Going for the dex. any tips?

[Kratson]

Hey guys. i've started to think of making a new character that is centered towards dex. My previous one was focused on strength. I was thinking of being more of a light weight character for my next one since my last one was focused all around armor (no im not a havel wearing noob, i actually wore the bell keeper armour in most of my gameplay cause it looks badass imo). Anyways any tips on how i should play when going with a dex build in dark souls 2? Sorta make me like the NPC Lucatial: swift, and doing a good deal of damage? without using two handed weapons? Which class to start with?

[WalrusJones]

Don't tell father.

[Kratson]

what?

MagicalSmallrusWalrusJones eredeti hozzászólása:

Don't tell father.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

I really like my dex character.. Swordsman to begin, powerstance asap. Dual wielding falchions is awesome for the first 2/3 of the game. I upgraded to Warped Swords near the end of NG+. Warped S. has a unique L2 double-spin attack that is pretty reckless, but does a ton of damage if you connect all 4 hits. If you like katanas, the powerstance Warped Sword/Katana combo is has a long reach and will destroy in pvp.

I use a spear or Black Knight Halberd for back up and for slow enemies and bosses.

Dex scaling isn't as good as STR scaling, so this build will likely be more challenging. You have to get good at dodging cause you wont use a shield. Invest in lots of endurance and ADP for high stamina and good dodging. I personally like to keep my load between 45-60%, but the lighter the better. Under 40% you rolls are really long, so you kind of overshoot enemies in pvp, so it makes it difficult to roll into back-stab.

If you go with a Dex build, you'll probably want to find ways to increase your damage output. I'm not getting great results from 30int/30faith with dark or flame infusion on my warped swords, but my fire infused BKH destroys.

You can also consider using poison weapons. A whip or 2 will be a good choice for this build.

[Kratson]

Thanks that'll help me btw i didnt mean to say bell keeper armour, i meant to say Velstadt armour. Bwt where will i be able to use find the falchions (shold i upgade them, which starting class should i go for when doing the dex build and is it alright to use a shield for a final resort (not a heavy hsield, just standard or at least one of the aprrying shields.

Mandroid eredeti hozzászólása:

I really like my dex character.. Swordsman to begin, powerstance asap. Dual wielding falchions is awesome for the first 2/3 of the game. I upgraded to Warped Swords near the end of NG+. Warped S. has a unique L2 double-spin attack that is pretty reckless, but does a ton of damage if you connect all 4 hits. If you like katanas, the powerstance Warped Sword/Katana combo is has a long reach and will destroy in pvp.

I use a spear or Black Knight Halberd for back up and for slow enemies and bosses.

Dex scaling isn't as good as STR scaling, so this build will likely be more challenging. You have to get good at dodging cause you wont use a shield. Invest in lots of endurance and ADP for high stamina and good dodging. I personally like to keep my load between 45-60%, but the lighter the better. Under 40% you rolls are really long, so you kind of overshoot enemies in pvp, so it makes it difficult to roll into back-stab.

If you go with a Dex build, you'll probably want to find ways to increase your damage output. I'm not getting great results from 30int/30faith with dark or flame infusion on my warped swords, but my fire infused BKH destroys.

You can also consider using poison weapons. A whip or 2 will be a good choice for this build.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

I don't use a shield at all, I dodge everything cause I have a light load fast stamina regen, and a lot of stamina. Cloranthany Ring is your friend, so is Ring of Blades. Swordsman starting class starts with good armor that will last until you find something light that looks cooler. Buy Falchions from blacksmith Lenigrast in Majula.

Get your stats up to powerstance 2 falchions, then use your souls to upgrade falchions. Weapon upgrades are better than levels early on.

[Kratson]

so i guessing the dex build is all about the amount of dps then rather than how much damage you can absorb before being mauled? So dodging is going to be my best friend.

Mandroid eredeti hozzászólása:

I don't use a shield at all. (Actually, I did use a shield vs. drakeblood knights in DLC1 - but apparently they're easy to parry - who knew). Swordsman starting class starts with good armor that will last until you find something light that looks cooler. Buy Falchions from blacksmith Lenigrast in Majula.

Get your stats up to powerstance 2 falchions, then use your souls to upgrade falchions. Weapon upgrades are better than levels early on.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

KratossAvenger eredeti hozzászólása:

so i guessing the dex build is all about the amount of dps then rather than how much damage you can absorb before being mauled? So dodging is going to be my best friend.

Definitely. You're not going to be dealing tons of damage with each blow, but you attack really quickly and can out-maneuver most enemies. It takes some getting used to. Like I said it's more challenging than a sword/board strength build, but it's more exiting and more engaging.

You can experiment with other weapons, too. There are lots of different powerstance movesets. I didn't like the warped sword at first, but I'm used to it now and it's pretty tough. I prefer the falchion moveset.

Falcion is great because it has great dex scaling and it's really fast. You don't need to infuse to make a strong build. If you want elemental infusion, you should experiment with other weapons that have higher base damage and low dex scaling.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

You should also try rapiers. I'm not a fan, personally, but they're a good dex option.

[Kratson]

Yeah throughout dark souls 1 and 2 i've been going for the strength build and i've been relying on my shield way too often so i thought i should change it up since its my first time trying out the dex build. :P

Mandroid eredeti hozzászólása:

You should also try rapiers. I'm not a fan, personally, but they're a good dex option.

[Cake for Mumm-Ra]

That's why I started this build. Cause I always relied on shields. Duel wield takes some getting used to, but it's totally worth trying.

[Evertrill]

I think the reskinned Blacksteel Katana is still in the chest so if you start a DEX character go for that.

[Sir Latrine de Bretagne]

The new reskin Blacksteel Katana (Majula) and/or the Ricard Rapier (Huntman Copse) are good starting options.

[Big Boom Boom]

Flameberge - S Dex scaling
Curved Dragon Greatsword - S Dex Scaling
Blacksteel Katana - S Dex scaling
Hunter Blackbow - S Dex scaling - found this works better for Old Iron King DLC than Lightning Infused Bow of Want

[Maplebell]

For pvp I like using bleed or posion daggers. Most daagger actully gain more overall damage on these two dex atrributes rather then haveingg a dark/mgc/hex dagger etc. Also powerstance daggers are pretty cool move set. But if you want to get really easy easy just get katana's the move sett is one of the best in game and has good dex scale damage.

[keith.forret]

I use a lightening infused +5 Warped Sword + +5 Kings Shield combo for most fights. Most people I fight can't handle it (I am on NG+++). If I need a change up, I ready a +5 Stone Puzzle (not infused) sword in my left hand and power stance with Warped Sword. This does great damage and is awesome against anyone using a slow weapon. If I want to poke, I two hand the Stone Puzzle sword as it is one of the best poking weapons in the game.

Going without a shield is risky in this game. Too many folks have ranged attacks which a shield can mostly negate. The King's Shield is arguably the best all round shield in the game (when you consider resistances, stabilty, and weight).

My last weapon escalation is readying the Syan Halberd. I do not have this on hand all the time. But if I feel it is required, I ready it.

All of these weapons I have personally been spanked in PVP by (and that is why I use them), so I speak from experience on both ends of combat.

NOTE: All of these weapons and the King's Shield are very light, save the Syan Halberd.