Ultra Greatswords
Ultra Greatswords push the concept of power and range even further than regular Greatswords. They are massive, Strength-focused weapons that can effortlessly break an opponent’s guard and inflict enormous damage. Each swing consumes substantial Stamina and is very slow, making every attack a significant commitment. Landing a blow often staggers or stun-locks enemies, potentially allowing multiple follow-ups. However, whiffed attacks expose the player to severe counterattacks. Ultra Greatswords suit builds that capitalize on raw damage, poise-breaking, and punishing mistakes rather than relying on speed or mobility.
Black Knight Greatsword
Greatsword of the black knights who wander Lordran. Used to face chaos demons.
The large motion that puts the weight of the body into the attack reflects the great size of their adversaries long ago.
Availability
Dropped by the (non-respawning) greatsword-wielding Black Knight atop the Undead Parish watchtower near the Altar of Sunlight, just past the Hellkite Dragon, and the Kiln of the First Flame (20% drop rate)
General Information
This weapon's two-handed light swings consume sixty stamina each.
Like all Black Knight weapons, it deals extra damage to demon enemies, such as Taurus Demons and Capra Demons.
In the German version of the game, this sword has a completely different name: "Schwert des Drachentöters", which translates to "Sword of the Dragon Slayer", whereas the normal Black Knight Sword is called "Schwarz-Ritter Großschwert", which translates to "Black Knight Greatsword".
In the French version of the game, this sword is called "Espadon tueur de dragons", which means "Dragon Killing Zweihänder".
In the Italian version of the game, this sword is called "Ammazzadraghi", which means "Dragon Slayer". This, along with the sword's German and French names mentioned above, likely references the massive "Dragonslayer" sword used by Guts, the main character of the manga Berserk.
The non-respawning Black Knight in the Undead Parish is not guaranteed to drop the sword. Ignore the knight at first, and get the Covetous Gold Serpent Ring from Sen's Fortress, then leave (or continue on to Anor Londo to teleport between bonfires), go back to the Undead Parish, and have at least 10 soft Humanity with the ring equipped before killing the knight. This will increase the chances of getting a drop.
Can not be buffed.
Image | Name | Damage | Critical | Durability | Weight | Stats Needed Stat Bonuses |
Damage Reduction % |
Stability | Frampt Souls |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Black Knight Greatsword | 220/0/0/0 (Regular/Thrust) |
100 | 300 | 14 | 321/18/0/0 B/E/-/- |
70/10/50/50 | 44 | 100 |
Move Set
1 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Vertical chop into vertical overhead chop. | |
Roll — R1 | Sweeping ground attack. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 (left hand) | Guard. | |
L2 (left hand) | Left-to-right swing. |
2 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Forward overhead Chop into ground stab. | |
Roll — R1 | Ground stab. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 or L2 | Guard. |
Strong attacks are replaced by a powerful delayed upward slash. The two-handed attack will send the target flying if it successfully connects
Upgrades
Requires Twinkling Titanite
90% STR, 5% DEX scaling.
|
Key
Damage: |
The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:
Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types. |
Critical: | One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes. |
Durability: | The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%. |
Weight: | The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned. |
Stats Needed: |
The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon. Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required. |
Damage Reduction %: |
The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
|
Stability: | The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks. |
Frampt Souls: | This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt. |
Footnotes
- when two handing this weapon, only 22 Strength is required
Demon Great Machete
The lesser Capra demons use these greatswords in pairs. The blade is cast iron and hooked.
The sword is imbued with no particular magic, but for those who have the strength, its great weight will smash foes mercilessly.
Availability
Drop from the Capra Demon boss in lower Undead Burg or the Minor Capra Demons which roam the Demon Ruins (5% drop rate)
Sold by Shiva of the East for 10,000 Souls in Blighttown after entering the Forest Hunter Covenant
General Information
|
Move Set
Move Set video
|
|
Upgrades
Basic
Standard upgrade path.
Requires
- Titanite
90% STR scaling.
|
Crystal
Weapon durability reduced to 60. Base damage increased. Cannot repair weapon (except through reinforcement).
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +10
- Titanite
90% STR scaling.
|
Lightning
Adds lightning damage. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +10
- Titanite
|
Raw
Base damage increased. Stat bonuses reduced.
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +5
- Titanite
68% STR scaling.
|
Magic
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +5
- Green Titanite
- Blue Titanite
25% STR scaling, 65% INT scaling.
|
Enchanted
Base damage reduced from magic upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Magic Demon Great Machete +5
- Blue Titanite
18% STR, 63% INT scaling. Unknown additional amount of INT scaling.
|
Divine
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +5
- Green Titanite
- White Titanite
35% STR, 64% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against unholy enemies.
|
Occult
Base damage reduced from divine upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Divine Demon Great Machete +5
- White Titanite
33% STR, 76% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against holy enemies.
|
Fire
Fire damage added. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Demon Great Machete +5
- Green Titanite
- Red Titanite
|
Chaos
Base damage reduced from fire upgrade path. Damage bonus from humanity.
Requires
- Fire Demon Great Machete +5
- Red Titanite
|
Key
Damage: |
The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:
Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types. |
Critical: | One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes. |
Durability: | The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%. |
Weight: | The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned. |
Stats Needed: |
The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon. Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required. |
Damage Reduction %: |
The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
|
Stability: | The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks. |
Frampt Souls: | This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt. |
Footnotes
- When two handing this weapon, 27 Strength is required
Dragon Greatsword
This sword, one of the rare dragon weapons, came from the tail of the stone dragon of Ash Lake, descendant of the ancient dragons.
Its great mystical power will be unleashed when wielded with two hands.
Availability
Tail drop from the Stone Dragon in Ash Lake. The Dragon doesn't get hostile, so walk behind him and strike his tail several times until it falls off.
General Information
Raises Magic and Fire defense by 20 points.
Cannot be enchanted.
Even though this weapon doesn't have any scaling, it has the highest base damage of any weapon in the game. Because of this, the Dragon Greatsword can do comparable amounts of damage to other ultra greatswords.1 The drawback is that it cannot be enchanted and the minimum STR requirement of at least 34 for two-handing it.
Using its two-handed mystical power will drain 50 durability with each use.
|
Move Set
One-handed |
---|
R1 - R1 | Right-to-left swipe -> left-to-right swipe |
R2 - R2 | Overhead chop -> overhead chop |
Backstep/Run - R1 | Running overhead chop |
Forward + R1 | Kick |
Forward + R2 | Jumping overhead smash |
Roll - R1 | Forward thrust |
L1 (left hand) | Guard |
L2 (left hand) | Left-to-right swipe |
Two-handed |
---|
R1 - R1 | Right-to-left swipe -> left-to-right swipe |
R2 - R2 | Overhead chops that create shockwave. Each consumes 50 durability |
Backstep/Run - R1 | Running overhead chop |
Forward + R1 | Kick |
Forward + R2 | Jumping overhead smash |
Roll - R1 | Forward thrust |
L1/L2 | Guard |
Upgrades
Requires Dragon Scale
|
Key
Damage: |
The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:
Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types. |
Critical: | One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes. |
Durability: | The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%. |
Weight: | The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned. |
Stats Needed: |
The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon. Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required. |
Damage Reduction %: |
The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
|
Stability: | The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks. |
Frampt Souls: | This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt. |
Footnotes
- Comparison
- When two handing this weapon, only 34 Strength is required.
Greatsword
One of the gigantic straight greatswords.
Very few have what it takes to wield this incredibly heavy, damage-dealing monster.
A favorite of the Knights Berenike, known for their heavy armor, and Black Iron Tarkus.
Availability
Sold by the Crestfallen Merchant in Sen's Fortress for 8,000 Souls
Drop from any Heavy Knight (2% drop rate, 0.67% drop rate in Undead Parish)
Treasure from a corpse in Anor Londo along with the Black Iron Set and Black Iron Greatshield. The corpse is located to the left of the giant painting that leads to the Painted World of Ariamis, guarded by a Painting Guardian.
General Information
|
Move Set
1 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Vertical chop into vertical overhead chop. | |
Roll — R1 | Sweeping ground attack. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 (left hand) | Guard. | |
L2 (left hand) | Left-to-right swing. |
2 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Forward overhead Chop into ground stab. | |
Roll — R1 | Ground stab. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 or L2 | Guard. |
- One-handed and two-handed strong attack is replaced by a thrust attack.
Upgrades
Basic
Standard upgrade path.
Requires
- Titanite
60% STR, 26% DEX scaling.
|
Crystal
Weapon durability reduced. Base damage increased. Cannot repair weapon (except through reinforcement).
Requires
- Greatsword +10
- Titanite
60% STR, 26% DEX scaling.
|
Lightning
Adds lightning damage. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Greatsword +10
- Titanite
|
Raw
Base damage increased. Stat bonuses reduced.
Requires
- Greatsword +5
- Titanite
45% STR, 19% DEX scaling.
|
Magic
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Greatsword +5
- Green Titanite
- Blue Titanite
17% STR, 7% DEX, 62% INT scaling.
|
Enchanted
Base damage reduced from magic upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Magic Greatsword +5
- Blue Titanite
13% STR, 5% DEX, 60% INT scaling. Unknown additional amount of INT scaling.
|
Divine
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Greatsword +5
- Green Titanite
- White Titanite
23% STR, 10% DEX, 61% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against unholy enemies.
|
Occult
Base damage reduced from divine upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Divine Greatsword +5
- White Titanite
22% STR, 9% DEX, 72% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against holy enemies.
|
Fire
Fire damage added. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Greatsword +5
- Green Titanite
- Red Titanite
|
Chaos
Base damage reduced from fire upgrade path. Damage bonus from humanity.
Requires
- Fire Greatsword +5
- Red Titanite
|
Key
Damage: |
The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:
Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types. |
Critical: | One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes. |
Durability: | The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%. |
Weight: | The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned. |
Stats Needed: |
The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon. Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required. |
Damage Reduction %: |
The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
|
Stability: | The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks. |
Frampt Souls: | This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt. |
Footnotes
- when two handing this weapon, only 19 Strength is required
Zweihander
One of the gigantic straight greatswords.
As the name suggests, the Zweihander is held with two hands, but its wielder must still be inhumanly strong. It is this great weight that sends foes flying when hit solidly.
Availability
Firelink Shrine treasure near the end of the cemetery area guarded by a Giant Skeleton.
General Information
|
Move Set
1 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Vertical chop into vertical overhead chop. | |
Roll — R1 | Sweeping ground attack. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 (left hand) | Guard. | |
L2 (left hand) | Left-to-right swing. |
2 Handed | ||
---|---|---|
R1 — R1 | Right-to-left swing into left-to-right swing. | |
R2 — R2 | Forward overhead Chop into ground stab. | |
Roll — R1 | Ground stab. | |
Backstep or Run — R1 | Forward overhead chop. | |
Forward + R1 | Kick | Useful for breaking guard. |
Forward + R2 | Jump attack (overhead smash). | |
L1 or L2 | Guard. |
One and two handed strong attacks are replaced with a running downward slash.
Upgrades
Basic
Standard upgrade path.
Requires
- Titanite
60% STR, 26% DEX scaling.
|
Crystal
Weapon durability reduced to 20. Base damage increased. Cannot repair weapon (except through reinforcement).
Requires
- Zweihander +10
- Titanite
60% STR, 26% DEX scaling.
|
Lightning
Adds lightning damage. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Zweihander +10
- Titanite
|
Raw
Base damage increased. Stat bonuses reduced.
Requires
- Zweihander +5
- Titanite
45% STR, 19% DEX scaling.
|
Magic
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Zweihander +5
- Green Titanite
- Blue Titanite
17% STR, 7% DEX, 62% INT scaling.
|
Enchanted
Base damage reduced from magic upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from intelligence.
Requires
- Magic Zweihander +5
- Blue Titanite
13% STR, 5% DEX, 60% INT scaling. Unknown additional amount of INT scaling.
|
Divine
Adds magic damage. Moderate damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Zweihander +5
- Green Titanite
- White Titanite
23% STR, 10% DEX, 61% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against unholy enemies.
|
Occult
Base damage reduced from divine upgrade path. Increased damage bonus from faith.
Requires
- Divine Zweihander +5
- White Titanite
22% STR, 9% DEX, 72% FAI scaling. Additional damage multiplier against holy enemies.
|
Fire
Fire damage added. All stat bonuses removed.
Requires
- Zweihander +5
- Green Titanite
- Red Titanite
|
Chaos
Base damage reduced from fire upgrade path. Damage bonus from humanity.
Requires
- Fire Zweihander +5
- Red Titanite
|
Key
Damage: |
The Damage stat dictates how much damage the weapon does. The Damage stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Each weapon has one or more physical damage types:
Certain enemies are weak or strong against different types of damage types. |
Critical: | One of the multipliers (in percent) for the bonus damage on criticals, such as backstabs and ripostes. |
Durability: | The health of the weapon. The effectiveness of the weapon will severely deteriorate when the durability falls below 30%. |
Weight: | The weight of the weapon. Note that carrying over 50% of a character's Equip Burden will reduce the speed of their rolls, while going over 100% will reduce their regular speed to walking and attempts to roll or backstep will leave them momentarily stunned. |
Stats Needed: |
The Stats Needed determines how high various Stats must be in order to wield the weapon effectively. The Requirement stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
Wielding a weapon without the required Strength and/or Dexterity will incur a penalty to the Physical damage of the weapon, while lower-than-required Magic and/or Faith will reduce the Magic damage of the weapon. Also keep in mind that a character gains a 50% bonus to Strength by wielding a weapon with both hands, thus reducing the actual Strength required. |
Damage Reduction %: |
The Damage Reduction stat dictates the percentage of damage reduced while blocking. The Damage Reduction stats for a weapon are W / X / Y / Z:
|
Stability: | The stability of the weapon. The higher this value, the less stamina is consumed when blocking attacks. |
Frampt Souls: | This is the amount of souls players will receive if they feed the item to Kingseeker Frampt. |
Footnotes
- when two handing this weapon, only 16 Strength is required