this bad boy was my go-to from start to finish of my Souls series playthrough.
- Anonymous
used this for my first play through with like 30 str... i didnt fully understand scaling back then
( ds3 was my first souls-game) but it still did enought damage to not make me question my buuld so i guess its ok
- Anonymous
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Big knife... or small shield?
Not top drawer at anything, but does a lot of things pretty well. Monster range, quick swing speed, sustain so marginal they ignore it til it starts adding up, and the guard stats of a greatweapon. Lots of potential surprises for an enemy who's not familiar with it. Parry magnet for those who are. Shame about the weight/reqs.
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Ignore most comments this and man serpeant have the longest reach.. psychologically this feels slightly faster and on pure strength builds it's a beautiful back up... In the end though, man serpeant is the same speed, reach, more dmg and weighs way less as a back up, and can be bundled or warcry.. it wins
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One of few weapons gets S scaling but even so damage is poor save your slab for another weapon
- Anonymous
May I ask anyone? How to tie it with 'Man serpent hatchet'? To wield in each hand?
- Anonymous
If you have it in your offhand, will the heal effects apply to the on-hand weapon?
- Anonymous
This thing would have been hilarious if it could have been infused. But alas, blessed butcher knife shenanigans were never meant to be...
- Anonymous
The only thing idislike about it is the skin.
Would prefer if it was more looking like the Dragonslayer Axe.
- Anonymous
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Sure, this weapon might not be the best. But it s WAY better than that embarassement from the profaned capital (eleonora)
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This weapon is really cool and it will work in PvE, but the healing is pretty unnoticeable, and the Weapon Art makes it only slightly less terrible. The damage is mediocre, but it will do. In PvP this thing is AWFUL. It has no good moves because they are all easy as hell to parry. Overall, use it if you want, but avoid if you're doing anything serious.
- Anonymous
I created a character strictly for pve health regen using this knife, the etheral oak shield, sun princess ring, pontiff's left eye and right eye and your good to go. But avoid pvp like the plague as you will most certainly got parried.
- Anonymous
The Butcher knife got nerfed a little. Not using sharpen, 1 point light , one or two handed 8 points heavy, one or two hands 16 charged One or two handed
- Anonymous
This is one of the best PVE weapons out there. weapon art is really useful.
- Anonymous
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I guess the weapon is most useful if you want to farm for souls/items while wearing the mimic chest to counter the heal drain and you don't want to invest that many points into faith to counter it with miracles.
- Anonymous
Overrated weapon. Overall damage is so low that even an A in strength scaling doesn't save it. Scaling isn't everything people.
- Anonymous
Ok, why is it i see this so damn much when i invade low lvl? After seeing it so much, I thought "huh, guess ill see what all the hype is about", so i go pick it up and im like ?????????. It can't be infused or buffed, it has a str req of 24 (on par with some ugs!?) and it doesn't even hit that hard. Sure, it has an a scaling in str, but im seeing this low lvl were they probably only have the min req. My only theory is that this is kinda the noob trap of ds3, since i bet not having to worry about infusions or buffs is quite tempting to a new player. Also the "health every hit" thing probably sounds way better than it is to a newbie. Thats it lol. I'm just super confused as to why i see this so damn much.
- Anonymous
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Cant't be infused or buffed and doesn't do much damage even at +10. Why? Other than healing.
- Anonymous
Sure it can't compete with the heavy hitters like ugs, great maces and axes in terms of damage but considering how early you can find it, its damage, speed, scaling and weapon art and how easy it is to use for new players... I'd say this is probably the best str weapon in the game until you reach a point where you can find a top tier str weapon and you stats can afford it which is probably during the second half part of the game. Only negative is that you can't buff it with elemental damage.. and of course it's strictly a str weapon.. no other build should use it.
- Anonymous
I have this on a cosplay character of pudge from dota 2...lol...cause even those who are beyond fearing the Reaper, fear the Butcher.
- Anonymous
Carried me from road of sacrifices and beat all bosses. I will always love you Butcher Knife
- Anonymous
i was very confused that it doesnt proc bleed since in my language its name is litteraly "bleeder" (french)
- Anonymous
I feel like its a little past the point where just sharpening it is enough, but what do I know?
- Anonymous
if you offhand this, will you get hp regen with each hit from your main weapon?
- Anonymous
An awesome backup weapon for pure strength builds :)
Currently running this for a 40/10 STR/DEX build (just to see if thay build is even goddamn feseable). The issue with high STR builds is finding good speedy options that scale well with your build. This weapon fills that niche beautifully.
Granted, it's not perfect. Health regen is better forgotten, can't be infused or buffed. But it's attack range, moveset versatility, attack speed, solid damage and low stamina drain speed make this a great choice.
Think of it a bit like a speedy, pure strength equivalent of an Executioner Greatsword (another much maligned, awesome weapon).
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Where oh where is my precious bleed aux on the weapon? Why would you remove it? Could have had an extra heal every time you cause a bleed.... It could of been a contender....
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does the range seem a bit off to anyone else? just saw someone use it in a fightclub and the butcher knife user outranged a dude with a spear
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Quick question, does anyone know a good fashion souls that would go with the butcher knife? Preferably with armor?
- Anonymous
When I sharpen the butcher knife it doesn't recover my health when i attack, I'm currently using patch 1.09 so I don't know if they removed that feature or not, please help me
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This was my favourite candidate for buffing on strength/faith or strength/intelligence builds in dark souls 1, very sad to see it can't be buffed or even infused now! it's definitely the worst than it's ever been in any title. the health regen is about as useless as it's ever been. However, it's still not an awful weapon. it has a nice reach for the axe class, but quite lacklustre damage at later levels, especially on quality builds.
- Anonymous
I use the Butcher's knife in my offhand so i can just use mainhand attack, offhand attack, repeat so i get good damage from my Irthyll Straight Sword in my main hand, and mehish healing and block value in my offhand. Just an idea.
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Wrecks house in the 70-80 bracket in a pure strength build, recommend pairing with blessed offhand and ring swapping life out for sun princess if you take too much damage to keep lloyd ring buffs active. Also It seems to heal when swinging at an opponent in the middle of their roll i frames even if it doesnt register damage. Just be prepared for fellow duelists to butt chug estus or simply kill themselves after witnessing your hp climb back up anytime they try to tactically roll around you or get caught in a combo. In short, keep buff up, R1 R1 fake out the parry gods and do your favorite post victory gesture.
- Anonymous
Effective when simply going through an area to help regen somewhat without estus. Also very good at counteracting head of averace when buffed which helps with soul and item farming. Solid secondary swoon for a full strength build (faster than most great swords, ultra great swords, great axes, and great hammers)
- Anonymous
I'd like to know if the r2 on this weapon can be parried. Pretty sure it can, but I'd like confirmation.
- Anonymous
Even with a great scaling with strength the damage is sub par at most and hp regen is really only useful early game the moveset and the weapon art is unique but not that useful even with 66 str and two handing it doesn't make the damage that good
- Anonymous
Don't be fooled by the attractive scaling: AR is pathetic even with 40 STR, moveset is subpar (R2 has awful tracking), and the weapon art boosts HP recovery from 'literally nothing' to 'almost noticeable'. Can't be infused or buffed which is a big negative. All in all I would not recommend using this weapon as I had to completely re-spec my character in the midgame.Note: the butcher knife is GREAT against the Deacons, you can recover half your health bar by running in with R1
- Anonymous
Jusr started a new game, i'm fairly new. If you add me and trade it to me i'll give an ember in return :)PSN: Dazzaar
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Longer than you'd think, wahey. Perfectly viable choice, though the HP regen is practically non-existent.
- Anonymous
Went through the trouble of upgrading this to +10 and went out and tested it. Less damage than my Heavy Dark Sword, so that's fine, I didn't infuse it yet. Oh? I cannot infuse it to Heavy or Refined? Oh well, definitely the Sharpen ability will be able to push the damage over my Heavy DS. No? Oh... What a waste of time and resources.
But, even still, it's a great weapon, with a good moveset. Plus, it has a S scaling, which is kinda amazing, for a non-infusable weapon and it's upgraded with basic titanite. Granted, it's outperformed by ultra greatswords and greathammers, if you're only intersted in sheer damage, but the lack of numbers is greatly replaced by its speed, which allows a decent dps...to me, this weapon became the best choice for a pure STR build
- Anonymous
it's moveset reminds me of black knight greataxe because of the on handed r2 jump and it also reminds me of yhorm's machete warcry r2 moveset because of the grib around the blade. all weapons that makes ýou jump og dash forward for at automatic attack are those i fall in love with forexample the broadsword, farron GS, butcher knife and black knight greataxe and my favorite spear weapon the greatlance
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Like any other axe, no reason to use this thing unless you do it for some kind of fashion or a cosplay.
- Anonymous
gr8 hp regen, the literal worst in all of the souls games its been in
- Anonymous
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I always find it cool that this weapon and the Chaos Blade are polar opposites in almost every aspect.One scales perfectly with STR, while the other with DEX.One is a brutish cleaver, the other is an elegant sword.One gives life, the other takes it away.
- Anonymous
Cant decide if this weapon cannot be parried or the players i faced just didnt time it right, but i havent been parried with it yet (its most likely the latter, thought i throw it out there though)
- Anonymous
This weapon is pretty fast as for its size. Moveset is comfort and covers several attack types so you will not struggle in a thin corridors.
- Anonymous
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390 AR at +10 w/ 40 STR. This weapon has a great moveset and good range, but underperforms in terms of damage when there are faster weapons that can hit a lot harder per swing. The fact that it cannot be infused or buffed by resins or spells will put the user at a slight disadvantage when fighting other players.
- Anonymous
This weapon is ridiculous strong for PVE. Stunlocks almost every enemy.All u need is this Weapon and a good amount of stamina. Just auto ataque and stunlock the enemy untill it dies ( some boss included)Poise needs balance
- Anonymous
Which is better for STR build in DMG / heal, this one or Eleonora?
- Anonymous
so far this seems like one of the strongest strength weapons in the game without sacrificing mobility and speed. i recommend it for beginners due to its quick aoe damage and healing potential and is highly usefull until ng ++ where you hit 40 strength and can start dumping points into dex for hybrid damage
- Anonymous
Sooooo I have the Butcher Knife and Vordt's Great Hammer equipped at the same time. I'm getting the heal on hit constantly. Doesn't show the symbol below my health but definitley getting the healing. This happen with anyone else?
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what if i knocked the npc enemy of the ledge. do i still dont get the knife?
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I think this is the perfect weapon for strength builders to chop the enemies till the end. Unless there's alternatives
- Anonymous
with the skill active it heals for 20 per hit, pretty nice actually
- Anonymous
I just tested this. Each does in fact heal you, but only by a whopping 1 hp.
- Anonymous
Stupid fast swing speed I hate that it can't be infused but I completely understand it theThing is already too good you will never see me use a longsword again unless this thing is drastically nerfed
- Anonymous
Could someone please explain what this means in more detail? I feel like I'm getting some squarely-landed, straight on and unblocked hits that don't count (there's a pretty clear graphic when it does work). Either way, the strength scaling, speed (it's an axe and not a greataxe) and the weapon skill are pretty great as a fast weapon for strength builds.
I use this as my "running around" weapon (basically any time I'm not fighting bosses or tough enemies). Quick attacks and decent healing on strong attacks, plus a leap on the strong attacks, makes it great for sneaking up on basic enemies and stun locking them. It seems like the strong attacks also have some mini AOE and can hit closely grouped enemies with easy.
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