Curved swords are a favorite weapon type for many who enjoyDark Souls 2as they most often have quick attacks, versatile movesets, and great scaling. A few can even be used in a power stance when wielded together for unique and deadly combination attacks.
RELATED:Dark Souls 2: All Bows, Ranked
There are 10 curved swords in the game and while many are awesome and viable, they vary in usability depending on one’s build and playthrough goals. Most players have found that the ornately bent blades which are the best in combat are those with the ideal mix of range, damage potential, and unique effects.
10Eleum Loyce
Despite being the last of the curved swords that the Bearer of the Curse will likely encounter since it can only be acquired after giving 50 Loyce Souls (farmed from the charred Loyce knights) to Alsanna in the Crown of the Ivory King DLC.
Eleum Loyce, named afterthe beautiful frozen city, does the least amount of damage out of all the curved swords in the game and does not even have a great effect to compensate for this. At the max Regular upgrade level of +5 for this unique weapon, it gains a mediocre 165 physical attack. The S-tier scaling with Dexterity helps it out in the damage department, though not enough to be on par with the other curved swords. Its effect, which allows players to heal allies by hitting them with strong attacks, is interesting but ultimately useless as it requires placing one’s focus on hitting friends instead of foes.
9Melu Scimitar
The design of the blade and crossguard are intricate and decadent, to say the least, however, the stats of the Melu Scimitar don’t quite live up to its appearance.
It has sufficient potential for damage as it reaches 250 physical attack at the +10 Regular upgrade, though its minimal D-tier scaling in Strength and C-tier in Dexterity make itunsuitable after the middle portion of the game.
8Manikin Sabre
Dropped by the manikin enemies atthe Earthen Peak, this kopis-like saber packs a decent punch in each of its slashes, despite less than ideal range. It deals out nice damage though the lack of reach and the moderate scaling prevent it from being truly awesome.
At the +10 Regular upgrade, the Manikin Sabre obtains 245 physical attack alongside D-tier scaling with Strength and B-tier with Dexterity.
7Monastery Scimitar
Players who have played the firstDark Soulsshould find this curved sword quite familiar, as it is basically identical to the Painting Guardian Sword. Like its predecessor, the Monastery Scimitar possesses fast slashes, decent damage, and excellent scaling, however, its short reach means that its wielder will need to get within dagger-range to even make contact with the foe.
RELATED:Dark Souls 2: All Twinblades, Ranked
When fully upgraded to the Regular +10 level, this short curved sword attains 190 physical attack as well as abysmal E-tier scaling in Strength but an awesome S-tier in Dexterity.
6Shotel
As the most extremely curved sword in the game, the Shotel can appropriatelyget around shield-hugging adversaries. Strong attacks with this weapon will pierce through shields for decent damage, however, this is not as effective as simply kicking a foe to break their guard and following up with a riposte.
Since it has nice stats after being fully upgraded to the +10 Regular level, the Shotel can be pretty useful thanks to its 200 physical attack, E-tier scaling in Strength, and A-tier scaling in Dexterity.
5Scimitar
The Scimitar is given to the Swordsman starting class, making it possibly the first curved sword that players will acquire in the game. As with many of the starting weapons, it can carry the Bearer of the Curse through most of the game due to its easy-to-learn moveset, great base damage, and high-tier scaling.
RELATED:Dark Souls 2: Every Starting Class, Ranked
When fully upgraded to +10 on the Regular path, the Scimitar obtains 220 physical attack with E-tier scaling in Strength and A-tier in Dexterity.
4Falchion
Many consider the Falchion to be a better version of the Scimitar for its higher health-damage potential as well as thegreater poise damage that it inflicts. The moveset is similar, though a bit slower, making it clear that this sword trade’s a bit of speed for more power.
In the end, it can be more useful than its slimmer counterpart, for, at the highest upgrade level (+10 Regular), the Falchion reaches 240 physical attack and also gets E-tier scaling with Strength as well as A-tier with Dexterity.
3Red Rust Scimitar
Despite its corroded appearance, the Red Rust Scimitar is one of the most powerful curved swords that one can acquire inDark Souls 2. As opposed to most others in this weapon class, this red blade scales better with the Strength stat and comes with greater base damage.
When one fully upgrades it to the highest level of +5 Regular, the Red Rust Scimitar achieves 270 physical attack in addition to C-tier scaling in Strength and E-tier in Dexterity. Although it does not have the best boosts from stats, it can be wielded alongside many other weapons to power stance them for some ofthe best combos in the game.
2Spider Fang
Acquired from trading the Soul of the Duke’s Dear Freja with Weaponsmith Ornifex,this boss weapondeals moderate damage but compensates for this average statistic by having rapid attack speed along with an exceptionally useful unique effect that makes it desirable forany Dexterity build.
After it is maxed out to the +5 Regular upgrade, the Spider Fang reaches 210 physical attack, E-tier scaling in Strength, and A-tier in Dexterity. These stats and the fast moveset pair very well with the special effect of the strong attack, which launches sticky webs at foes that can slow them down, preventing them from escaping.
1Warped Sword
Due to this weapon doing everything correctly for a curved sword, there is no doubt that the Warped sword is the best armament in this weapon class. At the maximum upgrade level of +5 Regular, it receives a great 250 physical attack in combination with E-tier scaling in Strength and A-tier scaling in Dexterity.
However, what makes it stand out the most are its very high counter attack damage (130, whereas most weapons have 100) and high poise damage for a curved sword which lets the Warped Sword grant the wielder victories in almost every damage-trade. Furthermore, it can be used with other curved swords to power stance them with greater lethality than average.
