Is Lightning Damage Effective Against Certain Enemies in Dark Souls?
Effectiveness of Lightning Damage Against Enemies
Lightning Damage is effective against a wide range of enemies, especially when compared to Fire Damage. It is particularly effective against:
- Dragons
- Heavily armored enemies
- Skeleton enemies
- Crow demons
- Mastodon elephant enemies
- Most boss knights
- Enemies wearing no armor
However, there are notable exceptions. For instance, Lightning Damage is ineffective against:
- Gwyn, Lord of Cinder
- Dragon Slayer Ornstein
- Most knights
- Enemies using lightning
Armor and Resistance
Reducing Lightning Damage can be accomplished by raising the Lightning Defense stat. At lower levels, increasing all stats while leveling up will raise Lightning Defense, but this has diminishing returns at higher levels. Armor sets can provide good resistance to Lightning:
- The Wanderer Set offers the highest defense against Lightning Damage among starting armor sets.
- Light armor sets like the Great Lord Set, Big Hat’s Set, Chester’s Set, and the fully upgraded Dingy Set provide decent defense.
- Medium armor sets such as Ornstein’s Set and the Silver Knight Set are also good choices.
- Heavy armor sets generally offer the best average defense against Lightning Damage.
Additional Damage Sources
To further enhance Lightning Damage, players can utilize:
- Gold Pine Resin or Gold Pine Bundle to add additional lightning damage when applied.
- Lightning Blade miracle to buff weapons.
- Weapons infused with a Lightning Gem also enhance lightning damage.
Lightning is one of four elemental damage types in Dark Souls III, and its unique properties make it a powerful tool in the right hands—especially against certain foes like drakes, wyverns, and other draconic or serpentine creatures.
Moreover, the Hurl Lightning Spear can inflict rare lightning damage, proving particularly effective against magic, fire, and, most notably, dragons.
What Are the Best Lightning Weapons in Dark Souls?
Best Lightning Weapons in Dark Souls
- Gargoyle Halberd: The Gargoyle Halberd does the highest amount of damage of any other weapon in its weight class. It has requirements of 16 STR and 12 DEX, making it accessible to just about any build. This means you can do massive damage at low character levels while keeping a safe range from your foe. The weapon does thrust damage, which improves the rating of criticals. It can be paired with the Hornet ring for huge damage on parries and backstabs. Moreover, it offers an increase in toxin and poison resistance, long range and strike area, and low weight. When maxed out, this is a boss-killing machine. Its running two-handed vertical attack is fast, powerful, and allows for quick recovery. If you prioritize other attributes over strength and dexterity, this is a must-have ascended Dark Souls weapon.
- Balder Side Sword: The Balder Side Sword is to straight swords what the Estoc is to thrusting swords. Both do the same damage as their cousins but have superior range and a better moveset. This sword can finish the game in either its fire or lightning modes. It is both quick and light. Easily, you can hit slower foes multiple times, increasing damage due to the decent fire and lightning rating. Additionally, the added range makes it a great counter-attacking weapon, helping you maintain a safe distance most of the time.
- Estoc: The Estoc exemplifies how dexterity weapons benefit the most from ascension to fire or lightning, as the high damage rating is unlocked immediately upon ascension. This sword allows for attacks while shielded and for very quick unshielded attack chains. Although heavier than other thrusting swords, it is longer, yielding a larger attack range. Also, the Estoc does massive critical damage, usually higher than much heavier weapons with greater damage ratings.
- Claymore and Bastard Sword: Both the Claymore and Bastard Sword have identical weights and stat scaling. While a fire or lightning Bastard Sword does more damage, the Claymore has superior range and a thrust attack good for tight quarters. The Claymore is available very early in the game but only once per playthrough. Conversely, the Bastard Sword is also available relatively soon and can be obtained in multiples, but it costs 3000 souls each. Once fully ascended, each weapon offers high damage in combination with low weight and low stat requirements, making them attractive for any non-melee build.
- Astora Greatsword: The Astora Greatsword is by far the best choice as it has an S scaling with faith and is obtainable very early in the game.
- Fortissax’s Lightning Spear: One of the best lightning spells in the game, Fortissax’s Lightning Spear, is a devastating weapon against many enemies.
How Does Lightning Damage Scale with Faith in Dark Souls?
In Dark Souls, lightning damage scaling with Faith is an important aspect of gameplay. Here’s how it works:
- When infusing a weapon with Lightning, only the lightning damage scales with Faith. This infusion results in a higher Attack Rating (AR) for Lightning damage.
- On the other hand, if you infuse a weapon with Blessed, it scales both lightning and base damage off of Faith. However, it’s important to note that Blessed reduces the physical base damage equivalent to the increase in lightning damage, which can severely impact overall AR.
- Blessed also provides a minor health regeneration benefit of 2 HP per second, which is often considered insignificant compared to the setup benefits. Many players prefer allocating regeneration via an off-hand item instead.
- Notably, the only weapons where a Blessed infusion has been reported to outperform Lightning infusions are the Lothric Knight Greatsword and the Dragonslayer’s Axe, both of which have innate lightning damage.
- Furthermore, Faith affects the duration of buffs like Sunlight Blade, which is a lightning enhancement. The damage from Lightning Urns, another lightning buff, scales with the Lightning Attack Bonus value as well. Players can obtain Lightning Urns from the Head of Vengarl.
- In summary, Faith not only controls the player’s attack power for weapons scaling with it but also enhances the lightning damage of certain weapons, such as the Dragonslayer Spear, and the physical damage of the (cursed) Greatsword of Artorias.
Thus, choosing the right infusion based on your build and desired output can greatly influence your effectiveness in combat.
Comparing Lightning Damage to Fire Damage in Dark Souls: Which is Better?
When comparing Lightning Damage to Fire Damage in Dark Souls, several factors must be considered:
- Effectiveness: Lightning damage is generally considered more effective than fire damage.
- Enemy Resistance: Most enemies in Dark Souls have higher resistance to fire than lightning. Thus, lightning attacks are more likely to deal significant damage. In fact, lightning is often viewed as the best elemental damage type for most bosses due to their lower lightning resistance.
- Specific Weaknesses: While fire damage can be advantageous, as some enemies have a specific weakness to fire, it is important to consider the specific enemy type.
- Accessibility: Fire damage can be readily accessible early in the game with available fire infusions. In contrast, lightning options may require further progression.
- Armor and Resistance: Certain armor sets provide good resistance to lightning. However, in general, good lightning resistance is harder to secure than other types. Heavy armor sets typically offer the best average defense against lightning damage, with Smough’s Set having the highest lightning defense. Individual pieces to focus on include the Big Hat, Dingy Robe, Smough’s Gauntlets, and Maiden Skirt.
- Weapon Augmentation: Players can enchant weapons using Gold Pine Resin and the Sunlight Blade miracle to apply lightning damage directly, which can enhance weapon effectiveness.
- PvP Considerations: Lightning is useful for low-level PvP or initial New Game playthroughs, as elemental damage such as fire and lightning split your damage between physical and elemental, proving effective early on.
In conclusion, while lightning is often the better choice due to its effectiveness against a majority of enemies, the specific enemy type and your character build will determine the optimal damage type in different situations.
What Are the Key Advantages of Using Lightning Miracles in Dark Souls?
In Dark Souls, Lightning Miracles present several advantages that enhance gameplay experiences, particularly through their unique mechanics and damage types.
- Lightning Spear: This miracle is ed down to those bound by the Warrior of Sunlight covenant. It inflicts rare lightning damage, which is notably effective against magic, fire, and dragons. It features:
- A long casting time and pin-point accuracy.
- A very long effective range, making it a suitable option for long-range attacks.
- Lightning attack power equal to 2.7 times the talisman’s magic adjust.
- Good damage potential in PvP due to most players’ lower lightning resistance.
- Versatility, as throwing Lightning Spear into water causes lightning damage to radiate from the impact point.
- Despite its strengths, Lightning Spear has a long casting time and lacks AoE damage, which can be risky in PvP situations.
- Lightning Blade: This miracle coats your blade in lightning, providing consistency with no aiming or precise timing required, thus delivering additional damage with each swing.
- Sunlight Spear: This miracle boasts the best ranged damage in the game. It is quick to cast, deals twice the damage of the standard Lightning Spear, and features flashier visuals.
- Lightning Arrow: This is a popular damage miracle in PvP and offers substantial utility in standard gameplay. It deals less damage than Sunlight Spear but is much faster, allowing for easy spamming.
- Great Lightning Spear: As an advanced miracle of the Warrior of Sunlight covenant, it enables the casting of a giant lightning spear. Its weapon art, Awakening, grants a 25% boost to miracle damage for two minutes. This makes it an excellent choice to pair with Lightning Spear and other lightning-related miracles.
- Overall, miracles typically scale with the Faith stat and either deal lightning damage or provide healing and buffs to the player.
Tips for Maximizing Lightning Damage Output in Dark Souls Builds
Maximizing lightning damage output in Dark Souls builds involves understanding weapon choices, buffs, and scaling. Here are some effective tips:
- Weapon Selection: The Lothric Knight Greatsword has innate lightning damage. It can be buffed or infused with lightning. Furthermore, its lightning scaling is A at +10.
- Faith Scaling: If you have 60 faith, the Yorshka Chime is highly effective. It performs well at around 40-50 faith as well, providing a solid spell buff for lightning damage. The real damage with a faith build lies in Yorshka’s Chime spell buff with Darkmoon Blade or Lightning Blade.
- Alternative Weapon Options: Consider using the Dragonslayer Swordspear, Profaned Greatsword, or Greatsword of Judgement. These weapons have self-buff properties and can scale with faith.
- Miracle Damage: For the best possible lightning-based miracle damage, use the Crystal Chime for miracles like Lightning Spear, Lightning Stake, or Lightning Arrow. While the damage may not match a dedicated faith with Yorshka’s Chime, it remains significant.
- Damage Efficiency: Lightning is a damage type that inflicts significant damage due to the limited armor resistance against it. Notably, it has no scaling, making it ideal for lower-level builds or those prioritizing vitality and endurance stats.
- Buff Usage: With the Lightning Blade and Sunlight Sword buff, you can achieve around 1300 HP while embered.
