Weapon Skills is a new feature in Dark Souls 3, and they produce special effects on weapons by consuming FP. Not only can weapons be modified by these skills, but Catalyst, Shields, and Ranged can also use weapon skills. Previous Dark Souls don’t have this feature. Keep in mind that these skills give a minor uplift on weapons. Every weapon that uses skills has a slightly different FP cost depending on which weapon you want.
Weapon skills don’t define the characteristics of most weapons as their moveset, and overall ability is still considered more significant. Weapon skills add an extra layer of depth to the game and can be particularly useful in specific situations, such as breaking shield guards at a low cost and with ease.
Dark Souls 3 Weapons Skills and Effects
Weapon Skills | Appear On | How It Works |
Charge | Astora Greatsword, Spears, Pikes, Halerd | It is used for strong attacks while charging to extend the length of the charge. To use it, hold the sword at the waist and charge at enemies. |
Combustion | Pyromancy Flame, White Hair Tailsman | It is used when it is equipped in either hand. It creates a powerful flame in hand. The flame created by it is very aggressive. |
Freast Bell | Eleonora | It is used to recover Health Points for each hit. To use it hold up an axe and wave. It will emit a solemn chime to make weapons lacerating temporarily. |
Ember | Firelink Greatsword | It is used to launch the fading flame (which momentarily illuminates) forward by itself. |
Darkmoon Arrow | Darkmoon Longbow | By granting it magic damage and it has the power to pierce shields. Infuse a readied arrow with Darkmoon essence. |
Crescent Blade | Crescent Moon Sword | Assume a broad stance, and it is used to fire off crescent moon blades. |
Blind Spot | Corvian Greatknife, Handmaid’s Dagger | It is used against shielded enemies to break their guard by attacking them from the side. |
Chain Spin | Winged Knight Twinaxes, Winged Knight Halberd | It is used to sweep enemies in a large spinning motion and for strong attacks to continue until the stamina runs out or is exhausted. |
Champion’s Charge | Gundyr’s Halberd | It uses momentum to attack the enemies with a strong sweep. To use it, hold the spear at the waist and charge at enemies. |
Demonic Flare | Demon’s Great Axe | It is used by smashing it upon earth and enemies. It briefly causes flame within to flare. |
Chained Dance | Painting Guardian’s Curved Sword | It performs continuous attacks while tracing a circle in a unique dance of deadly grace. |
Bloodlust | Blood Lust | It temporarily grants uncanny sharpness by staining the blade with one’s own blood. |
Falling Bolt | Dragonslayer Great Axe, Dragonslayer Swordspear. | It is used by smashing it on the ground to whip the bolts to the ground. To use it hold the axe high in the air to gather fierce lightning. |
Darkdrift | Darkdrift | To use it aim carefully and pierce with a large forward lunge. |
Frost | Pontiff Knight Great Scythe | It is used to create a bone-chilling frost with each swing of the greatscythe and it causes a temporary frost effect. |
Dancer’s Grace | Dancer’s Enchanted Swords | It is used to unleash the rage of both blades in a dancing spin motion and used for the strong attack to continue the performance until the stamina runs out or is exhausted. |
Gentle Prayer | Talismans | It is used to recover health for some time, extremely slowly. Works when it is equipped in either hand. |
Frost Blade | Pontiff Knight Curved | It executes a large spinning motion to imbue the blade with frost. It follows through with a strong attack with a giant blade made of frost. |
Galvanize | Warpick, Pickaxe | It is used to boost stamina recovery speed temporarily. |
Flame Whirlwind | Demon’s Fire | By spinning through opponents with abandon and flaming fists outstretched. It used a strong attack while spinning, utilizing your momentum to slam the ground with both fists. |
Guiding Light | Scholar’s Candlestick, Cleric’s Candlestick | It acts as the Seek Guidance spell. A candle provides a temporary light source, revealing additional guidance. |
Flame of Lorian | Lorian’s Greatsword | It is used to thrust forward to transform the smolder into flame. It follows with a solid attack to launch flames across the ground. |
Hold | Katanas | It is used to execute a lunging slash with a normal attack by assuming a holding stance or deflecting perry with a strong attack. |
Flame Whip | Witch’s Locks | It is used to coat the whip in fire temporarily. |
Lifedrain | Dark Hand | It is used only against humans. It embraces the victim and steals their health. |
Kindled Charge | Gargoyle Flame Spear | Use momentum to transition to a fiery, strong attack. To use it hold the spear at the waist and charge at the enemy. |
Impact | Whips | To use it, strike from the left to evade the shields and deal a stinging blow that temporarily slows down stamina recovery. |
Leaping Slash | Claw | To use it, perform a forward leaping slash at the enemy’s head, which functions as a headshot, leaving heavy damage on the enemy. |
Kindled Flurry | Gargoyle Flame Hammer | It is used to launch successive volleys of fire from the tip of the hammer. To use it, anchor the weapon on earth and use the strong attack. |
Lightning Charge | Dragonslayer Spear | To use it, charge with a spear at the waist to enwreathe with lightning. Release the bolts with the final thrust. |
Perseverance | Black Knight Sword, Hammers, Great Hammers, Red Hilted Halberd, Caestus | It is used to boost Poise temporarily. It reduces the damage when activated. |
Onislayer | Onikiri and Obadachi | It is used to cut the enemies open. To use it, leap forward and slash mercilessly with both blades. |
Moan | Moaning Shield | It is used to offer a gentle prayer to the shield by causing the woman’s face to give out a low moan which attracts enemies. |
Parry | Parrying Dagger, Farron Greatword, Light Shirlds, Medium Shields. | It deflects an attack when appropriately timed and follows up with a critical hit. |
Moonlight Vortex | Moonlight Greatsword | Draw the sword back and thrust to unleash torrential moonlight |
Oath of Sunlight | Sunlight Straight Sword | To use it, raise the sword in the air when praising the sun for boosting attack and damage absorption for yourself and the allies in the vicinity. |
Molten Perseverance | Old King’s Great Hammer | Use strong attacks to stab the Earth to trigger molten explosions repeatedly. It anchors the weapon in the earth to temporarily boost poise. |
Neck Swipe | Reapers | It causes heavy damage when this attack aims for the scruff of an enemy’s neck and, when successful, functions as a headshot. |
Pacify | Yorshka’s Spear | It is used to temporarily wear down enemy FP with a prayer and an offering of this spear to the enemy. |
Morne’s Rage | Morner’s Great Hammer | It is used to boost poise and reduce damage received temporarily. To use it stick a weapon into the earth and emit a powerful shockwave. |
Pharis Triple-shot | Black Bow of Pharis | It swiftly nocks three arrows with finesse after drawing the bow, firing them simultaneously. |
Shield Bash | All Shields | It is used to strike the enemy with the shield to knock them back or stagger them without lowering your guard. It works when equipped on either hand. |
Punitive Flame | Immolation Tinder | It punishes the enemy with a flame that blankets the ground. |
Sacred Light and Flame | Twin Princes’ Greatsword | It is used in stance, using the normal attack to cast Sacred Lothric Light and a strong attack to cast Flame of Lorian. |
Sharpen | Butcher Knife, Great Machete | It sharpens the blade to increase the health points restored with each successful hit. |
Profaned Flame | Profaned Greatsword | It is used to summon the Profaned Flame temporarily. To use it lunge forward and use a strong attack to enshroud the blade in flame. |
Spin Slash | Gotthard Twinswords, Curved Swords, Curved Greatswoods | It is used to slice into enemies with a large spinning motion and continues spinning for a strong attack transition. |
Rapid Fire | Composite Bow, Short Bow | It is used to swiftly nocks arrows with finesse after drawing them from the bow. It allows for consecutive shots. |
Sacred Lothric Light | Lothric’s Holy Sword | It is used in an assumed stance to imbue the sword with sacred light and, for strong attack, release light together with a great thrust of the sword. |
Quickstep | Daggers, Thrall Axe, Manikin Claws | It is very effective when locked onto the target, instantly stepping behind or around enemies’ sides. |
Ricard’s Lunge and Press | Ricard’s Rapier | To use it, assume a quick stance, lunge forward and execute a stunning chain attack. Sustain offensive with a strong attack. |
Puncturing Arrow | Greatbows | It is used to masterfully fires off a great arrow that penetrates through all enemies in its path and Inflicts damage. |
Shield Splitter | Mail Breaker, Estoc, Irthyll Rapier, Astor’s Spear, Spear | To use it, aim carefully at the enemy and attack in a large forward lunge to pierce through enemy shields and give damage directly. |
Spin Sweep | Parizan, Halberds | To use its large spinning motion to sweep enemies and utilize momentum to transition into an overhanded strong attack smash. |
Tackle | Crossbows | To use it, lunge into a shoulder tackle, pushing back enemies to create distance. |
Stance | Straight Swords and Greatswords, Crystal Sage’s Rapier and Rapier | While in stance use a normal attack to break an enemy’s guard from below. Strong attack to slash upwards with a forward lunge. |
Unleash Dragon | Tailbone Shortsword, Tailbone Spear | To use it, thrust the spear to unleash the strength of the dragon, and it is similar to an ancient dragon weapon when its power tragically faded. |
Stance of Judgment | Greatsword of Judgement | To use it assumes a stance to unleash the dark magic. Use normal attack for lunging thrust. Strong attack to emit side-sweeping waves. |
Storm King | Storm Ruler | To use it, assume a stance to imbue the sword with a storm. It becomes more effective when you are facing giants. |
Tornado | Storm Curved Sword | To use it, imbue the blade with the wrath of a storm in a spinning motion and follow with a strong attack to bear that wrath upon enemies. |
Warcey | Axes, Greataxes, Hammers, Great Hammers, Crescent Axe | It temporarily boosts an attack by letting out a spirited warcry and enables a strong crushing attack. |
Stomp | Dark Sword, Greatswords and Ultra Greatsword | It uses one’s weight to lunge forward with a low stance and increased poise and follow with a strong attack for a spinning slash. |
Steady Chant | Heysel Pick, Golden Ritual Spear, Staffs | It is used to boost the strength of sorceries for a short moment. |
Weapon Skill | All Shields | This will allow one to perform the skill of the right-hand weapon by equipping this shield in the left hand. |
Stone Flesh | Havel’s Greatshield | It is used to turn the user’s body into a solid mass of stone by raising the shield in silent prayer. |
Wolf Sword | Wolf Knight’s Greatsword | Use a normal attack for a low spinning slash while in stance or for the strong attack to leap forward in a vertically slashing somersault. |
Unfaltering Prayer | Talismans | It temporarily increases poise while casting miracles, preventing enemy attacks from interrupting prayer. It works when equipped on either hand. |
Wheel of Fate | Bonewheel Shield | It is used to shred enemies with the outer lining of spikes. Just thrust out the wheel and give it a good spin. |
Wrath of Gods | Wolnir’s Holy Sword | It is used when you thrust it into the earth; it emits a powerful shockwave. |
Wolf Leap | Old Wolf Curved Sword | It is used to slice into enemies with a large spinning motion, then leap out of harm’s way and follow with a strong attack. |
It is worth noting that specific shared skills present on multiple weapons may have slight variations in FP costs based on the weapon used. That’s all you need to know about weapon skills in Dark Souls 3. If you need to know more about Dark Souls 3, here are some guides you might like: