Drake sword! I don't understand this game!

[Benergy]

I have been stuck on ornstein and smough for a very long time. I have been using the drake sword +2 since i received it earlier on in the game. Apparently I should have ditched this sword a long time ago according to the internet. I dont understand how the stats work in the game. I have been using this sword because it has the highest damage out of any of the weapons I have ever received. It doesn't really make sense to me...can some one explain?

Also I recommendations on what is a better choice than drake sword.

[Forblaze]

Weapons have a base damage and then damage from stat scaling. The letter grade under parambonus indicates how much damage a weapon gains from the relevant stat. S is the highest, E is the lowest (while still giving bonus damage), and - is nothing. In the Drake Sword's case, no damage is gained from any stat. It's all base damage.

[Nwaah]

Drake sword has nice damage, but no stat scaling. If you have some strength/dexterity, the damage output of many weapons (but not dragon weaps) will be much higher.

And, the drake sword becomes a worthless ♥♥♥♥ after beating Blighttown IMO.

Recommendations? Katanas or scythe for dex builds, great swords/hammers (f.e. zweihander) for str builds.

[Bussy]

Drake Sword starts to really suck around Sen's. Just find a weapon you like that is upgraded with titanite, and level it to +15. Elemental weapons are an ok choice too, but you are better off just using resin on a +15 normal weapon.

[Ginseng]

Essentially what everyone is saying is correct the drake sword sucks because it has no scaling and relative low damage compared to other weapons that dont scale. Also damage isnt everything, there are things to take into account like speed, attack animations, bleed/poision/toxin effects, and elemental weaknesses.

Smough for instance is fairly easy to bleed, Ornstein can be poisoned and toxic'ed(? *shrug*). Smough is weak to lightning but really everything he has no defense, Ornstein is weak to fire.

[Kelloggs]

All the four posts on top already covered the Drake sword issue...

But I'll like to suggest another thing a bit off topic:

Watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1sUcOLER4w

I don't even know the uploader, but I'm sharing this here because it's well made and it's ideal for beginners in the game.

[Slave Soul]

easy explain: drake sword have a range damage, but that damage never change, it was always the same, so to the begiiner is nice but when you level up your stats like STR or DEX you can use other weapons who have the normal damage + bonus DEX and STR, so for O&S you have a lot of weapons who deal more damage to then, and of course that other things like elemental weapons and bleed and bla bla bla

[RuthlessKicker]

I hate the drake sword, I honestly think its a piece of ♥♥♥♥ no matter when your using it.

[Kelloggs]

İlk olarak cgowenscolton tarafından gönderildi:

I hate the drake sword, I honestly think its a piece of ♥♥♥♥ no matter when your using it.

In the very beginning of the game it's incredibly good... together with Gravelord sword.

[Forblaze]

İlk olarak cgowenscolton tarafından gönderildi:

I hate the drake sword, I honestly think its a piece of ♥♥♥♥ no matter when your using it.

It really is. It's only in the game as a noob trap.

[Frankie-Z-]

It's a red hearing of a sword .. you get it early like the OP did and you think you have something special..
I did that and a large majority of people did. .
Even started scalling it up with dragon scales.
But then you hit a wall usually around sens or like the OP at Orn n Smog .
That's usually when you either decide I like this game let me see what I did wrong or F this game and you go back to playing Skyrim ..
the Upgrade system ( like everything else is DS ) is crypticly explained by the game so all the info you get from the game might not make sense at first.
the stats you pick make a big differance in the weapons you use.
Drake gets no bonus from stats Just scales..

[ARF]

A +5 halberd does more damage than the drake sword with the same stats to equip it. You also get the halberd almost immediately after the spot where you get the drake sword. It also has a longer range and of course can be upgraded to +15.

Why every newbie goes for the drake sword when there is a better weapon literally laying on the ground just an area over I don't understand. The only downside is having to make it +5 which isn't that difficult.

[Frankie-Z-]

Well I still get it sometimes and use it while collecting material to scale up somthing else early game ,,
it's good to get past capra demon and get into the sewers

[Kelloggs]

I'm surprised to see so many people saying the drake sword is bad even in the beginning.

Considering how easy it is to get (just a few cuts on the drakes tail), and the damage (200 flat)... it is a really good weapon to use against the gargoyles.

Gravelord sword is better, but harder for beginners to get.

The drake sword has nice attack animations and doesn't punish the player if he misses the enemy, like the halberd.

I love the halberd btw... but some might not like its attack animations...

And for the Halberd to match the drake sword it would have to be in +5. (Which isn't hard to do...but still... point remains)


Calling the Drake Sword a "beginners trap" is exageration... maybe up to Capra Demon it's still a good weapon. I agree that people shouldn't use it after Capra though.


PS: Another huge downside to the drake sword is not being able to aply resin.

[Kemar]

İlk olarak Sucrilhus tarafından gönderildi:

I'm surprised to see so many people saying the drake sword is bad even in the beginning.

I think people cast off the drake sword because as it is powerful in the begining, you won't learn how to deal with the enemies the proper way, you'll just come a hack away. And then, shortly after your early triumphs, you begin to die and die...and...die. Just because you relied on a weapon at a time you had to learn to dodge, shield, parry, backstab, keep an eye on your stamina...and build your character according to dex or str (to mention only these).

[Forblaze]

İlk olarak Sucrilhus tarafından gönderildi:

Calling the Drake Sword a "beginners trap" is exageration... maybe up to Capra Demon it's still a good weapon. I agree that people shouldn't use it after Capra though.

The thing is, unless the weapon you want is unavailable at the time, there's no reason to use a temporary weapon like that. It would be one thing if there was some early game boss super-resistant to magic and your sorcerer character needed to get through him, but the Drake Sword has no special trait making it worth putting off the use of your "main" weapon.

For a new player, it is, for all intents and purposes, a trap. They rely on it and invariably neglect to upgrade a proper weapon and get bit in the ass for it. They may possibly even end up with poorly distributed stats, and unlike neglecting weapons, that isn't something easily salvageable.