Greatswords are a high damage, long reach weapon class. Plan to put a decent amount of points into Strength if you plan to use these weapons. They have various weapon Skills ranging from Stomp to Stance to unique Skills.

In terms of damage output per stamina expended, Greatswords are easily the best value weapon category, and they are a good choice for PvE builds as a result. Things to keep in mind when using these in PvP:

  1. They have less range compared to Spears/Halberds, Greataxes, and Ultra Greatswords.
  2. The startup to their attacks is markedly slower compared to Straight Swords, Axes, and other smaller weapons.
  3. Despite the visual being a thrusting attack, the weapon art heavy deals standard damage (slash for the Flamberge) unless the Greatsword has a thrusting neutral heavy. 
 Name & Icon   Attack Power
Damage Reduction (%)
Requirements

Param Bonus

Durability / Weight - Attack Type - Skill
icon wp physicalAttackicon wp physicaldef icon magicbonusicon wp magicdef icon firebonus icon wp firedef icon lightningbonus icon wp lightningdef icon darkbonus icon wp darkdef icon wp criticalicon wp stability icon wp frosticon wp poisonbldicon wp bleed STR DEX INT FTH

icon durabilitiy
icon weight

icon fp cost

Skill


Acquired From

claymore icon

Claymore

138

50.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

35

 

-

 

16

D

13

D

0

-

0

-

75

9.0

- (17/20)

Stance

In High Wall of Lothric.

Beneath the living dragon.

Dropped by enemies wielding it in Irithyll

 bastard sword

Bastard Sword

138

50

0

35

0

30

0

30

0

35

100

35

 

-

 

16

D

10

D

0

-

0

-

75

8.0

12 (-/15)

Stomp
Sold by
Greirat of the Undead Settlement

hollowslayer greatsword icon

Hollowslayer Greatsword

145

50.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

35

 

-

 

14

D

18

C

0

-

 0

-

70

8.5

- (17/20)

Stance

Soul Transposition using Soul of Rotted Greatwood for 1,000 Souls

 executioners greatsword icon

Executioner's Greatsword

131

50.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

40

 

-

 

19

C

 13

E

 0

-

 0

-

85

9.0

12 (-/-)

Stomp

Looted at Cathedral of the Deep

 black knight sword icon

Black Knight Sword

173

55.0

0

40.0

0

40.0

0

35.0

0

40.0

100

40

 

-

 

 20

D

18

D

 0

-

 0

-

 100

10.0

10 (-/-)

Perseverance

Looted at Smouldering Lake

 flameberge icon

Flamberge

158

50

0

35

0

30

0

30

0

35

100

35

 

icon wp bleed33

15

D

14

D

0

-

0

-

100

8.5

- (17/20)

Stance

 
 Dropped by the thieves wielding the sword at Undead Settlement

 wolf knights greatsword icon

Wolf Knight's Greatsword

126

55.0

0

40.0

0

35.0

0

35.0

0

40.0

100

40

 

-

 

 24

C

 18

D

 0

-

 0

-

 95

11.5

-(19/23)

Wolf Sword

Soul Transposition using Soul of the Blood of the Wolf

 wolnirs holy sword icon

Wolnir's Holy Sword

151

45.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

45.0

100

30

 

-

 

 13

D

 13

E

 0

-

 13

D

 70

7.5

 30( -/ -)

Wrath of the Gods

Soul Transposition using Soul of High Lord Wolnir

 greatsword of judgment icon

Greatsword of Judgement

101

50.0

67

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

40

 

-

 

 17

D

 15

D

 12

D

 -

-

 85

9.0

Stance of Judgment Soul Transposition using  Soul of Pontiff Sulyvahn

 moonlight greatsword1

Moonlight Greatsword

 69

55.0

 130

60.0

 0

35.0

 0

35.0

 0

40.0

 100

40

 

-

 

 16

E

 11

-

 26

C

 0

-

 75

10.5

 18(-/-)

Moonlight Vortex

Soul Transposition using Soul of Consumed Oceiros

 storm ruler icon

Storm Ruler

110

50.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

35

 

-

 

 0

D

 

0

D

 

 0

-

 0

-

 10

8.0

-(20/20)

Storm King

Found in the boss room for Yhorm the Giant/ Completing Siegward of Catarina's questline

 firelink greatsword1

Firelink Greatsword

119

55.0

0

35.0

80

40.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

40

 

-

 

 20

D

 10

D

 10

-

 10

-

 105

9.0

 25(-/-)

Ember (Skill)

Soul Transposition using Soul of the Lords

 twin princess greatsword1

Twin Princes' Greatsword

118

55.0

0

35.0

73

30.0

0

30.0

0

35.0

100

40

 

-

 

22

D

14

D

0

D

0

D

95

9.5

22 / 22

Sacred Light and Flame

Trading Lothric's Holy Sword and Lorian's Greatsword at Ludleth of Courland

 drakeblood greatsword icon

Drakeblood Greatsword

83

50.0

65

35.0

0

30.0

65

30.0

0

35.0

100

35

 

-

 

 18

D

 16

D

0

-

0

-

 75

6.0

- (17/20)

Stance

Dropped by knight NPC in Archdragon Peak.

 onyx blade icon

Onyx Blade

80

50.0

0

35.0

0

30.0

0

30.0

115

35.0

100

35

 

-

 

 14

E

 12

E

15

D

15

D

 75

9.0

19 (-/-)

Elfriede's Blackflame

Ashes of Ariandel DLC: Dropped by Sir Vilhelm

 gaels greatsword

Gael's Greatsword

147

50

0

35

0

30

0

30

0

35

100

40

 

-

 

19

C

 13

D

0

-

0

-

 50

9.0

8(17/17)

Blade of Peril

Obtained via Soul Transposition from the Soul of Slave Knight Gael

 




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    • Anonymous

      Good at everything, the best at nothing. Hammers have faster hyper-armor attacks, halberds have better reach and crowd control and ultras have more damage. They're neat if you wanna largely stick to one weapon, but I honestly don't find them that impressive.

      • Anonymous

        I bet anonymous levels dex. Now, anonymous and anonymous, I'm sure those two are some fine, upstanding giantdads

        • Anonymous

          So many of these and not a single one of them has the ds1 claymore moveset
          What did ds1 claymore do to you miyazaki

          • Anonymous

            So this weapon class is only slightly slower than axes and hammers, with only slightly less damages than Ultra Great Hammers and Ultra Greatswords, but it also has good hyper armor when 2 handed and great rollcatching ability. And Gael's especially also has good range with an absolutely beastly Weapon Art. I love it, but also hate it when i'm using Ultras and i see people just doing the standard spaced whiff punish R1 and backpedalling without taking a single risk.

            • i saw a 'gesture' (might've been a mod) where someone was holding gael's greatsword and held it up with one hand with the blade pointing up almost like the way you do havel shield WA and then swung it behind them in a kind of anime style

              which one is this or is it a mod?

              • Anonymous

                It really feels like greatswords can beat anything if you know what your doing, proper spacing and out damaging smaller weapons while still having enough speed to avoid getting crushed by larger weapons and the hyper armour makes them even better. I may be stuck as a forever greatsword main

                • Here is the range of all Greatswords from shortest to longest :
                  *1 Hand R1 :
                  1- Bastard Sword : 15
                  2- Drakeblood GSW : 15
                  3- Firelink GSW : 16
                  4- Hollowslayer GSW : 16
                  5- GSW of Judgement : 16
                  6- Storm Ruler : 16
                  7- Claymore : 17
                  8- Executioner's GSW : 17
                  9- Black Knight Sword : 17
                  10- Flamberge : 17
                  11- Moonlight GSW : 17
                  12- Twin Princes' GSW : 17
                  13- Wolf Knight's GSW : 18
                  14- Wolnir's Holy Sword : 18
                  15- Onyx Blade : 18,5
                  16- Gael's GSW : 18,5

                  *2 Hand R1:
                  1- Bastard Sword : 18,5
                  2- Drakeblood GSW : 18,5
                  3- Firelink GSW : 19
                  4- GSW of Judgement : 19
                  5- Storm Ruler : 19
                  6- Hollowslayer GSW : 20
                  7- Claymore : 20
                  8- Executioner's GSW : 20
                  9- Black Knight Sword : 20
                  10- Flamberge : 20
                  11- Moonlight GSW : 20
                  12- Twin Princes' GSW : 20
                  13- Wolf Knight's GSW : 20,5
                  14- Wolnir's Holy Sword : 20,5
                  15- Gael's GSW : 20,6
                  16- Onyx Blade : 21

                  • Anonymous

                    Seems like most greatswords are divided into two categories. Those that are labeled as having thrust damage have the claymore moveset (notable for the thrusting R2's), while those that aren't labeled as such have the bastard sword movesets composed entirely of slashes. The exceptions, as far as I can tell, are the Black Knight Sword, which has a unique moveset like every other black knight weapon, and the Hollowslayer and Drakeblood greatswords, which have a flashier, DS2 inspired moveset.

                    • Anonymous

                      Very well rounded with a high skill cap, while still being one of the most new-player-friendly weapon classes available, on par with the legendary (and overrated) straight sword itself

                      • Anonymous

                        Despite the popularity, this may be the worse weapon class in the game. This isn't to say you can't have a great amount of success and fun in terms of PvP and PvE in a casual setting. However at meta level, where a great deal of players will have optimized builds and atleast a basic understanding of PvP, I find what should be a balanced weapon between the quick weapons with no hyper armor, and the large weapons with with large amounts of hyper armor and damage... simply doesn't do anything adequately. This entire weapon class generally has straight sword range, but is notably slower. The hyper armor and poise damage make it inadequate for trading against bigger weapons. If the class interests you, I'd suggest the curved great sword class. Generally they are a tiny bit slower, nearly imperceptibly so when 2 handed. But the curved great swords also have much better ranges, hyper armor, damage, weapon arts that are unparriable, and a running R1 that is actually capable of applying pressure. However, I will point out that amongst the greatsword class, the Hollowslayer and Black Knight Great Swords are both pretty good for quality builds. The Hollowslayer has quicker hyper armor start up, making trades against smaller weapons more consistent. The Black Knights perseverance weapon art can be used tactically to trade against pretty much all everything slower than a great sword if your opponent is attack spamming.

                        • Anonymous

                          probably the most overrated weapon class. Sure, are strong, look f*cking awesome, nice moveset and all that, but it's kinda sad i rarely ever see anything else then gs/ugs in fight clubs.

                          • Anonymous

                            Really want to use Wolnir's for my faith build. Any build suggestions and/or tips for how to use it for max performance?

                            • Anonymous

                              Easily the best class all around for pve melee. Hollowslayer for Friede, hollows, Gael, Wolf knight for Midir and Gael and most anything in Ringed City. BKS for everything and the demon princes. Too bad there’s not a frost bite great sword.

                              • Anonymous

                                "in terms of damage output per stamina expended, Greatswords are easily the best value weapon category"
                                Bullshit, Curved Greatswords expend the same amount of stamina per hit, but deal signifcantly more damage. Greatswords swing faster, however.

                                • Anonymous

                                  "they have less range" "they are slower"...and they are op. nailing you into the ground after one hit and killing you with the fast second hit. But hey, nice try fextra. nice try...

                                  • Anonymous

                                    I would have loved to have a Greatsword that scales with A both in Faith and Intelligence with a chaos infusion ... ohwell I guess I'll have to just use my CHAOS ZWEIHANDER.

                                    • Anonymous

                                      My Onyx 2h r1 and r2 were parried...is this new? Always was under the impression that the gs while 2 handed cannot be parried...!?

                                      • Anonymous

                                        Possibly the best versatile and best weapon class in the game.

                                        *PROS*
                                        Has higher poise damage
                                        Has hyper armor when two handed
                                        Has longer reach than the straight swords
                                        Deals more damage than the straight swords
                                        1H R1s can used in a similar fashion that of a straight sword
                                        Has some unique, and kickass swords such the BKS, the Twin Princes', or the Hollowslayer

                                        *CONS*
                                        Heavier
                                        More stamina consuming
                                        Slower to execute (difference is about 0.25 seconds at most)(only R1s are being compared because R2s can vary a lot in terms of moveset and execution timing)

                                        • Anonymous

                                          Here's the list of stat requirements for the Greatswords in alphabetical order:

                                          Bastard Sword = 11/10/0/0
                                          Black Knight Sword = 14/18/0/0
                                          Claymore = 11/13/0/0
                                          Drakeblood Greatsword = 12/16/0/0
                                          Executioner's Greatsword = 13/13/0/0
                                          Firelink Greatsword = 14/10/10/10
                                          Flamberge = 10/14/0/0
                                          Gael's Greatsword = 13/13/0/0
                                          Greatsword of Judgement = 12/15/12/0
                                          Hollowslayer Greatsword = 10/18/0/0
                                          Moonlight Greatsword = 11/11/26/0
                                          Onyx Blade = 10/12/15/15
                                          Storm Ruler = 0/0/0/0
                                          Twin Princes' Greatsword = 15/14/0/0
                                          Wolf Knight's Greatsword = 16/18/0/0
                                          Wolnir's Holy Sword = 9/13/0/13

                                          • Anonymous

                                            These, along with UGS, ruin the game. Poise is the real culprit, but being 100% guaranteed a hit after your swing starts is bad *****ing design. It's a slow weapon so it deserves it? What, does having the muscle to swing that hunk of iron magically make you immune to the same attacks that stagger you all over the place when you slap on a dagger? If it's slow, it's to offset the damage. Which is what it does. But DS3 decided to make these the braindead weapon class that any moron can facetank players and enemies with. "Did I get a hit? Swing again! Did I miss? SWING AGAIN! Am I out of stamina? SWING AGAIN!" It takes what little nuance was left in the series and threw it out the *****ing window. But hey, who cares. Not like Strength builds and GS/UGS builds are over 70% of the playerbase. That's just because people REALLY like big swords. OBVIOUSLY.

                                            • Anonymous

                                              i wish we could hold some greatswords, hollowslayer, firelink, blackkinght greatswords like the npcs hold it, or like loyce greatswords at darksouls 2, i thought they would bring it to ds3 because it was *****ing cool. but they didnt :L

                                              • Anonymous

                                                Almost all greatswords have the same bland moveset. Mainly R1s except for a few and half of them share the same R2, be it a thrust or horizontal slash. Thier hyper armor and most of WAs are gems though.

                                                • Anonymous

                                                  In my opinion, this class of weapon needs a bit more love. They just can't really stand up against all of the other weapon classes because of some of the limitations they have: no hyper armor for rolling/running attacks or 1H attacks in general, parry-able weapon skills. Everything else seems fine, but these limitations I feel are holding them back from being endgame PvP material. For example: anyone smart would be able to avoid -or parry- the telegraphed standard R1/R2 hyper armor trade attempts, and the also telegraphed running R1's which are easily countered by prodding them with a stick they just picked up off the ground.

                                                  • Anonymous

                                                    I dunno...

                                                    For all you guys who played LotF, do you think that the claymore or the drakeblood sword looks more like the Peacemaker Greatsword? Im trying to make a Harkyn Cosplay.

                                                    • Anonymous

                                                      why would you use any of these when the dark sword does 50 damage less than the best greatsword and costs way less stamina

                                                      • Anonymous

                                                        easy to get stunlocked in a R1 combo. you need longer to recover from one hit than the GS user needs to hit you again. What makes them a good choice for new players but I fail to see "the greatness" so many people talking about here. It's just plain cheap. So cheap that even the Drakenblood knight NPC will kill you if you are unlucky and get cought in the combo because you thought he just wields a long sword.

                                                        • Anonymous

                                                          clicking on the icon, not the text, of the onyx blade links to the drakeblood greatsword page instead of to the onyx blade page.

                                                          • Anonymous

                                                            I was thinking they could scale the demon great machete down to a greatsword and then give you the Capra Demon's move set while dual wielding.

                                                            • Anonymous

                                                              As a pvp fanatic i have found that many matchs are decided by parrying, the greatsword is one of the best pvp weapons imo due to dead angling. Dead angling is feasible with almost any weapon that has a horizonal swing but it is much easier to connect with longer weapons like the greatswords, great curved swords, and ultra great swords. For new players greatswords may not be ideal but with advanced techniques they are high tier pvp weapons.

                                                              • Astora Greatsword is an Ultra Greatsword, not a Greatsword. In the page for the weapon, it is correctly listed as a UGS class, but it shows up on the Greatword list.

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