Dark Hand - Help

I'm currently SL 42.. Just cleared Sen's Fortress. Once I get the Lordvessel I'm gonna head on down to the Abyss and join the Darkwraiths. My question is, is the Dark Hand a versatile shield? Keep in mind I'm a quickroll pyromancer, and the hand is weightless. If I use it I may be able to remove Havel's Ring and put on something better. So would you reccomend the Dark Hand for PvE? Or PvP? Give me some advice. Thanks!

It will suit the quickroll style, it's got great damage res against most elementals, magic, fire, lightning but has piss poor stability, so don't go trying to block heavier weapons. If you dodge\roll more than you block it's good.

AnCapaillMor wrote:It will suit the quickroll style, it's got great damage res against most elementals, magic, fire, lightning but has piss poor stability, so don't go trying to block heavier weapons. If you dodge\roll more than you block it's good.

Yeah, I'm not a shield turtler.. I do alot of circling and rolling. And parrying. What's it's stability rating in comparison with the Spider Shield? I can't check on the PC I'm on right now.

It's piss poor compared to the spider for tanking hit, compared to any shield really. You might take 1 maybe 2 hits on an average sword.

Hmm.. I don't know then. I mean I roll but I don't constantly roll. I'll have to try it out myself. I wouldn't have it until probably around SL 60 something. Maybe higher.. and with my current build I'm throwing points in Vit, End, and Dex.. Pretty much it. My End will be fairly high by then. So I'll see I guess.

the dark hand has allot of things going for it: 80/80/80/80 damage protection means you can shut down almost any caster you come up against. it's the lightest shield in game and is great for maintaining a fast roll which is necessary because of it's low stability so dodge well and dodge often, when you block a hit you get pushed back so landing those combos on you becomes more difficult if you block the first hit.

It only has 30 stability and can't be upgraded, meaning your guard will get broken very quickly, if not immediately, and at the cost of your stamina. The resistances are very good however, making it a nice "oh cr*p" option if you can't roll or are facing casters. It's also invisible if you combine it with the fog ring (and the sound effect is muted) so you can bait casters with it that way.

If you expect to actually do some blocking but need to keep weight low, consider a small leather shield (0.5 weight) or a warrior's round shield (1.0). The heater shield (2.0) is the lightest one that has 100% physical damage block, I think.

The Dark Hand has its uses but the stability is a bit of an issue especially if you will be doing regular PvP at higher levels, although as a bonus you can also use it to grab a bit of extra humanity for yourself!

The heater shield is a nice little option but its magic defence isn't great, I personally use the crest shield since it gives you that safety net if you come up against casters without being too constrictive (weighs 3 units). Dodging is always better than blocking but there are some moments when you just have to block and the Dark Hand is more likely to get blown aside in that sort of situation.

Pilgrim34 wrote:The Dark Hand has its uses but the stability is a bit of an issue especially if you will be doing regular PvP at higher levels, although as a bonus you can also use it to grab a bit of extra humanity for yourself!

The heater shield is a nice little option but its magic defence isn't great, I personally use the crest shield since it gives you that safety net if you come up against casters without being too constrictive (weighs 3 units). Dodging is always better than blocking but there are some moments when you just have to block and the Dark Hand is more likely to get blown aside in that sort of situation.

Can't use the humanity grab while it's in your shield hand though, only block and parry. While it's in your sword hand you can use the humanity grab, and it's a 200 AR fist weapon too (slightly better than caestus +15 at minimum stats).

Btw, if I'm not mistaken the Dark Hand as a shield has this special property where if you block with it, you get pushed backwards a fair bit, often pushing you out of range of a melee weapon. That might be useful.
Another funny thing is having Dark Hand and Pyromancy Flame in your shield hand, and using ring of fog to make them both invisible. Now your opponent can't tell which you are using.

befowler wrote:It only has 30 stability and can't be upgraded, meaning your guard will get broken very quickly, if not immediately, and at the cost of your stamina. The resistances are very good however, making it a nice "oh cr*p" option if you can't roll or are facing casters. It's also invisible if you combine it with the fog ring (and the sound effect is muted) so you can bait casters with it that way.

If you expect to actually do some blocking but need to keep weight low, consider a small leather shield (0.5 weight) or a warrior's round shield (1.0). The heater shield (2.0) is the lightest one that has 100% physical damage block, I think.

Yep, and even casters can drain that stability with an immediate quick combo.

Its also almost a hinderance in pve. Getting knockback when your trying to postion for a backstab in pve is counter productive imo.

However, using Strong Magic Shield on it is just unbelievable. Its low stability also affects SMS though oddly enough. You can tank a full set off Pursuers and a couple CSSs with a Heater Shield, but not with a Darkhand. Almost, but the 2nd CSS will most likely hit you.<---while SMS is active

Promoting my self, but heres a video where im using the dark hand as a shield, so you can see for yourself

I only use it to block a spell I have trouble dodging(And based off my invasion history, I've found so many casters I can dodge everything but Pursuers) and for effect on my Artorias build. It makes him look a bit more corrupted.

Yeah I have not tried SMS on a dark hand, that's an interesting idea. I'm really enjoying that spell, if you are a good instinctive blocker it is like the mage answer to great magic barrier. And a lot of folks seem to have WoG on the brain and want to spam it right away rather than waiting for your shield buff to wear off. Good luck with that.

I think the Dark Hand actually catches alot of unnecessary flak... It really does have a lot going for it. 80/80/80/80 isn't too bad for a weightless shield. And if you're a true quickroll stability truly shouldn't be an issue. Plus, let's be honest. It's badass.

It's only use is blocking a WoTG. It has very little application outside of that, because a Soul Spear/Sunlight Spear is easily dodged by rolling.

Like you said, it's good for a fast roll build, but if you can fast roll you should just dodge the attack instead of block it. The only exception is in a place with a small corridor.

Why you keep saying that it is "weightless?" It isn't.

It's almost weightless. .5 units.

Latitoast wrote:It's only use is blocking a WoTG. It has very little application outside of that, because a Soul Spear/Sunlight Spear is easily dodged by rolling.

Like you said, it's good for a fast roll build, but if you can fast roll you should just dodge the attack instead of block it. The only exception is in a place with a small corridor.

I can see how you'd say blocking WotG is a good use for it, which it is, but it has other uses than that.

For instance the "knockback" for pvp.

This is highly underrated. Of course you wouldn't want to just stand there and block with it, but if you're trying to time a parry agienst an opponent that has good "rhythm", it can prove to be priceless.

That knockback can be useful at times.