A build and challenge's i thought up- the weapon master

i dunno if theres an actual place for this besides the general forum, so if there is move it there please. 

any changes to this will be marked with *NEW*

The Weapon Master - over view

anyways, this is a build focused on PvE playstyle variety. the point is too be capable of using any weapon in the game at maximum efficacy, but forgoing magic entirely. its other focus is the ability to switch weapons without breaking flow, whether thats during combat or between is up to you though. this means quick switching of weapons, possibly from heavy great swords to a small dagger. possibly good for co-op. PvP not suggested unless you are really confident.

Recommended class: Warrior - Highest starting stats for DEX and STR combined, but the lowest magic stats. 

Recommended Gift: Black Fire bombs(for the weapon off asylum demon) or master key. this is recommended and not a necessity. 

Build Stats


To keep the ball breaking spirit of dark souls in tact, and since this build will over-all be OP, this Build should cap out between 75-80. Since the STR and DEX cap out at 50 and 40, these alone put you at SL 68. the other 7-12 points should be split between Vit and end, in any manner you like.

This build can be leveled in any of 3 ways. Build STR first, Build Dex first, or Build both at the same time. for the purpose of the special challenges, the 3rd option will be assumed, and outlined here. due to this builds versatility, there will be a limit on leveling, so as not to ruin the challenge. 

Stat limits and recommended stats


These are the recommended stat gains to most easily deal with the various challenges outlined later. Vit and End can be changed around as you wish, so long as the STR and Dex cap out at 50 and 40 respectively. the MAX level is 80. the lowest possible is approximately 68 if you only boost STR and DEX. not recommended.

Pre-Sens fortress(until the second bell of awakening) - SL 30

Stats - Vit 14 - End 15 - STR 24 - Dex 22

Sens and Anor Londo - 50

Stats - Vit 15 - End 16 - STR 32 - Dex 30

Lord Souls + artorias - 80

Stats - Vit 17 - end 18 - STR 50 - Dex 40

Build Rules

The un-bendable rules of this build.

NO MAGIC. NONE. you probably won't be able to use any anyways though.

Covenants. *NEW* Restricted covenants are: 
Way of white(faith based) 
Princess guard(same as before) 
gravelord(a weapon master fights his own battles) 
and dragon(a weapon master rely's on his weapons alone, and not a supernatural skill)

No elemental weaponry. with such high stats, elemental is a waste. resin is acceptable however. this is only if you are NOT doing the challenges. you will need a lot of titanite if you wish to make so many weapons elemental though.

No Ring of Favor and Protection. this ring, along with its fairly OP ability as well as the fact that taking it off breaks it goes against this builds principle, and thus will be banned. this is the only ring ban however.

Build Special Challenges


Challenge mode- A weapon may only be used against 1 boss. this means that specific weapon may not be used against a bos if it has already killed one. for all intents and purposes, the weapon that does the most damage to a boss will be the "locked weapon". 

this does not apply to shields unless you decide to use one as a weapon.

Hard mode- A weapon becomes "locked" after it defeats a boss. you are not allowed to use it for the rest of the game. same health rules apply as on challenge mode.

Switch- Every time a boss is defeated you must use a weapon of the opposite stat against the next boss you face. this means if you beat a boss with a STR weapon, you must use a dex weapon, and vice-versa

Switch Hard mode - you must use that weapon type until you defeat another boss as well.

Only once- All weapons used against a boss are not allowed to be used on another

Only once hard mode- All weapons used Are considered "locked" for the rest of the game.

*NEW* First aid only Challenge - only allowed to upgrade estus up to twice(+2) and kindle bonfires to ten estus. no using the right of kindling. a weapon master keeps a small stock of healing supplies, but does not rely on them. they are for emergencies only


First aid only Hard mode - Not allowed to upgrade estus or kindle at all.

*NEW* No helm mode - fairly simple. don't use a helm throughout the game.

Hard mode - Go through completely naked, but for weapons rings, and consumables. nothing in the armor slots. shields are acceptable

Equipment


any weapons are allowed. even magical catalysts, so long as no actual magic is used. that means punching with a pyro glove is acceptable, as well as smacking people with a catalyst.

Armor- *NEW* Warriors set

a generally good set, but no poise. this means you will need to dodge more often than not. 

Rings will be dependent on the weapons and armor in use at the time. experimentation is allowed, and whats more, encouraged. feel free to test out whatever wacky combinations you want, or stay with a safe couple of rings to enhance your current weapons abilitys as much as possible.

General Tips and suggestions


For the first area (probably the Undead Burg) getting either the zweihander from the graveyard, or the uchigatana from the merchant (id recommend after buying all the important items and weapons) is probably a good idea. these are the more versatile weapons at that point in the game, and are easy to obtain.

This build will cost you tons of titanite, unless you decide not to upgrade your weapons. i'd suggest co-oping for some major souls. on most of the challenges, i doubt you will get much higher than +5 on any of the weapons. the only exemptions to this would be if you use a weapon for an area and not the bosses. 

learn to get a general feel for your inventory at any one time, so as to quickly switch weapons in case the one you need is not equipped when it is needed.

*NEW* depending on which path you build your char(outlined in the "Build Stats" section) and which challenges you decide to do, you may need to use raw weapons early on. they upgrade rather easily, and don't rely on stats you may not have. this shouldn't last long though. 

Start by upgrading your armor, if at all possible. you will not use any single weapon often enough for it to be a big enough boost to your abilities in comparison. later on this will matter less.



Well, what do you guys think? this build is still in progress, so suggestions are always welcome.

So a quality build? 

i guess? its a build meant to make you use as many weapons as possible, and probably at very low upgrade levels. in other words, without a lot of skill, this may be a hard build. especially the challenges. this is just what i came up with after a day of thinking about it

or was that a crack about melee weapons being better than magic?

It's an interesting idea and I like the concept but would it perhaps be better to increase your END a bit more? Low vitality would provide a challenge but if END is really low then you'll struggle a lot when using the bigger weapons.

thats the reason theres no restriction on rings, so as to cope with the restriction on stats. like i said in the thing though, increasing vit and end is entirely up to you. the stats above are recommended only because its about as balanced as i could get it. you can forgo either if you so wish, so long as str and dex hit 50 and 40 respectively. when using heavy weapons like the zwei for example, you would probably want to use havels ring and the cloranthy ring. increased load, as well as more stamina. again if you wish to forgo vit for end, or vice-versa, feel free. keep in mind that this build is also set at about the right level for co-op at the lord souls and artorias areas, so going much higher isn't really an option. this is also the reason that there are no item stipulations. you can also use grass to gain more stamina.

i think as a stipulation though i will ban the RoFaP. by principle it sorta goes against the point of this build, even though its more of an all rounder-ring. the issue is that it stops you from changing rings, and that prevents build diversity, which is the main focus of this build.

xSomax wrote:i guess? its a build meant to make you use as many weapons as possible, and probably at very low upgrade levels. in other words, without a lot of skill, this may be a hard build. especially the challenges. this is just what i came up with after a day of thinking about it

or was that a crack about melee weapons being better than magic?

No, that build is defined as a quality build.

It's got enough Dexterity and Strength to effectively use most of the weapons in the game, and makes good use of C/C scaling weapons like the Claymore.

It derives from a term in Demon's Souls if I'm not mistaken, upgrading a weapon along the quality path gives it equal scaling.

i see. well, even if the stats aren't anything new, i'm sure the challenges will at least make it fun.

in this case though rather than making C C scaling weapons the best, its a build meant to make you use as many as possible, in various ways. i guess thats up to personal choice though