Best Sorcery builds in Dark Souls 3

Magic builds in Dark Souls 3 are some of the most fun you can have in the game. There are a number of ways to build a good Sorcerer and each build uses special equipment to maximize their potential.

You need to think about where to put your stats early and if you prefer long-range or up close and personal with your magic builds.

Early Game

Early game Sorcerers will rely heavily on Heavy Soul Arrow as their high damage spell until they unlock Orbeck and purchase the Great variants of Soul and Heavy Soul Arrow. Farron Flashsword and Soul Greatsword can be useful for bosses like Deacons or large groups of enemies as well.

Stats and equipment should be:

• Investment into INT and ATT for damage and magic, as well as VIG and END for health and stamina
• Upgrading the Sorcerer's Staff as much as possible unless players want to use Heysel's weapon.
• The Young Dragon Ring and Sage Ring should be equipped at all times.
• Utility spells like Spook and Pestilent Mist can be used to negate fall damage or fight enemies stuck in place.

Related: Best Code Vein Builds

The Chloranthy Ring is found relatively early in the game and is especially useful for players finding themselves out of stamina. Using the staff's Weapon Art for a temporary increase in damage should not be underestimated as damage is multiplicative. Farron Dart and Great Farron Dart are decent spells, but Great Soul Arrow is almost always better to use.

Pure Sorcery

There are a few ways to maximize damage while retaining survivability for players wanting to avoid weapons and play a pure sorcerer. A healthy amount of Vigor is always a must, but 60 Intelligence and about 30 Attunement should be what players aim for.

• The Court Sorcerer's Staff will be the best staff to use at 60 INT.
• Either the Witchtree Branch, Sage's Crystal Staff, or Scholar's Candlestick should be in the offhand.
• Magic Clutch Ring, Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring, Young Dragon Ring, and either Lloyd's Sword Ring or the Red Tearstone Ring will maximize damage. The Sage Ring can be swapped in if players aren't using the Witchtree Branch.
• Spells should include either the Great Soul Arrow, Great Heavy Soul Arrow or Crystal Soul Spear depending on how much FP the player has in reserve. Homing Crystal Soulmass is useful for extra burst damage or to stagger enemies getting in close. Pestilent Mist is another useful spell that has use in specific situations like fighting Midir or even Wolnir.

One hand should have the main staff with the other holding one of the three other buffing catalysts. With the Witchtree Branch, players can remove the Sage Ring for another damage buff ring or something for survivability, such as the Ring of Favor. With the Sage's Crystal Staff, players should use the catalyst's Weapon Art for it but continue using their primary staff to get the effect. Scholar's Candlestick is useful for players not wanting to keep repeatedly using a Weapon Art buff and want a passive damage buff instead.

Melee Mage

Players wanting to use magic but still want to fight at close range should invest in Crystal Gems. Infusing a weapon with a Crystal Gem will cause a weapon to scale with Intelligence. Otherwise, there are a few alternatives for players not wanting to go this route.

• Magic Weapon, Great Magic Weapon, and Crystal Magic Weapon all can be applied to a weapon when cast from a staff in the other hand. They each add a spell buff modifier to the weapon with Crystal Magic Weapon being the strongest at 0.95.
• Heysel's Pick is a weapon that can be obtained easily fighting Yellowfinger Heyself. It can be used as both a catalyst and a weapon for players looking to try both.
• Farron Flashsword and Soul Greatsword both are melee ranged spells that use little FP to cast. Some staves actually increase the length of these spells as well with a small decrease to their power.
• Moonlight Greatsword is the strongest weapon for a build like this. It can achieve a 500 Attack Rating easily with 60 Intelligence.

Using melee weapons will also mean that attack buffing equipment can be used such as Flynn's Ring. Moonlight Greatsword's Weapon Art can do a lot of damage but it is usually better to use a spell instead. The FP cost of the Weapon Art may be more enticing but its range and low mobility while using it aren't worth it. Immolation Tinder and the Greatsword of Judgment are great alternatives for a melee weapon for players not wanting to transpose the Soul of Oceiros or fight Heysel.

Dark Sorcerer

Using the Izalith Staff and Karla, this build is a great alternative to use against magic-resistant bosses. Using the Blindfold Mask and Dark Clutch Ring, Dark Sorceries can do lots of damage. For melee variants, using a Dark Gem will have a weapon scale with INT and FTH. Spells are limited, but Great Soul Dregs and Affinity can easily be acquired with no soul transposition required.

• The Onyx Blade and a Dark Infused Murky Hand Scythe are melee weapons that work well for Dark builds.
• Pure Dark players can use Dark Edge for close ranged combat
• The Young Dragon Ring and Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring increase Dark Sorceries as well, making them very useful for this build.

Alternatives

There are two catalysts that are worth noting for sorcerers. The Archdeacon's Great Staff uses Faith instead of Intelligence to cast Sorceries but with a catch. Players must still have the right amount of Intelligence in the listed requirement when attuning a spell.

The other catalyst is the Golden Ritual Spear that works the same but can be used as a weapon as well. The Archdeacon staff outpaces it as a catalyst but pales in comparison if players plan to melee attack.

Using these alternatives will have players leveling both Faith and Intelligence so Miracles, Pyromancies, and Dark versions of spells may be good to equip. Both catalysts won't do as much damage while casting Dark spells compared to using the Izalith Staff but might be worth it for players experimenting with Faith builds.

Related: Best Armor in Demon's Souls

Equipment

Staves

The Catalyst that Sorcerers use to cast spells comes in the shape of staves. There are two main staves that will be used for casting, but other staves are worth talking about for their unique playstyle.

• Sorcerer's Staff - This is the starting staff for both the Assassin and Sorcerer class. Up until 50 Intelligence, this will be the preferred staff to use through the game. It has a 226 Spellbuff at 60 Intelligence at +10.
• Court Sorcerer's Staff - This will be the best staff to use in most situations. It is obtained about halfway through the base game in Profaned Capital either by killing a mimic chest or using an Undead Hunter Charm to open it up.
• Sage's Crystal Staff - Obtained in Lothric Castle, this staff has a unique Weapon Art that increases Sorcery damage by 30 percent. It's weaker than even the starting staff but because of its buff, it can be used either on its own or in the off-hand to buff the player's main staff.
• Witchtree Branch - Carrying this staff in the off-hand is preferable due to it's low stats. The passive buff this staff gives is notable as it gives the player an increase to their casting speed. Normally this is done with the Sage Ring but opening up a ring slot could be better depending on the build. The casting speed is equivalent to having 99 Dexterity.
• Izalith Staff - Primarily used for Dark Sorceries, this staff will excel in a Dark build. Equal investment in Intelligence and Faith is required to make the most out of this staff.

There are many rings, armor pieces, and weapons that provide bonuses useful for sorcerers. Many of them can be swapped for more protective equipment, but the damage trade-off is noticeable.

Rings

• Young Dragon Ring - One of the starting pieces of equipment for the Sorcerer class, the ring increases the damage of Sorceries by 12 percent. It is given to the player by Orbeck after purchasing three spells and giving him a scroll otherwise.
• Bellowing Dragoncrest Ring - A stronger version of the Young Dragon Ring that increases Sorcery damage by 20 percent. This is found in the Irithyll Dungeon behind a door unlocked with the Jailer's Key.
• Sage Ring - There are three versions of the Sage Ring found between New Game and New Game Plus Two. They each increase the casting speed of the player while equipped by the same amount as the player would by having 30, 35, and 40 Dexterity. The Sage Ring +2 is still outclassed by the Witchtree Branch and they don't stack together.
• Magic Clutch Ring - This ring can be difficult to use for players new to using spells. It exchanges defense for damage and should be used with confidence that the power is worth the tradeoff. It increases magic attacks by 15 percent while decreasing damage aborption from all physical attacks by 10 percent.
• Dark Clutch Ring - This ring works the same as other clutch rings but for Dark damage.
• Lloyd's Sword Ring - The ring isn't specific to sorcery builds, but it increases Attack Rating by 10 percent while at full health.
• Red Tearstone Ring - Like the Lloyd's ring, this ring can be used for any build but must be met with caution. It increases Attack Rating by 20 percent while below 20 percent health.

Weapons

• Scholar's Candlestick - This weapon increases the damage of sorceries by 10 percent while equipped.
• Moonlight Greatsword - One of the best weapons for any Intelligence build. It requires 16 Strength and 11 Dexterity to wield, but it is more than worth putting points in those stats to wield it. This weapon is for close-ranged and melee builds that want to use a powerful weapon.

Armor

• Crown of Dusk - Found in Farron Keep, this piece of armor boosts magic damage by 10 percent. The only drawback to this helm is its -30 Magic Defense.
• Blindfold Mask - Dropped by the Moaning Knight dark spirit, this head piece boosts dark damage by 10 percent. Like the Crown of Dusk, it has a -30 Dark Defense.

Many different items in Dark Souls 3 can be used in combination to make great builds. Comfort should be the top priority in any build a player decides to make and there are many ways to incorporate defense to match one's style of gameplay.

For more magic guides, check out Best Magic Builds In Demon's Souls on Pro Game Guides.