Thank Tank
		10	50	40
33	36	8	18	11

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: Thank Tank
• Build Level:
• Build Focus: PvE
• Build Main Stats:
• Link to Dark Souls Calculator: Add link here.

Build Equipment

Armor

• At 40 endurance with the Ring of Favor and Protection on you will have 96 weight to work with. 48 weight is 50%.This is why i raised my endurance to 50, to have over 100 weight to carry what i needed into battle with my heavy armor. Since leveling it after 40 is more or less useless compared to other stats at this level it is optional.

• The Black armor when upgraded fully is the second best in damage resistance and flame resistance, being only slightly bested by a +5 giants armor set (it doesn't beat Black Irons flame res, but adds a crap ton to lightning resistance.If fighting a lightning based enemy switch to Giants armor set +5. I like the Black Iron set more because of the added curse/bleeding/posion resistance and lighter weight (by only 2) but you lose poise and lightning res over +5 giants armor.

Right and Left hands

• The Demons Spear will be one of your main weapons. At 4.0 weight it kept me below 50% easily while doing great damage. You can get this as soon as you get to darkroot garden. Join the forest hunters and talk to Shiva. A little back tracking to blight town and buy the demons spear for 15000 souls (if you don't have it beat the boss here and collect her souls co-op or solo). This was also the time I collect the two fire keeper souls here. (the one guarded by flame dogs and the one for the firekeeper after the boss) this will keep ya at +4 flask until Anor Lando. This weapon is also great in PVP. You can keep out of most peoples sword type weapons by simply backing up and stabbing. Make sure to lock on so you don't give your back away. The demon spear does more lightning damage while the psyical scales with dex and str. Most shields cant block full lightning damage and still eats at their stamina. I was trumping people with Lifehunt Scythe, Dragon Tooth, Gravelord Sword, and Quelaag's Furyswordwith ease while I used Demon's Spear +5 just by staying at mid range out of their attack zone while still in mine. When they swing and miss flurry your attacks non-stop at them (make sure to be locked on), even if they block their stamina wont hold them for long(with max stamina I got in 2 or 3 attacks past their shield when their guard broke) it is also harder for players to parry the spear and counter, and most counters just missed me by the range I had over them. Magic types work the same. Keep at the end of lock on range and when they start casting; rush and attack non-stop still your stamina is gone then back up to edge of lock on range.

Build Strategy

The Think Tank

By Optimum (edited by Liberation7s)

The point here is tanking, tanking, tanking. High hp, intense defense, and a raw attitude to kill bosses, help in Jolly co-op, and pvp those sinners all in one.
You can start out as any class you wish, If you are going for little spell use take the warrior (great for learning pyromancer spells since they have no requirements in intelligence or faith). If going for jolly co-op and the sunlight spears by joining the Sunbros, Clerics have a nice boost for faith to start.
Main stats here are Vitality and Endurance at the start.
Spells are nice but I chose not to use many. Iron Flesh, Homeward, and/or Power Within for soloing and co-op. For PvP spells I use Flash Sweat (Can near cripple pyromancers damage with the right fire res armor on), Power Within, replenishment, and/or Lightning Spear.
The armor is going to weigh you down, this build uses heavy armor with 40+ wgt as soon as possible. But it shouldn't be to hard to keep under 50%.
Not recommended for beginners since some of the items used require knowledge of where they are before hand.
 

Stats

• Based off of starting class of warrior.

• Before heading on with the story by going to undead burg, pick up the loots for new lando ruins, valley of the drakes, blight town, and dark root basin.

• While going to kill the Bell gargoyle you will see knight Lautrec in a cell. If you can kill him do so, I had help from Knight solair. His ring will help with the boost to life, stamina, and load.

• During lvl up to 25 you can get you first spells. around this time I had already save the sorcery trader from Lower Undead Burg and the pyromancer from The Depths. But the main thing you should do at this lvl is save souls and once you get 20,000 souls you unlock the door in Darkroot Garden(after bell gargoyle I had over 20,000 but I went to the start of the depth first to get the pyromancer trainer so it should be easy to get 20,000). At Darkroot garden you will be picking up Loads of items that will be helping you through the first half of the game. Pick up Grass Crest shield at the bottom of the basin, the elite knight armor from the garden, and also don't forget the stone knight armor since this will be our heavy armor that will carry us tanks through till we get a better set.

• Once at lvl 25 till lvl 38 all points should go into endurance to wear that heavy Stone knight armor. Because of this you won't need much hp till later near ng+ since the dmg is being absorbed well by Stone Knight armor and Black Iron armor

• Use the stone knight armor to beat up Grey wolf Sif and Moonlight butterfly when ya get it too. This gave me loads of souls at around lvl 25, if you can also help people with bosses to join the sunbros easier if you want (I did it for the load of souls). At lvl 25 - 30 I had no problem finding people to join for Sif. took less then 5 minutes for me to be summoned 3 times.

• Any 75+ stats can be added freely into near anything. If you want intelligence go for it, faith? I wont stop you. I took the path of no stats into intelligence, and only enough for homeward and sunlight blade in the faith department. Pryo spells are perfect for this since they don't need faith or intelligence.

Tactics

• The point with this class is to rush forward and get up close being able to throw a flurry of stabs towards them with your spear. Apply magic as needed. I used Iron Flesh and/or Power within. But sunlight blade, magic weapon, magic shield work great too if you build you char with faith or intelligence.
• Leave your summon sign down if you stay in a area for a while. Since it wraps you back to the same spot where you where before being summon it doesn't hinder progress to help out. Brings in souls and people always love a big old tank coming into help them.
• When not farming items try to keep a low number of humanity. Managing that can be hard but the daughter of chaos will gladly take your humanity, Other then that you have to die twice, and that I don't recommend
• Try and stay human(this is why we have low humanity, you will die, maybe twice since happens. And it sucks loosing 30+ humanity.) Let the pvp match come in. This will help farm souls and learn the pvp battle tactics that is a must if you play online. Come on no one likes being hollow.
• In PvP magic might hurt a bit. Stay close to the caster and interrupt the spells if you can. If its a pryo use flash sweat to cripple their dmg, it adds 45% res. Regular sorcery spells will hurt more unless you have the intelligence to use magic barrier.
• Don't forget co-op too. This helps bring those souls in. At lvl 50 I was farming Anor lando Ornstein and Smough getting summoned before I even fished my farming near each time in Anor.