What does leveling up dexterity do in Dark Souls?
Dexterity, one of the eight main attributes in the Dark Souls series, primarily affects a player’s ability to wield Dexterity-based armaments, as well as the damage dealt by such weapons. In this article, we will dive deeper into what leveling up dexterity does in the game.
What affects Dexterity?
A player’s Dexterity directly affects their ability to use Dexterity-based weapons and shields. Leveling up Dexterity increases your ability to wield these armaments effectively. Weapons and shields that scale with Dexterity will deal increased damage or provide better deflection chances as your Dexterity stat increases.
Dexterity and Weapon Effects
Dexterity affects the damage dealt by weapons that scale with the stat. The damage increase is more significant the higher your Dexterity is. Additionally, certain weapons and shields have hidden effects that are influenced by Dexterity. For instance, the Black Bow of Pharis receives a boost in range based on Dexterity.
Here is a table summarizing the Dexterity scaling on some weapons:
| Weapon | Initial Damage | Base Dexterity Scaling |
|---|---|---|
| Yhorm’s Great Machete | 100 | x1.2 |
| Ringed Knight Paired Greatswords | 120 | x1.1 |
| Fume Ultra Greatsword | 150 | x1.3 |
| Exile Greatsword | 90 | x1.25 |
Dexterity for Casters
Dexterity also influences the casting speed of most spells in the game. Casting speed increases as your Dexterity grows, allowing spellcasters to cast faster and more aggressively. This is beneficial for Pyromancies, as they often suffer from a slow casting timer.
Minimum Dexterity Requirements
Some weapons or shields may have minimum Dexterity requirements for proper wielding. If the player does not meet this minimum stat value, their combat performance may suffer. Therefore, it is important to ensure your Dexterity is sufficient for your intended build.
Pure Dexterity Builds
Certain builds in Dark Souls center around high Dexterity builds. In these cases, pure Dexterity build players focus on maximizing Dexterity points. In these scenarios, any additional Strength or Intelligence earned is likely to be superfluous.
To summarize:
- Leveling up Dexterity increases Dexterity-based weapon efficiency and damage scaling.
- Dexterity affects casting speed in certain spells, particularly Pyromancies.
- Some minimum Dexterity requirements apply to weapon and shield performance.
- Focusing on Dexterity point allocation can be beneficial for certain builds.
If you are looking to max out your Dexterity to create an efficient build or simply increase your overall prowess, we hope this in-depth analysis has provided helpful insights into the role Dexterity plays in Dark Souls.
Recommendations for Builds
Based on the properties of Dexterity, it is generally recommended to balance your point allocation between all attributes for a well-rounded build. However, when focusing on a specific strength, like Dexterity for example, it can be beneficial to prioritize only that attribute as you ascend through the S rank**.