Spell Warrior | Dark Souls Wiki

Spell Warrior

This is a player-created Build for Dark Souls. If you want help making your own build, you can consult this useful page on how to make a build by Blaine.

• Build Name: Spell Warrior
• Build Level:
• Build Focus: PvE
• Build Main Stats:
• Link to Dark Souls Calculator: Add link here.

Build Equipment

Weapons

Winged Spear 
Spears are the go to weapon for many builds, like Piercing Swords you can attack while blocking, but with these you have reach. Being able to attack while blocking means not only a solid defense, but little to no chance your attacks will be interrupted. You also will have great control, most weapons cause you to inch forward as you attack as do the spears, but not while blocking, while blocking you stay stationary, extremely useful when fighting on one of this games many precarious ledges. Other spears may entice, but don't bother. 

Location: In the graveyard near the starting area, run past the skeletons (they‘ll be too strong for you at this point) and run up the hill and grab the shiny on top and get out of there before the giant skeleton forms up. Spend all your souls first as you'll probably die on your first attempt.

Ranged Weapon

Longbow

This requires no stat increases(if you can use the Winged Spear you can use this) has good rang, does fair damage, can be properly upgraded and has a sniping ability. It should be all the ranged power you need, for as little as you should need it. 
Location: Once in the garden past the chapel kill the second tree(yes you read that right) turn around and take the path to the left. Continue down (killing the crystal lizard) until you come to a Fork, take the left path and jump down to the shiny. 

Weapon Upgrades

Both your spear and bow will undergo the same upgrade path get them to +5 using T, Shards. These will be dropped by knights, they can also be bought from the perish merchant and will be found out and about. Then get it up to magic+5(this upgrade is preformed by the New Londo Ruins smith), this will raise your damage through intelligence. This will require green shards, these can be found in several spots, but the leaches in the depths also drop them frequently. Once you have the Enchanted Ember upgrade both(spear first) with blue ore, this will massively increase intelligence scaling, but blue ore is rare. It's dropped by crystal golems, but infrequently, it's also found out and about. Finally you'll need a blue slab to max your spear(Enchated+5) this can be found in the crystal caves across an invisible bridge, past a visible cave, the path is not strait, be careful. 

Shields

Grass Crest Shield

Bonus stamina regeneration, that should be all I need to say, but there's more! The Physical defense is great at 95% the Fire defense is also good, though the Magic and Lightning defense are merely decent as is the Stability, but stability can be improved through upgrades. The point is: this shield will not block perfectly, but it lets you block longer and rest quicker. 
Location: Once in the garden past the chapel kill the second tree(yes you read that right) turn around and take the path to the left. Continue down (killing the crystal lizard), past the Long Bow. If you see a Crystal Golem, you've gone too far, turn around and find the path that leads down until you come to a Black Knight, run away until you're in a more open area then run past it, on a ledge near where the knight was standing is the Shield. Grab it and try your best to escape using a Homeward Bone…but you probably won't so make sure you spent your souls and humanity. 

Wooden Shield

Available Early, low weight, ok defense. 
Location: Through a locked door of a mini archer' s tower near the beginning of the Undead Burg. Use it when you get it, stow it when you get… 

Hollow Soldier Shield

Solid defense, medium weight, you'll probably need more Endurance to move at full speed with it. 
Location: This is a drop from the shielded undead, and a pretty frequent drop at that, but if not don't stress about not having it, the first boss doesn't have many attacks that you'll need to block, if you do it right. 

Shield Upgrades

This upgrade path is far more straight forward. Once again you'll need T, Shards, but also Large T, Shards and T, Chunks. Large T, Shards can be found all over and can be bought in Sen's Fortress. As for chunks, those are found all over too, but you can't buy them. Luckily those Wrath guys in the lower part of the New Londo Ruins drop them regularly. 

Spells

Fireball

Use it because you have it, but once better spells are available, forget it. 

Great Soul Arrow

This will be your staple medium range attack for the foreseeable future, it's quick and deals good damage, it's also cheap, it will curve to hit opponents, but can miss if they strafe or dodge. Be warned though, with only twenty uses you can't afford to make it your main attack. You should equip two of these when you can buy the second one. 
Location: Bought from the basic spell trainer and then later from Logan 

Great Heavy Soul Arrow

A slower, nastier version of Great Soul Arrow , but only eight uses this time, so I recommend saving for the slower, beefier enemies. Once you get the Crystal Soul Spear Attack spell you should stow this. 
Location: Bought from the basic spell trainer or Logan 

Fire Orb

A nastier Version of Fireball, it has it's uses, but it's pretty slow and only has six casts. Use it if you've upgraded your Flame. 

Soul Spear

Much like Great Heavy Soul Arrow, but awesome. It's faster, nearly twice as powerful, plus it tends to stager enemies, but with only haft the uses and it's expensive. It almost doesn't seem worth it on paper, but it's a bonified boss maimer and devastates some of the nastier foes, it's worth every soul. 
Location: Bought from Logan and then from his fanboy when Logan's in the library. 

Crystal Soul Spear

A more powerful version of Soul Spear, which is to say it's the colon stopping H-Bomb of the sorcery world and it has the same number of uses so there‘s no reason not to have it too. 
Location: Bought from Logan in the Duke's Library 

Homing Soulmass

This spell is great, though it hits slower then other attack spells once cast it's only because it takes the time to lock on, oh it can miss but very rarely. In many situations it is more practical then Soul Spear and ten uses gives you some wiggle room. Still you may want to pass until you can get... 
Location: Bought from Logan and then from his fanboy when Logan's in the library. 

Homing Crystal Soulmass

This is not only the best spell in the game it will own the final boss in ways you won't believe until you see it. If you disregard everything else in this guide, believe in this spell! 
Location: Bought from Logan in the Duke's Library. 

Remedy

It cures poison and Toxic four times per bonfire, it's worth the having, especially in Blighttown. 
Location: Found in Blighttown above the second bonfire across a root, bridge, thing, you‘ll probably fall off to your death. It is more easily accessed from the Valley of Drakes entrance, though you'll need Master Key to get through the gate in New Londo Ruins). 

Cast Light

This spell is only really necessary in one area, but wow is it necessary! Switch it out for Remedy in the Giant's Tomb. 
Location: Bought from the golden lady in the golem, found to the left of the Hydra in the basin, Though you do have to kill the golem first and killing the hydra wouldn't hurt ether. 

Hidden Body

Useful for stealthing it up, good for later areas, have it equipped instead of light once your done with the Giants Tomb. 
Location: Also bought from the golden lady. 

Rings

You have two ring slots, though only one should be regally switch out, the Ring of Favor and Protection should always be equip. 

Ring of Favor and Protection

You don't need to pump Endurance (as much) or Vitality with this ring as it boosts health, stamina and carry weight. This is probably one of the best rings in the game for any build, but, BUT if you take it off it goes away, permanently. 
Location: Found On the top floor of the chapel (before the roof) you have to kill some gold armored nut in a cell (yes your suppose to kill him) behind a partially broken door, he drops it. Fair warning he has a health bar the size of a whale and you can't block his attacks, you can fight him much later in the game as part of the plot and get his more then the ring but you need that darn ring. Let him live longer in the second play through. 

Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring

Ideally, this should be on your finger for every boss fight you need magic for(i.e:most of them), the increased spell damage will bring down bosses that much faster. 
Location: Bought from the basic magic trainer. 

Cloranthy Ring

If your wearing this and using the Grass Shield(yes they stack) you can regenerate a healthy amount of stamina even while blocking. This ring is just awesome and should be used in heavy melee situations. 
Location: Located in the first part of the Hollow inside the center tree, you have to drop down into it the tree near the entrance, then climb back up and fall again because your going to miss it. 

Ring of the Evil Eye

In addition to looking epic. every kill heals 30 HP. When just out and about this is a good choice, if your careful this can help you'll save your Flasks for boss fights. 
Location: In the lowest part of the sewers, past the cursey frogs. 

Covetous Silver Serpent Ring

This ring increases the souls you receive from killed enemies by 20%, good for grinding, try to fight the urge to wear it all the time you greedy child born out of wedlock. 
Location: In the Giant's Tomb on a ledge you have to jump to, near the big window in the cave wall. It's pretty screwed up as you actually have to jump while running up a slope that seems to be in the way. 

Covetous Gold Serpent Ring

This ring increases the odds that an enemy will drop something, somewhat useful if you want a specific item. Wear it when fighting the Crystal Golems to increase your odds of getting precious blue ore you‘ll need. 
Location: Sen's Fortress, down the spiral ramp with the boulders coming at you, fun. There's a hole at the bottom that will fill up with large rocks if you wait long enough by the side of the slide. Once you can walk across it do so, avoiding the oversize pebbles(they really don‘t like you) the ring will be in the next room. Try not to get flattened on the way back. 

Item Slots

1) Flask: obviously the only reliable healing item in the game, it's worth keeping on you. 
Location: You get it in the tutorial 
2) Homeward Bone: (Yeah I hate the pun too) The most useful non-healing item in the game. It lets you save time and your butt, especially in one very nasty situation I will cover below. 
Location: You can buy them from the merchant in the Aqueduct, but there is a starting supply down the elevator shaft up the stairs from the fat monk. 
3) Purple Moss Clump or Divine Blessing: after you have remedy. 
Location: All Moss drop some what reliably from the kite(man) eating trees, but you can also buy it from the Aqueduct merchant. 
Location: The Devine Blessing can be bought from the maiden in the chapel or Patches, after you save(?) them from the Giant's Tomb. 
4) Blooming Purple Moss Clump or Purging Stone: 
Location: Purging Stones are dropped by the giant clams(in Ash Lake or the Crystal Caves), but they're tough sob's your far better of buying them from the Aqueduct merchant. 
5) Orange/Red Guidance Soapstone: 
Location: The orange one can be bought from the merchant in the Burg. 
Location: The red one's on top of the busted tower in the painted world. 
Orange Note: when some one up rates one of your messages you get humanity so leave good messages and up rate other people's good messages. 
Red Note: When your ready use the red pen to challenge people for souls and humanity, it's the only way to PvP that doesn't get your but in the book of the guilty…other then just waiting for someone to come to you. 

Build Strategy

What is a Spell Warrior?

Simply put a Spell Warrior is one part Tank, one part DPS Machine. Deadly at close range, terrifying at medium range and solid at long range. Combining the durability of a warrior with the boss wrecking power of a mage along with a few tricks for ugly situations this build has you covered. Most importantly this build starts strong and never feels underpowered. 

Why A Spell Warrior?

1) The game lacks a good stat scaling in Strength or Dexterity, i.e.: there's no upgrades that specifically focus on them, but Intelligence scaling upgrades (Magic) is not only available early in the game, but pumps magic damage into your enemies, most of whom have little or no defense against it. 
2) Pouring points into Vitality, Strength, Dexterity and Endurance will spread you so thin that it will take a while before a warrior feels viable. However with a Spell Warrior you can largely ignore Strength and Dexterity, completely ignore vitality and get by with less endurance at first. This means you only have to pump Intelligence and every point boosts your melee, bow and spell damage. 
3) A pure caster has two huge problems, many enemies/situations don't leave you enough elbow space for casting and unlike demon souls you can't stock up on spice an keep refilling your MP, when your out of spells, your out of spells which is to say boned. A Spell Warrior has fewer spells, but he/she also doesn't need them most of the time, but they're still there. 

Does this mean I won't die?

Of course you'll die you'll die a lot! A whole lot. I mean holy carp are you going to die. You'll just be dying substantially less so than you would without my guide. 

Getting Started

To begin, select the Pyromancer class, it makes for a solid stat foundation, cheap leveling, the best balanced starting armor and those eight Fireballs will be immensely useful early in the game. For the Gift I would recommend the Master key, it will give you access to important stuff relatively early, but it ultimately doesn't mater you can select what you like. 

Stat Management

Vitality: 10

The Flask won't even heal you to full health right away, so more HP isn't relevant most of the time. 

Attunement: 14,16 or 19

Don't start putting points into this until you buy Great Soul Arrow and Great Heavy Soul Arrow as you won't need two slots until they're available. Stack it to 14 before you go to Blighttown so you can equip Remedy after you find it. More then three spells won't help you much until you find Logan. 16 will be necessary to equip Logan's spell and final 19 in the Duke's Library. 

Endurance: 40+

Endurance should be your secondary focus, unless you aren't rolling at full tilt, then it becomes more urgent. Call it pay as you go. One of the goals of this build is to be able to move at full speed at all times and you should get the stat to about forty, as that maxes out your stamina, which means max blocking and combo power. After you have a hundred Intelligence this will become your main focus. 

Strength: 13

Enough to equip your weapon and shield. I'll get into what weaponry you need below, suffice it to say this should consume your first few level ups, but once you reach the weapon requirements there are better places to put your points. 

Dexterity: 15

See Strength 

Resistance: 12

Every level up boosts your defense, this boosts it more, but does nothing else, it's just not worth it. 

Intelligence: 50+ Pump it!

This is your attack power in every category. I'm not saying put every point you have into Intelligence, but it should be higher if not twice as high as your second highest stat. 

Faith: 8

Faith serves no real purpose for this build, don't bother. 

Humanity: 1

All Humanity is lost if you die, you can get it back if you touch your blood stain before you die again, but even so even one is something of a risk as there will be many times when you can‘t reasonably get back and one case when it‘s not possible. Besides all that Humanity is one of those diminishing returns things, 1 point of it will raise your item finding stat by 20 points (50 now after patch), additional points grant less than haft that. So keep kindling those bonfires. 

Armor Progression

As your endurance rises and you get the favor ring you will be able to wear better armor without sacrificing speed, this is a list of the order in which you'll find the best armors useful. 

Pyromancer Gear

You'll be using the starting armor for quite a while, it's solid in every area, but not really great. 
Location: You Start wearing it. 
The first Armor Related thing you'll want to do is get the Elite Knight Set. It's in the Dark Root Garden the past where the mist was in an open area. It will be on top of a hill to your right, but as you approach several uglys will rise up to smite your deforesting butt. Grab the glowy and run. 
Next you'll need the Eastern Armor Set also in the Dark Root Garden, past the glowing door. Hug the cliff wall to your right, you'll run into some trees on the way. Beware of the forest protectors, their quite the pain in the spleen. The shiny will be near a ledge surrounded by a bunch of trees having a satanic hoe-down. Grab & go won't work here you'll have to pull them with your bow and take them out one or two at a time. 
Final you have to find the Warrior Armor Set, not much finding to do really, it's in plan sight. After killing Chest Mouth the Dragon's you'll find it sitting around the boss room, you can't miss it, just watch out for the drop off and the New York sized rats. 
Don't wear any of these of the bat, there not that good and it weighs you down quite a bit, instead upgrading specific pieces from each set, the Hard Leather Gloves, the Elite Knight Leggings and Eastern Armor(Chest Piece) in that order. Trust me they're pretty sweet full up, but you can't handle it yet so 
instead put on the… 

Gold-Hemmed Black Armor

Once You get it you can switch out the Pyromancer set, it's better in nearly every way, but it‘s not upgradeable. If you can't roll at full speed, put some more points into endurance. Now once you started getting your Endurance to a comfortable level(38 or more), start switch out your armor one piece at a time. Start with the Hard Leather Gloves+10 (they are plus ten by now, right?), Then the Elite Knight Leggings+10 and finally the Eastern Armor+5, the gold Hemmed Black Hood is still your best helm choice. This will take a while, but is the best medium weight armor set in the game. 

Survival Tips

I'm going to assume you read through the controls or already died enough to know the basics, because these are not the basics, they're the necessities. 

- Keep your Shield Up: This will keep you alive better than anything else. With your shield up you will take little or no damage from direct hits and your own melee attacks will go largely uninterrupted. In short it's the best defensive option in virtually every situation.

-KEEP YOUR SHIELD UP! You must love the Left Bumper, hold it tight! Never let it go, marry it, buy a house in the burbs have a few kids. Seriously if you go blundering into new areas with your shield down you will die, and you'll have no one to blame but your self and the horrors that killed you will laugh at your ineptitude saying “We might have been in trouble if he had her/his shield up.

-Don't go Blundering into new Areas: If you charge in anywhere you'll die, check your right and left then go in, then immediately jump back and wait. If nothing happens proceed, but is still probably...

-It's a Trap: See a lone unaware enemy or one running away? See an unguarded shiny or an open path? It's a trap, it's always a trap, mostly.

-You Sprung the back up Trap: Think you spotted and disarmed the trap or just survived it? Good for you now make sure it wasn't the only one…oops to late your dead, shoulda got outa the way.

-Get out of the Way: The roll is your dodge, use it frequently, however you are not invincible while rolling. So learn the proper distance you can roll away and when it works. Otherwise you likely will roll your self into pain. The main problem is it's the same button as backstep.

-Don't backstep! If you press the B button and push the stick in any direction you'll roll, just press the B button and you'll backstep, usually off a cliff. It also is of no use in combat, most enemy's attacks have to large a hit box for that. Don't backstep.

Watch for Cliffs: This game is riddled with death drops, many in plan sight, some hidden and a handful that look like solid ground(there not as bad as you think, they‘re worse), but only a handful can be jumped.

Look before you Lea…Die: Sometimes you can jump a gap, though even jumps you can make you will usually miss and die. Part of that is the realistic nature of jumping, but it's mostly it's the unbelievably squirrellyjumping mechanic. You hold down be while moving to run, then at the edge of the gap you let go of the button and then quickly hit it again, the timing is bull at best. You will fall, so make sure your ready for it.

-Spend like a Teenager: Level up when you can, buy a repair box at the first opportunity and repair your gear at every bonfire. Power up every bonfire, turn human then kindle every new bonfire, it will give you a permanent 10 flasks every time you rest at said bonfire and later 15.

-Drink like a Freshman: The Evil Eye will help, but don't wait to drink your flasks, haft health is one hit/combo for many enemies.

-Use the Stupid Aggressive AI: The enemy AI is obscenely frisky, they will not politely attack you one at a time like most games, they will charge in weapons draw and funk you up from all sides. Use their psychotic nature against them. Make them chase you into traps, let them swing away while you backstab them, poke one in a group with an arrow and make it take you alone. They are cruel and smarter then most video game's AI, but their madness can get them killed, help them along.

-Search Everywhere/Grab Every Shiny: You don't need every item, but most will be helpful in some way. Find your way to them.

-Be Ready to Die: When all else fails, and it will, again and again. Be prepared to let go of what you've lost, never carry more souls or humanity then your prepared to lose.